AirPods Pro 3 vs WF-1000XM6

Pick by phone, not by spec sheet. iPhone owners should buy AirPods Pro 3; Android owners should buy the Sony WF-1000XM6.

• On raw numbers Sony edges ahead.
• In one independent lab's measurements its noise canceling beat 98% of the earbuds tested, and it ran 9 h 41 min on a charge, past its own claim.
• It also supports LDAC and LC3 and offers multipoint with any two devices.
• Sony's app has a full adjustable EQ, which Apple still doesn't offer.
• AirPods Pro 3 answer with fit and durability.
• Five tip sizes from XXS to L make a good seal far more likely.
• The buds and case are rated IP57, against Sony's splash-only IPX4, and Sony's case is bulkier.
• On iPhone, Apple's dual beamforming mics and Voice Isolation, heart-rate sensing, Hearing Aid mode and automatic switching across Apple devices make them the complete package.
• On Android those extras vanish and they become plain Bluetooth earbuds.
• That is the whole decision: Sony wins ANC, battery and codecs, and Apple wins fit, ruggedness and ecosystem.