Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Pro 3 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery — with case | 30 h | 42 h |
| Battery — buds | 8 h | 10 h |
| Spatial audio | true | false |
| Multipoint | false | true |
| Water resistance | IP57 | IP54 |
| Weight per bud | 5.3 g | 4.8 g |
Between the AirPods Pro 3 and Ear (a) 2, the AirPods Pro 3 comes out ahead in spatial audio / water resistance, while the Ear (a) 2 wins on battery — with case / battery — buds. Overall, the AirPods Pro 3 scores 78.3 and the Ear (a) 2 scores 82.8 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Ear (a) 2 edges ahead on the Mars Score (78.3 vs 82.8), but the 4.5-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the AirPods Pro 3 if audio quality and feature breadth (ANC, codecs, multipoint) are the lead criteria for your purchase. The biggest gaps in its favor are spatial audio, water resistance. The single most decisive one: Has Spatial audio.
Pick the Ear (a) 2 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are battery — with case, battery — buds, multipoint, among others. The single most decisive one: Battery — with case — 40.00% more. 42 h vs 30 h.
Both ship with comparable active noise cancellation, driver size, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: Apple - AirPods Pro 3 or Nothing - Ear (a) 2?
Nothing - Ear (a) 2 leads the current Mars Score by 4.5 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare battery — buds, weight per bud against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Apple - AirPods Pro 3 if…
Apple - AirPods Pro 3 has the measurable edge on has spatial audio, ip rating.
Choose Nothing - Ear (a) 2 if…
Nothing - Ear (a) 2 has the measurable edge on battery life case h, battery life buds h, has multipoint.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why Apple - AirPods Pro 3 wins
- ▲Has Spatial audio.
- ▲Water resistance: IP57 (vs IP54).
Why Nothing - Ear (a) 2 wins
- ▲Battery — with case — 40.00% more. 42 h vs 30 h.
- ▲Battery — buds — 25.00% more. 10 h vs 8 h.
- ▲Has Multipoint.
- ▲Weight per bud — 0.50 g less. 4.8 vs 5.3.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Pro 3 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | in-ear | in-ear |
| Weight per bud | 5.3 g | 4.8 glead |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP57lead | IP54 |
Audio
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Pro 3 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 11 mm | 11 mm |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | truelead | false |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Pro 3 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery — buds | 8 h | 10 hlead |
| Battery — with case | 30 h | 42 hlead |
| Wireless case chargingⓘ | truelead | false |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Pro 3 | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Codecsⓘ | AAC,SBC | LDAC,AAC,SBC |
| Multipointⓘ | false | truelead |
| In-ear detection | true | true |
Frequently asked
Which has longer battery, AirPods Pro 3 or Ear (a) 2?+
Ear (a) 2 lasts 10h per charge vs 8h.
Do AirPods Pro 3 or Ear (a) 2 support multipoint?+
Ear (a) 2 supports multipoint pairing; AirPods Pro 3 does not.
Which has ANC, AirPods Pro 3 or Ear (a) 2?+
Both models have active noise cancellation.