Short answer: a tie on sound quality. Both are rated 3.5/5 (#780 and #821 of 1291 in-ear headphones) at nearly the same price ($199 vs $199), so choose on features and fit.
What the Apple AirPods Pro 3 does well: Sub-bass sits about 3 dB above the Harman target in hobbyist measurements on squig.link and still reaches 30 Hz with a slight lift, so bass lines and electronic drops carry real rumble. The tradeoff: A 6.4 dB dip near 3.4 kHz pulls vocals and guitars back, while a 6.3 dB peak near 8 kHz and about 6 dB of extra air above 10 kHz can make cymbals and sibilance sound splashy.
The case for the Kiwi Ears KE4: Bass is clean and well controlled from the isobaric dynamic pair, landing right on target from 20 Hz upward across 37 measurements. The catch: The upper mids and presence sit about 4 to 5 dB below target, with a 7.4 dB dip near 6.5 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose bite and the sound can feel veiled.
Buy the Apple AirPods Pro 3 or the Kiwi Ears KE4 on features: they are rated the same for sound quality at close to the same price.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Headphones rankings.
Sub-bass sits about 3 dB above the Harman target in hobbyist measurements on squig.link and still reaches 30 Hz with a slight lift, so bass lines and electronic drops carry real rumble.
Amazon $199.00 eBay
Bass is clean and well controlled from the isobaric dynamic pair, landing right on target from 20 Hz upward across 37 measurements.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Apple AirPods Pro 3 | Kiwi Ears KE4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199.00 | $199.00 |
| Ranked | #780 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #821 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 68 (median of 5 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 67 (median of 37 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.43 dB standard deviation | 2.17 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.58 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.84 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+1.7 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-0.5 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | True wireless | Wired |
| Driver Type | Dynamic | Hybrid |
| Weight | 0 lbs (5.55 g) per earbud | - |
| Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | - |
| Battery Life | 8 hours (24 with case, ANC on, Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | - |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC | - |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | - |
| IP Rating | IP57 | - |
| Drivers | - | 2 x 10mm dynamic (isobaric) + 2 x balanced armature |
| Impedance | - | 28 ohms |
| Sensitivity | - | 102 dB/mW |
| Frequency Response | - | 20Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Apple AirPods Pro 3 from digaoreviews, ducbloke, listener, silicagel and superreview; the Kiwi Ears KE4 from aden, aftersound, atechreviews, audioamigo, banzai1122, bloomaudio, boizoff, cammyfi, cqtek, dl, eliseaudio, filk, flare, gadgetrytech, harutohiroki, hobbytalk, iemworld, jaytiss, joshtbvo, joycesreview, kazi, kuping-sensi, listener, lown-fi, obodio, practiphile, pw, silicagel, sl0the, soundcheck39, soundignity, superreview, theaudiostore, therollo9, timmyv, treblewellxtended and vortexreviews, all via squig.link.
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