GoKawiilOne 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.
Interestingly, both figures improved this time around, dropping to 0.63% and 0.89 BPM, respectively. That comfortably put the Apple Watch Series 11 at the top of the list, with readings closer to the Polar chest strap than any of the other devices tested.
The AirPods Pro 3 came in second, with an average heart-rate difference of 2.02 BPM and an average error rate of 1.23%. In other words, they proved more accurate than every non-Apple wearable tested, though Orellana had to run the course three times to capture a complete data set. (The first attempt inexplicably failed to record the full workout, while the second ended when a sprinkler droplet hit the stop button on her iPhone.)
Here’s Orellana on the results:
Whether they’re building on the Apple Watch’s groundwork, benefiting from their position in the ear, or just using really good sensors (likely all fo te [sic] above), the AirPods can hang. They go head-to-head with the Apple Watch for heart-rate tracking and beat out all the other smartwatches I’ve tested. If you’re already spending $250 on AirPods Pro 3, you don’t need to drop another $400 on a watch just for heart-rate data.
To read more about the experiment, including why the ear may be better suited than the wrist for measuring heart rate, the trade-offs of using AirPods instead of a smartwatch during workouts, and how the Garmin Venu 4, Google Pixel Watch 4, Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, and Amazfit Bip 6 performed, follow this link.
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