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Earfun’s New Air Pro 3 Earbuds Deliver Impressive Sound — and They’re Already 30% Off

G.F.A.L.O.E.

Earfun has put out a series of wireless earbuds over the last couple of years with one important commonality: They’re very good values, made moreso by frequent discounts. I’ve highlighted previous deals on Air Pro SV and Air Pro 2, as well as the more recent Earfun Air S. Now the company is releasing its new Earfun Air Pro 3 earbuds, which I’ve been testing for the last week and feature the latest Qualcomm QCC3071 system-on-a-chip with aptX Adaptive for Android and other devices that support it. They’re due to ship on Jan. 30 and are on sale now for $56 or 30% off their list price of $80.

See at Earfun

Lightweight and comfortable to wear (I got a good seal with the largest ear tip size), these aren’t a huge upgrade over the Earfun Air S, but they are clearly better. They have slightly larger wool-composite drivers (11mm vs. 10mm), slightly improved noise canceling, better battery life (up to 7 hours with noise-canceling on, according to Earfun) and support for the new LE Audio standard and LC3 audio codec that’s superior to the SBC audio codec (they also support AAC audio codec for Apple devices). Their transparency mode also seems to be a touch more natural sounding than the Air S.

In short, the Earfun Air 3 deliver strong performance for their modest price point, with robust bass, good clarity and a relatively wide soundstage. They also pack in a lot of features, including a wireless charging case and «multi-device» connectivity (I could pair them to two devices simultaneously but had to pause the music on one device and hit play on the other for the audio to switch).

They’re IPX5 splash-proof and have touch controls that could be a little more responsive but work OK. And finally, the buds connect to the Earfun Audio app for iOS and Android, which allows you to update the firmware and tweak their sound profile.

I listened to the buds using an iPhone 14 Pro and an Asus ROG 6 Android smartphone that’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 mobile platform. With the Asus, I was able to stream high-resolution tracks from Qobuz (with aptX Adaptive) and the sound had a bit more depth and detail and the overall sound was impressive given the price point. However, they can’t compete with high-end buds like the new $400 Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 S2, which offer better definition and more accurate sound. I know that’s a widely unfair comparison, but I only mention it to say that while the Air Pro 3 sound quite good for relatively cheap earbuds, they do have their limitations, particularly when it comes to bass definition (the bass is a tad overemphasized at the default setting).

If you’re wondering where these stand for voice calling, they perform well, with decent background noise reduction in noisier environments (like the streets of New York, where I tested them). But I wouldn’t say they’re excellent for making voice calls (callers said my voice sounded «reasonably» clear outdoors, not crystal clear). You can use either bud independently of the other and use a single bud to listen to audio or make calls.

Here’s a quick look at the Air Pro 3’s specs, according to Earfun. For now they’re only available on Earfun’s website, but eventually they should hit Amazon and perhaps go on sale there.