AirPods Pro 3 dupes and alternatives: 5 cheaper noise-cancelling earbuds, scored
AirPods Pro 3 is the pair most people already have in mind, and at $249 it is priced like it. Apple publishes a full sheet: 8 hours with noise cancelling on, 24 with the case, 5.55 g per bud, IP57, and a case that charges on MagSafe or any Qi pad. What it does not do is hold two devices at once over Bluetooth, which is where most of the cheaper rivals answer back.
By DupeMap editorialUpdated Scored from published specs, not from testing
Of the 5 alternatives we mapped, the Soundcore Liberty 5 matches the most of what the AirPods Pro 3 offers (92% DupeScore). The biggest list-price saving is the EarFun Air Pro 4, $159 (64%) below the AirPods Pro 3.
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The dupe map
Every stop is a cheaper way to get what the AirPods Pro 3 does. The % on each pin is how much of the AirPods Pro 3’s published spec sheet it matches or beats.
What the % means: the share of the AirPods Pro 3’s published specs an alternative matches or beats. 85% = it equals or beats the AirPods Pro 3 on 85% of what matters.
80%+ close match60–79% partialunder 60% looseHow we score →
The closest match on paper for about half the price: the same 8 hours with noise cancelling on, 32 hours with the case against 24, and 4.6 g per bud against 5.55. It also holds two devices at once, which AirPods do only between Apple devices. You drop from IP57 to IP55, and Soundcore does not say whether the case charges wirelessly. $119 less.
What’s the catch?
1 thing the Soundcore Liberty 5 does worse than the AirPods Pro 3. Tick what you can live without.
No dealbreakers for you: it does everything else as well or better.
Not published by Soundcore, so unproven: Wireless charging case.
Beats the AirPods Pro 3 on
Total with case, noise cancelling on: 32 hr vs 24 hr
Weight per earbud: 4.6 g vs 5.55 g
Holds two devices at once
Bluetooth: 5.4 vs 5.3
Just as good on
Battery per charge, noise cancelling on
Soundcore does not publish Wireless charging case, so that spec scores half credit instead of a full match.
The cheapest pair here, at $159 less: 7.5 hours with noise cancelling on against 8, 35 hours with the case against 24, multipoint, and a case that charges on a Qi pad like the AirPods case does. IPX5 against IP57, and EarFun publishes no per-bud weight.
What’s the catch?
2 things the EarFun Air Pro 4 does worse than the AirPods Pro 3. Tick what you can live without.
No dealbreakers for you: it does everything else as well or better.
Not published by EarFun, so unproven: Weight per earbud.
Beats the AirPods Pro 3 on
Total with case, noise cancelling on: 35 hr vs 24 hr
Holds two devices at once
Bluetooth: 5.4 vs 5.3
Just as good on
Wireless charging case
EarFun does not publish Weight per earbud, so that spec scores half credit instead of a full match.
Samsung's budget pair matches the 24 hours with the case and is lighter at 5 g a bud, for $99 less. Each charge is shorter, 6 hours with noise cancelling on against 8, the rating drops from IP57 to IP54, and Samsung does not say whether the case charges wirelessly.
What’s the catch?
2 things the Galaxy Buds3 FE does worse than the AirPods Pro 3. Tick what you can live without.
No dealbreakers for you: it does everything else as well or better.
Not published by Samsung, so unproven: Wireless charging case.
Beats the AirPods Pro 3 on
Weight per earbud: 5 g vs 5.55 g
Bluetooth: 5.4 vs 5.3
Just as good on
Total with case, noise cancelling on
Samsung does not publish Wireless charging case, so that spec scores half credit instead of a full match.
Compare every spec, side by side
Spec
AirPods Pro 3
Galaxy Buds3 FE
Battery per charge, noise cancelling on
8 hr
6 hr
Total with case, noise cancelling on
24 hr
24 hr
Weight per earbud
5.55 g
5 g
Holds two devices at once
Not listed
Not listed
Wireless charging case
Yes
Not listed
Water rating (IPx)
7
4
Bluetooth
5.3
5.4
Driver
Not listed
Not listed
Codecs listed
Not listed
AAC, SBC, SSC
Spec source: www.samsung.com
· list price checked Oct 5, 2026
Apple's other earbud brand: the same 24 hours with the case and 5 g per bud against 5.55, for $79 less. Each charge is 6 hours with noise cancelling on against 8, it is IPX4 against IP57, and Beats publishes no Bluetooth version or wireless charging.
What’s the catch?
2 things the Beats Studio Buds + does worse than the AirPods Pro 3. Tick what you can live without.
