Potential tradeoffs?
And I must say, the AirPods Pro 3 do seem to live up to that hype. I’m an avid Apple Watch wearer (and have been for years), but for the last week I’ve taken it off for my outdoor runs and walks (dogwalks) and just brought my iPhone and AirPods Pro 3.
When doing so, all the normal metrics for my run — distance, pace, heart rate and calories — that would’ve appeared on my Apple Watch face appear right on iPhone’s Lock Screen. It’s a very familiar experience.
That said, while AirPods Pro 3 can capture similar workout data as the Apple Watch, the convenience isn’t quite the same. Without an Apple Watch, it means you basically have to carry your iPhone in your hand to view your workout data (or change songs) during a run, which I’m not a big fan of.
If you do have an Apple Watch, the heart-rate tracking capabilities of the AirPods Pro 3 are, admittedly, less of a sell. When used simultaneously, Waymo said that the two devices work together to determine which one is gathering the more accurate heart-rate data, and that’s what appears on your Workout screen.
When used in tandem, there’s no way of seeing if the heart rate data is coming from your wrist or earbuds during a workout.