EVERYTHING IMPROVED! AirPods Pro 3 Firmware 8B25
So, the AirPods Pro 3 got a new firmware recently with iOS 26.1 dubbed 8B25. As usual, Apple only says it’s for bug fixes and improvements, but from my measurements, it seems there are some changes in some areas. Don’t panic, we’ll discuss what those are in a bit.
Microphone Quality
In terms of mic pickup, you won’t see any difference on iOS, it’s still that clear, crisp 10khz capture, with noise gating and voice filtering being on a similar level compared to before. But on Android, there’s been a huge improvement in performance under noise and wind.
👉 Have a listen to the mic quality samples
Active Noise Cancelling
Its active noise canceling doesn’t seem to be affected in real life testing, but frequency sweeps show that on the new firmware, it seems to cancel a bit more in the lower frequencies, and the 1.7khz hole seems to have been patched on my unit, so noise canceling should be more effective against background human chatter.
👉 Have a listen to the ANC quality samples
Transparency Mode
Its transparency mode is more or less similar on the new firmware compared to 8A358, with a tiny bit of increase in brightness in the 1.7khz region according to this frequency sweep. In my own testing, it felt quite similar to the previous firmware though. Maybe a bit less occluded in the vocal range but barely perceptible difference.
Sound Quality
For sound quality on its default setting, compared to the previous firmware 8A358, the AirPods Pro 3 now sounds a bit more V-shaped, with enhancements in the bass and highs, and a bit of pulling back in the mids. I like this change, I think it makes the Pro 3 sound a bit more exciting, and a bit more airy in the soundstage. But what do you think? Comment below.
👉 Have a listen to the sound quality samples
