Finally able to wear AirPods Pro for hours, the fit change makes a real difference
I've been an AirPods Pro user since the first generation. One thing that always annoyed me was that I could never wear them for more than an hour or so before my ears started feeling sore. I just accepted that as the trade-off for using them.
The Pro 3 changed that for me. Apple moved where the ear tips sit on the bud, so less of it actually goes into your ear canal. It sounds like a small thing but the difference in comfort is noticeable. I've had them in for three or four hours straight on long work days and felt nothing. That never happened with the Pro 2.
The ANC also benefits from this. The new tips have some foam in them now, not full foam like some competitors use, but enough to add better passive isolation on top of the active noise cancellation. Higher frequency sounds get blocked out a lot better than before.
Sound quality got a bump too. The soundstage feels a bit wider and there's more detail across the range. Bass is cleaner, not heavier, which I actually prefer.