Apple AirPods Pro 3

Superb sound quality and amazing noise cancellation make these the standout earphones

- JON HONEYBALL

There are a few things I always carry with me. In my right-hand front jeans pocket goes my wallet, and both fast and slow insulin syringes. In the left goes my phone and the Apple AirPods Pro 2 case (let's shorten that to the AP2), now supplanted by the Pro 3. For the past year I've carried the AP2 with me everywhere; its small, curved case design slips easily into my pocket. They're ready for use for weeks at a time without recharging the case.

So these earphones have been my constant companions, at the ready for a phone call I want to make or to listen to music while walking. Or when I realise that the band in the local pub is uncomfortably loud, and I need some hearing protection. As an auditory Swiss-army knife, they do it all.

I've been incredibly happy with them, so the question comes: what made me buy the AirPods Pro 3? In part because Apple promises the AP3 buds have longer battery life, and that's something I look forward to trying on a long-haul flight where the AP2 set occasionally comes up short.

But the real reason I spent the cash was the promise of better noise cancellation. I thought that would be hard to achieve, given how astonishingly good the noise cancellation is on the AP2, but I was wrong: the AP3 is clearly that bit better.