One of the flagship additions to the AirPods Pro 3 was a built-in heart-rate sensor, which allows users to track more than 50 workout types. But how accurate is it?
AirPods heart rate sensor outperforms most wearables tested
In an interesting test, CNET Labs (via MacMagazine) put the AirPods Pro 3 up against the Apple Watch Series 11, Garmin Venu 4, Google Pixel Watch 4, Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, and Amazfit Bip 6.
Every device was compared against the Polar H10 chest strap, which CNET describes as its gold standard for consumer heart-rate tracking. For each test, CNET’s Vanessa Orellana ran four laps around the same college track, covering 1 mile in total, while varying the intensity of each lap to capture readings across different heart-rate zones.
Orellana had previously tested the Apple Watch Series 11, recording a 0.98% average error rate compared to the Polar chest strap and an average heart rate difference of 1.40 BPM.
