AirPods Pro 3 vs. Apple Watch Ultra 3: How Accurate is In-Ear Heart Rate Monitoring?

Daily Technology

·

03/11/2025

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Apple released the 2025 AirPods Pro 3 with tiny light sensors inside each bud that measure pulse rate from the ear canal. We ran the same one hour weight-lifting workout on the buds and on an Apple Watch Ultra 3 to learn whether the headphone sensor gives numbers close to those from the purpose built watch.

Test Plan

Both devices recorded the identical session. After the hour ended we exported average pulse rate plus total calorie numbers from each log and placed them side by side.

Pulse Rate Accuracy

The buds returned an average of 119 beats per minute - the watch returned 118. Second-by-second plots from the two files rose and fell at the same moments - the ear sensor lands on the same curve as the wrist sensor for everyday tracking.

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Where the Outputs Diverge

The buds gave a calorie total roughly twenty five percent higher than the watch. Apple Watch models factor arm motion into calorie math - their totals for resistance work have a tighter error range. The AirPods also omit heart-rate-zone breakdowns - the watch lists minutes spent in each of five zones, a tool athletes use to pace intervals but also recovery.

Summary

The AirPods Pro 3 deliver pulse figures that match the watch close enough for general fitness checks, but they lack sport specific detail. People who train by zones still need the watch. When both devices operate at once, Apple's fitness engine pulls the steadier signal of the two - running both raises overall data quality.

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