So after a solid month and a half of use… the Sennheiser Momentum 3’s are currently my favorite earbuds to use. The momentum 3’s have some solid upgrades from the momentum 2’s like better sound, better anc, a better sounding ambient mode, and updated Bluetooth connectivity. Now these aren’t the all out king’s of Premium ANC earbuds… but today we’re going to compare Sennheiser Momentum 3’s to the Sony WF-1000XM4’s, AirPods Pro, Jabra Elite 85T’s and the Galaxy Buds Pro.

Now regarding pricing the Galaxy Buds Pro have a retail price of $200, the Jabra Elite 85T’s have a retail price of $230, both the AirPods Pro and Momentum 3’s have a retail price of $250… and finally there are the Sony WF-1000XM4’s which have a retail price of $280. However due to current market conditions, I do expect all of these earbuds to go on sale from time to time. Plus, the AirPods Pro and Galaxy Buds Pro are due for an upgrade as on summer 2022. However, if you want to pick any of these earbuds up, they’ll be linked down below.

Now first lets talk about these cases. All of these earbuds have decently small cases for everyday carry. Now the AirPods Pro have the smallest case here making them super convenient to take on the go with you cause you’re barely going to notice this case while its in your pocket. Now the Galaxy Buds Pro also have a very small case, but it is a little thicker. Then there are the Sony WF-1000XM4’s and Jabra Elite 85T’s cases which are relatively the same size. Except, Sony’s case has a slightly smaller foot print, but Jabra’s case is slightly thinner. But finally there’s the momentum 3’s case which is the largest case here. And personally, I feel that this is the largest case that I feel is acceptable. Now you can still daily drive these earbuds. But this case is rather noticeable when its in your pocket. However, something that all of these earbuds do have in common is that they all have wireless charging. And this is actually a new feature for the momentum 3’s and I feel that the Momentum 2’s should have had wireless charging just given that they had a relatively large case. Nonetheless, if you’re an iPhone user looking for maximum convenience, then the AirPods Pro are still the way to go, and if you’re an android user looking for maximum convenience, then the Galaxy Buds Pro are still the way to go.

Now when it comes to battery life, keep in mind if you use these earbuds with their ANC turned off then you’ll be able to extend their battery life. And if you’re looking for max battery life then you’ll might want to go with the Sony’s cause they can go for as long as 36 hours with their ANC turned off. Where as the Jabra’s are good for up to 31 hours, the AirPods Pro are good for up to 30 hours and both the Galaxy Buds Pro and Momentum 2’s top out at 28 hours with their ANC turned off.

 

But with their ANC turned on the AirPods Pro, Jabra, and Sony’s are good for about 24 hours where as both the Galaxy Buds pro and Momentum 2’s are good for a little less than 18 hours. But nonetheless all of these earbuds have respectable battery lives for earbuds in 2022. But the Sony’s do come out on top here… and personally I do feel that the Momentum 3’s are going to struggle too keep up in the near future cause I do feel the successors to both the AirPods Pro and Galaxy Buds Pro are right around the corner.

But now lets talk about fit and we’re really going to have to dive deep here cause we do have a spectrum here and fit really is subjective. Now all of these earbuds are in ear ear buds. But only the momentum 3’s and Sony’s fit like your standard pair of in ear earbuds as in they actually go into your ear canal a decent amount. However the Momentum 3’s do go into your ear canal a little deeper than the Sony’s. Also, the momentum 3’s are the only earbuds here that still have ear fins. Before ear fins were super popular and this was a way that earbuds would try to differentiate themselves from AirPods cause they’re supposed to help with lock down… but more and more earbuds are starting to get rid of ear fins, unless they’re workout earbuds. But tangent aside, there are both the AirPods Pro and Jabra’s which are a pair of shallow fitting in ear ear buds as in they don’t go in super deep into your ear canal making them feel a little more natural. However, shallow fitting in ear earbuds might not offer as much lock down as a pair of standard fitting in ear earbuds like the Momentum 3's or Sony’s. And this really goes for the AirPods Pro’s cause these things really like to wiggle out a lot, where as with the Jabra’s not as much. But then there are the Galaxy Buds Pro which go in a little deeper than your shallow fitting in ear earbuds but they don’t go in as deep as standard in ear ear buds. The result is that the Galaxy Buds Pro feel natural while still offering good lock down. Personally for me fit wise its a real toss up between Jabra’s and Galaxy Buds Pro. They both feel comfortable while still offering great lock down.

