This is genuinely hit or miss depending on your ears—and it's probably the most polarizing thing about the AirPods Pro 3.
Apple did put serious effort into the design: 10,000 ear scans, 100,000+ hours of testing, smaller earbud bodies, foam-infused silicone tips, and five tip sizes including a new XXS for smaller ear canals. For many people, this works beautifully. The Pro 3 sit comfortably for hours, stay put during activity, and feel less fatiguing than any previous AirPods.
But for others, there's a problem—and it often comes down to the heart rate sensor.
The new PPG sensor sits on the inner surface of each earbud, and it has to make contact with your ear to work. For some users, this creates a pressure point against the tragus (that little flap of cartilage at the entrance to your ear canal). The complaints are consistent: fine for the first 15-30 minutes, then progressively uncomfortable, sometimes to the point of needing to remove them entirely. Some users even report minor skin irritation or redness.
If you wore AirPods Pro 2 comfortably for hours, that's unfortunately not a guarantee you'll have the same experience with the Pro 3. The design changed enough that some people who loved the fit of the previous generation struggle with this one.
My advice: use the built-in ear tip fit test, try every tip size (including ones that seem too big or too small), and give it several days. Sometimes your ears just need time to adapt. But if comfort doesn't improve, don't force it—take advantage of Apple's return policy. The best earbuds in the world don't matter if you can't wear them comfortably.
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