Keepers Updated October 19, 2026
AirPods Pro 3

Is it worth it?

AirPods Pro 3

Apple · Earbuds · Sep 19, 2025

62Not yet

Not a Keeper. It scores 62 and a Keeper needs 80. The weakest part is how hard it is to repair.

Where the 62 comes from

Reviews23/30

Engadget 90. That averages 90 out of 100; a 60 earns nothing and a 100 earns all 30.

Updates14/25

Apple's firmware page lists the 2022 AirPods Pro 2 on the same current firmware as these, so about four years so far. The battery can't practically be replaced.

Repairable0/20

iFixit scores them 0 of 10: the battery only comes out with heat and prying, and the buds rarely go back together.

Timing25/25

They came out September 19, 2025. Apple updates AirPods Pro about every three years, and MacRumors doesn't expect the next ones before late 2027.

23 + 14 + 0 + 25 = 62

Image: apple.com

Reviews: Engadget. Updates: Apple. Repair: iFixit. Timing: MacRumors. Numbers checked September 29, 2026; timing is worked out again every day.

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How the score works

Tech

  • Reviews, 30. The average of the published scores from outlets that score, like Engadget, CNET, PCMag, Tom's Guide and TechRadar. A 60 earns nothing and a 100 earns all 30.
  • Updates, 25. Years of software updates, from the maker's promise or, where there isn't one, what its last comparable model got. Seven years earns all 25.
  • Repairable, 20. iFixit's repairability score, doubled. Where iFixit hasn't scored it, we read the parts and guides.
  • Timing, 25. Where it is in its line's usual refresh cycle, the MacRumors question. Full points for the first half; nothing once the next model is due.

A Keeper is our bet on what lasts. Some releases show it right away: the reviews, the players and the people behind them all point the same way, the way they did for Elden Ring. For albums, games, films, shows and books, 85 or above is a Keeper and 75 to 84 is worth your time. Things and tech need 80. We score everything again as time goes by, and a Keeper that fades loses the label. Nobody pays to be here or pays for a score. Every score links to where its numbers came from. Each one has a link to find it on Amazon, and as an Amazon Associate, Keepers earns from qualifying purchases.

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