However one really important thing that we’ve got to address here are the ear tips. All of these earbuds come included with silicon ear tips except the Sony’s. The Sony’s only come included with foam ear tips. Now these foam ear tips have their advantages, since they better conform to the shape of your ear they offer the most lock down here and they also passively block out the most amount of noise here which is both great for sound quality and it does give them an edge when it comes to Active Noise cancelation. However these foam ear tips are not for everybody. For starters for some people these foam ear tips can get itchy after a short while like me. I can usually only go like 20 minutes with these things in my ears before I gotta rip them out and take a break. Where as that isn’t an issue with the silicon ear tips found on these other earbuds. But then there’s also size, I usually gotta use the small ear tips that come included with my earbuds… but even the smallest ear tips that come included with the Sony’s are still a little to big for me. So if you’re someone that has smaller ear canals then the Sony’s will might not work for you, period. So overall even though the Foam ear tips on the Sony’s does have their advantages… they’re not for everyone. And I do wish the Sony’s also came included with a pair of silicon ear tips like their predecessors. But if you are looking for the best fitting earbuds here then I would recommend either the Jabra’s or the Galaxy Buds Pro. 

But now lets talk about connectivity cause there are some important nuances to take into consideration here. The earbuds on the AirPods Pro, Galaxy Buds Pro, Sony’s and Sennheiser’s all each establish a connection with your phone. So if you just want to use one earbud at a time you can use either one it doesn’t matter. And this is the type of connection set up that we expect to see from our earbuds now days. 

Where as the Jabra’s they’re are using a hero and sidekick set up meaning that one earbud, the hero earbud, in this case the right earbud actually establishes a connection with you phone and then relays that connection to the other earbud. So if you just want to use one earbud at a time you gotta use the correct earbud. In this case the right earbud. 

Now earbuds that still use a hero and sidekick do feel rather gen. However the Jabra’s justify their use of a hero and side kick cause they can be simultaneously connected to any two device regardless of operating system. So if you’re a power user with lets say an iPhone and a windows machine then you’ll might want to go with the Jabra’s. 

Now both the AirPods Pro and Galaxy Bud Pro also allow you to hot swap between multiple devices but only in their respective eco systems. So if you're an Apple power user than AirPods are great. Of if you’re a Samsung power user then Galaxy Buds are great. But the Jabra’s play nice with everybody. 

But ultimately, the momentum 3’s are better suited to be used with one primary device. Unlike with lets say the Galaxy Buds Pro or Sony’s which will automatically jump from one device to another, if a different device asks to pair with them… the momentum 3’s won’t do that. Instead, you either have to go into their app and switch between devices there… or you gotta put these earbuds into pairing mode every single time you want to switch devices. So in general, the Momentum 3’s aren’t the most power user friendly earbuds.

But when it comes to overall performance all of these earbuds have zero latency across the board when watching movies or videos on your phone whether you’re using an iPhone of an android device… but when it comes to audio codecs, the AirPods, Galaxy Buds, and Jabra’s all only have support for SBC and AAC. Now AAC is going to be perfectly fine… but the Momentum 3’s have support for SBC, AAC, APTX, and APTX adaptive… And then there are the Sony’s which have support for SBC, AAC, and Sony’s own LDAC which is their own in house high res audio codec. But just keep in mind, if you want to take advantage of APTX or LDAC, then you do have to be an android user.

But now let's talk about listing to music with these earbuds.  If sound quality is a priority for you then the AirPods Pro are the last earbuds you wanna be looking at here. Compared to these other earbuds the AirPods Pro sound very narrow, they put an emphasis on the mids, and their bass does not resonate what so ever. Personally for me I never use my AirPods Pro to listen to music. For me I only use AirPods Pro to watch videos or listen to podcasts with. But then there are the Jabra Elite 85T’s that sound more open than the AirPods Pro and they also have hard hitting bass that does resonate a little bit. Now even though these earbuds do have a fully customizable EQ these ear buds are better suited for people who like a warmer EQ cause these earbuds just don’t sound as open as the Galaxy Buds Pro or the Momentum 3’s. But then there are the Sony WF-1000XM4’s which I feel are an upgraded version of the Jabra’s. Now like the Jabra’s I would also mostly recommend these earbuds to people who prefer a warmer EQ cause these earbuds also have a lot bass to them. Now like I said I would recommend the Sony’s more to someone who like a bass heavy EQ  cause the bass on these earbuds hits harder than the bass on the Jabra’s but if you like a more neutral or vocals focused EQ then the Sony’s can get the job done if you’ve got them in the right EQ settings.

