One of the more interesting developments of AirPods Pro 3–one the rumor mill didn’t seem to know about–is that it uses new “foam-infused” eartips.
They’re still silicone flanges, but the central piece and tip are filled with foam inside, like nougat in a candy bar. There’s a good cross-section shot in Apple’s presentation from its Awe Dropping event on September 9.
Apple
You might be tempted to try these tips out with your AirPods Pro 2, especially since they come in more sizes. But don’t go buy AirPods Pro 3 tips from the Apple Store, or borrow the unused tips from a friend’s set. If you check the page for AirPods Pro 3 tips on the Apple Store, you’ll see Apple lists only compatibility with AirPods Pro 3. AirPods Pro 2 tips are only for AirPods Pro 2. Apple made them incompatible with each other, and there’s a good reason.
The new foam-infused tips make a tighter seal in your ear, and don’t deform as readily as the plain silicone flanges. That’s great for sound isolation, bass response, and noise cancelling. It also helps keep them comfortably in place.
But that also means they require a little more force to pull out of your ear canal. In order to ensure that the eartip doesn’t pop off and remain in your ear if you quickly pull out your AirPod, Apple made the connection socket deeper and more secure.
You can see the difference between the old and new connectors here. The AirPods Pro 3 tips have a deeper inset before the mesh cover, while the AirPods Pro 2 eartips are quite shallow.
Foundry
So be sure that the tips you buy are made for the AirPods you’re using, because the connection has changed. If you want the more secure, comfortable, and isolating fit of foam tips without paying to replace your AirPods, we highly recommend aftermarket products like Comply foam tips. We’ve used them on our AirPods Pro 2 for over a year and have found they greatly improve comfort, fit, and sound quality.
Author: Jason Cross, Senior Editor, Macworld
Jason has written about technology for more than 25 years - first in the gaming press, then focusing on enthusiast PCs and general technology. He enjoys learning how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.