The main innovation of the AirPods Pro 3 is the built-in heart rate sensor that can track over 50 types of workouts. The only question is how accurate it turned out to be in practice. The earbuds were compared directly with top-tier watches from various brands, and the result was especially interesting: the gap between the two devices turned out to be significantly smaller than expected.
Figuring out which measures heart rate more accurately
How the AirPods Pro 3 Heart Rate Accuracy Was Tested
The testing methodology was simple and fair. Each device was compared against the Polar H10 chest strap, which is considered the gold standard for consumer heart rate measurements. This strap reads heart rhythm via electrical signals rather than light through the skin, which is why it’s used as the reference point.
The distance was covered under identical conditions: four laps around a stadium track, totaling one mile, with different intensity on each lap. This was necessary to capture different heart rate zones, from resting to high.
Amazfit Bip looks very similar to Apple Watch
The comparison included AirPods Pro 3, Apple Watch Series 11, as well as Garmin Venu 4, Google Pixel Watch 4, Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, and Amazfit Bip 6. In other words, Apple’s earbuds were tested against current flagship watches, not weak devices. This immediately makes the result meaningful: the competitors were chosen so that any misstep would be visible. And it’s precisely against this backdrop that the conclusions look especially convincing.
AirPods Pro 3 Heart Rate Accuracy Compared to Competitors
The main takeaway from the test: AirPods Pro 3 turned out to be more accurate than any third-party watch in the lineup. The earbuds showed an average difference from the reference strap of 2.02 beats per minute, with an average error of 1.23%. For an in-ear measurement, that’s a very solid number.
AirPods Pro 3 measure heart rate quite accurately
This means that in terms of heart rate accuracy, the earbuds outperformed watches from Garmin, Google, Samsung, and Amazfit. The ear as a measurement location works no worse than the wrist, and in some ways is even more convenient: the sensor fits snugly and is less affected by arm movement during running.
There’s a nuance worth mentioning honestly. The distance had to be run three times to collect a complete data set: the first attempt for some unknown reason didn’t record the full workout, and the second was interrupted by an accidental press of the stop button. This is more of an everyday accident than a problem with the sensor itself, but recording workouts through the earbuds still requires attention.
Apple Watch Series 11 Heart Rate Accuracy
First place in the test went to Apple Watch Series 11 with an error of 0.63% and an average difference from the reference of just 0.89 beats per minute. That’s closer to the chest strap than any other device in the comparison.
Apple Watch can be considered the gold standard among smartwatches
Interestingly, the watch performed better than last time: previously, an error of 0.98% and a difference of 1.40 beats per minute were recorded. The numbers improved, and Apple Watch confidently topped the list.
In short: for the most accurate heart rate, Apple Watch is unrivaled, but the gap between it and the earbuds has noticeably narrowed. Just a year ago, such a small margin for the earbuds would have seemed impossible.
What to Choose for Heart Rate Monitoring: AirPods Pro 3 or Apple Watch
The most practical takeaway from the test is about money. If you’re already getting AirPods Pro 3, buying a separate watch isn’t necessary. The earbuds handle the task at a level that previously required watches specifically.
So earbuds or a watch for heart rate monitoring
AirPods Pro 3 cost $249 in the US, which is roughly from 19,000 ₽ in Russia at the current exchange rate. Apple Watch Series 11 will cost noticeably more, so saving by not buying a separate watch adds up. For those who were already planning to upgrade their earbuds, heart rate monitoring essentially comes as a bonus, without paying extra for a separate gadget.
That said, the earbuds don’t fully replace a watch. Several limitations are worth considering:
- a watch measures heart rate continuously throughout the day, while earbuds only do so when you’re wearing them
- Apple Watch tracks sleep, ECG, blood oxygen levels, and other metrics that AirPods don’t have
- not everyone will want to run an entire workout in earbuds, especially in heat or rain
- in terms of the highest heart rate accuracy, the watch is still ahead
If you only need heart rate during workouts and you already listen to music through earbuds, AirPods Pro 3 get the job done. If sleep tracking, notifications, standalone calls, and extended health monitoring matter to you, that’s still watch territory.