But if you’re interested in the best sound quality… then you’ll want to look at either the Galaxy Buds Pro or Momentum 3’s. Now both the Galaxy Buds Pro and Momentum 3’s have far better instrument separation than all of these other earbuds. But the Momentum 3’s do sound a little more open than the Galaxy Buds Pro. But where these two earbuds really differ is when it comes to their bass. Now the bass on the Galaxy buds Pro resonates a good amount… But the bass on the Momentum 3’s resonates more and it also has a good punch to it. Now personally, I like to use the Galaxy Buds Pro while they’re in their dynamic EQ… but even while they’re in their dynamic EQ… their highs are a little elevated. And unlike all of these other earbuds… you can’t adjust the EQ on the Galaxy Buds Pro if you’re using them with an iPhone. Where as with all of these other earbuds… their app work with both iPhone and android.

But overall… I do feel the Momentum 3’s have the best overall performance here when it comes to sound quality, and I think the gap is pretty big. For starts these earbuds simply have far better instrument separation than the AirPods, Jabra’s and Sony. But also, the Bass both resonates much deeper and it also has a good punch to it which is something that all of these other earbuds lack. Plus, the momentum 3’s will be able to please everyone. If you’re someone that likes a bass heavy EQ then these earbuds can deliver… plus, they’ll punch harder. Or if you want a more neutral or vocals EQ you can reduce the bass on these earbud and up the mids and treble.

Now when it comes to your media controls the Sennheiser’s, Sony’s and Galaxy Buds are all using touch pads where as the Jabra’s are using physical buttons and the AirPods Pro have these force sensitive stems. Now the touch pads on the Sennheiser’s, Sony’s and Galaxy Buds are all easy enough to use and they’re all fairly accurate and all of these earbuds have wear sensors so they will all automatically play and pause your music when you take them out or put them in… but if you want maximum accuracy then you’ll either want to go with the Jabra’s or AirPods Pro cause of their physical buttons.

Now when its comes to voice activated voice assistants… if you use AirPods Pro with an iPhone you get Hey Siri Support, if you use Galaxy Buds Pro with a Galaxy Device you get Hi Bixby support, if you use the Sony’s with an Android Device you get Hey Google support. So you can use your voice assistant with just your voice… or you can always just tap and hold. But the important thing is that with both the Momentum 3’s and Jabra’s you can only activate your voice assistant by pressing and holding.

But now lets talk about the active noise cancelation on these earbuds. Now first I do want to taper exceptions here. These earbuds aren’t going to block out as much noise as a proper pair of over ear ANC headphones like lets say the Bose QC45, the AirPods Max and especially the Sony 1000XM5’s… But the momentum 3’s do have very good active noise cancellation and they are actually my new number 3.

Cause right now as of Mid 2022… the Sony WF-1000XM4’s are still number one when it comes to blocking out noise albeit they do have an advantage cause of their itchy foam ear tips. And personally I am just not a fan of their foam ear tips. But right below them are the mid tier Sony Linkbuds S which also block out a ton of noise but they come with silicon ear tips. So they’re way more comfortable. Now right below them are the Sennheiser Momentum 3’s which also block out a ton of noise, right below them are the Jabra Elite 85T’s which have been bumped down. Right below them are the AirPods Pro which are starting to show their age, right below them are the Jabra Elite 7 Pro’s. Right below them are the beats fit pro, and below them are the Galaxy Buds Pro which are really trailing behind here.

So overall, if active noise cancelation is super important to you then you’ll might want to go with one of Sony’s earbuds… But personally I would rather go with the Linkbuds S cause they’re more comfortable. But the Momentum 3’s also rank very well here… plus they sound amazing. Or if you want a more comfortable option, the Jabra’s are a good pick as well. But definitely, ANC is not a strong suit of the Galaxy Buds Pro.

But like I have mentioned in the past, I only use the ambient mode on my earbuds when I have to and what’s really important to me is the quality of their ambient mode. Now all of these earbuds have an ambient mode, but the AirPods Pro have the best sounding ambient mode here. It sounds the most natural and their microphone array does the best job here of blocking out wind noise when walking out doors.