No dealbreakers for you: it does everything else as well or better.
Not published by Beats, so unproven: Wireless charging case and Bluetooth.
Beats the AirPods Pro 3 on
Weight per earbud: 5 g vs 5.55 g
Just as good on
Total with case, noise cancelling on
Beats does not publish Wireless charging case and Bluetooth, so those specs score half credit instead of a full match.
Longer per charge than AirPods - 8.5 hours with noise cancelling on against 8 - lighter at 4.5 g a bud, and it holds two devices at once, for $119 less. The case charges over USB only, it is IPX4 against IP57, and Sony gives no noise-cancelling figure for the case.
What’s the catch?
2 things the Sony WF-C710N does worse than the AirPods Pro 3. Tick what you can live without.
No dealbreakers for you: it does everything else as well or better.
Not published by Sony, so unproven: Total with case, noise cancelling on.
Beats the AirPods Pro 3 on
Battery per charge, noise cancelling on: 8.5 hr vs 8 hr
Weight per earbud: 4.5 g vs 5.55 g
Holds two devices at once
Just as good on
Bluetooth
Sony does not publish Total with case, noise cancelling on, so that spec scores half credit instead of a full match.
Compare every spec, side by side
Spec
AirPods Pro 3
Sony WF-C710N
Battery per charge, noise cancelling on
8 hr
8.5 hr
Total with case, noise cancelling on
24 hr
Not listed
Weight per earbud
5.55 g
4.5 g
Holds two devices at once
Not listed
Yes
Wireless charging case
Yes
No
Water rating (IPx)
7
4
Bluetooth
5.3
5.3
Driver
Not listed
5.1 mm
Codecs listed
Not listed
SBC, AAC
Spec source: www.sony.com
· list price checked Oct 5, 2026
Better than the AirPods Pro 3 Worse Not listed by the maker
How this page was scored
Every pair here cancels noise; the differences that show up in daily use are smaller and more specific. How many hours a bud lasts with noise cancelling on before it goes back in the case, how much the case adds, whether the pair will hold your laptop and your phone at once, how much water it is rated to survive, and whether the case charges on a pad.
Specs are weighted by how much they matter for a noise-cancelling earbud. An alternative earns full credit for matching or beating the AirPods Pro 3 on a spec, a proportional share where it falls short, and half credit for a spec its maker does not list. Models that list too few specs to compare fairly are left off. Read the full method.
Savings use maker or named-retailer list prices on the date shown. Amazon prices, where shown, are labelled with the time they were fetched. Spotted an error? Tell us.
Rankings are computed, never soldOrder comes out of the DupeScore calculation. There is no sponsored slot, no pay-to-appear, and no brand has ever been given a say in where it lands.
Every number links to its sourceEach spec comes from the sheet the maker published, linked on the page, with the date the price was checked next to it.
We say what we do not knowA spec a maker never published is shown as not listed and scored at half credit. Nothing is estimated, guessed or filled in to make a table look complete.
Independent of every brand hereDupeMap is not owned by, funded by or affiliated with any brand on the map. No free samples, no briefings, no pre-publication review.
Questions people ask
What is the closest alternative to the AirPods Pro 3?
On published specs, the Soundcore Liberty 5 Noise-Cancelling Earbuds scores 92% against the Apple AirPods Pro 3, and beats it on total with case, noise cancelling on, weight per earbud, holds two devices at once and bluetooth.
What is the cheapest AirPods Pro 3 alternative?
By maker list price, the EarFun Air Pro 4 Adaptive ANC True Wireless Earbuds at $89.99 against $249 for the AirPods Pro 3 (checked Oct 5, 2026). Prices change; check the current price before buying.
Which AirPods Pro 3 alternative has the longest battery?
The Sony WF-C710N Truly Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds, with 8.5 hr against the AirPods Pro 3's 8 hr.
Which AirPods Pro 3 alternative is the lightest?
The Sony WF-C710N Truly Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds, with 4.5 g against the AirPods Pro 3's 5.55 g.
How is the AirPods Pro 3 DupeScore calculated?
Each alternative is scored on the specs Apple publishes for the AirPods Pro 3, weighted by how much they matter for a noise-cancelling earbud. Matching or beating a spec earns full credit, falling short earns a proportional share, and a spec the rival does not list earns half. Holds two devices at once and driver are not listed for the AirPods Pro 3, so they are left out of the score.
Are these prices from Amazon?
The prices used for savings and scores are not: they are the maker's or a named retailer's list price on the date shown. Where an Amazon button shows a price, that one is Amazon's current price, labelled with the time it was fetched.