Now the ambient mode on both the Sony and Sennheiser sound really good as well… but it doesn’t sound as natural as the AirPods Pro, and they pick up a little more wind noise than the AirPods Pro.

But then there’s the ambient mode on the Jabra’s which does sound a little hollow and the ambient mode on the Galaxy Buds Pro sounds a little artificial or robotic. They get the job done, but they don’t sound as good as these other ambient modes.

But finally here’s the microphone test. Now overall, I feel that the Sony WF-1000XM4’s still have the worst performing microphone here… albeit, that have gotta a few software update that has helped improve their microphone.

Now the microphone on both the Sony and Jabra are a little bit on the bass heavy side, they sound a little shallow.

Where as the microphone on both the Sennheiser momentum 3’s and Galaxy Buds Live are a little on the cooler side, their highs are a little more elevated.

And personally, I feel that these brighter sounding microphones are easier to understand when you’re taking phones calls.

But finally there’s the microphone on the AirPods Pro which do the best job here of focusing on your voice and elevating your voice.

But the AirPods Pro also do the best job of dealing with noise pollution here. Cause right now you can hear a decent amount of road noise in the background… but my voice is still elevated. And for comparison sake, if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone you’re going to clearly hear all of this road noise, but if we were to switch back over to the AirPods Pro, it is greatly reduced.

Now the momentum 3’s are also trying to reduce this road noise and elevate my voice… but they are not doing as good as a job as the AirPods Pro

Where as with the Galaxy Buds Pro, they’re also trying to block out this road noise, but there is a considerable amount of interference with my voice.

And then there’s also the Sony WF-1000XM4’s which are also trying to block out this road noise… but when I talk there’s a considerable amount of static… but this is actually considered an improvement from what they used to do before.

And then there are the Jabra’s which don’t really try to block out noise pollution

And the same thing can be when it comes to blocking out chatter. The Jaba’s aren’t really doing much to block out noise.

The sony WF-1000XM4’s also aren’t doing the best job here dealing with this chatter in the background. But at least there isn’t any static when I’m talking.

But then there are the Galaxy Buds Pro which are going a good job of dealing with this chatter in the background

And the Sennheiser Momentum 3’s are also doing a good job of dealing with this chatter in the background… and I feel this microphone has better clarity to it than the microphone found on the Galaxy Buds Pro

But finally here are the AirPods Pro which are blocking out the most amount of chatter here… cause again if we were to switch over to my lapel microphone you’re going to clearly here all of this chatter… but if we were to switch back over to the AirPods Pro it is greatly reduced. But personally… I do feel the Momentum 3’s do a better job of elevating my voice while in chatty environment. But overall, I think the AirPods Pro have the best performing microphone here… where as the Momentum 3’s and Galaxy Buds Pro’s are good options as well… and personally I wouldn’t take many phone calls with either the Sony’s or Jabra’s.

But with all of that being said, I feel that the Sennheiser Momentum 3’s are a pair of very well rounded earbuds that do a lot of things very well and simply excel when it comes to sound quality. The momentum 3’s have amazing instrument separation which makes them sound very open… but they also have very impressive bass that both resonates and punches very nicely. Plus these earbuds should be able to please everyone. The Momentum 3’s also have very good active noise cancelation without needing itchy foam ear tips and they have a really good sounding ambient mode as well. Plus their microphone for phone calls isn’t half bad. The only thing that I feel the Momentum 3’s really need improving is either increasing their overall battery life cause their case is pretty big… or shrink the size of their case cause these earbuds aren’t the most convenient when compared to these other earbuds. Also, these aren’t the best for power users. But nonetheless, I think these are my new favorite earbuds to listen to music with and watch movies with when I can’t wear headphones. But when compared to these other premium ANC earbuds… if you’re an iPhone user then the AirPods Pro are still the most convenient earbuds here. And if you’re an android or galaxy user… then the Galaxy Buds Pro are the most convenient option. Now if you don’t want to put up with the Momentum 3’s large case and active noise cancellation is very important to you, then you could go with either the Jabra Elite 85T’s or Sony WF-1000XM4’s. But personally I do lean towards to the Jabra’s here cause the foam ear tips on the WF-1000XM4’s are a deal breaker for me.