SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro+ Wireless Earbuds Review

Design

The SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro+ earbuds have a similar design to their predecessor: the Capsule 3 Pro (non-plus). They have a matte black exterior with shiny gold accents running down the stem. They not only look great when in your ear, but I found them to be very comfortable even for extended listening times. Everyone’s ears are different, and like most in-ear earbuds, there are three sets of ear tips included so you can find the right fit for your ears.

Performance

Like their predecessor, the SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro+ earbuds sound great, with crystal clear highs and lows and maybe a little more “oomph” in the bass compared to the previous version. There are equalizer profiles available in the app: SOUNDPEATS Classic, Treble Enhancement, Bass Boost, and Bass Reduction. I think SOUNDPEATS Classic provides a nice balance of highs and lows and is the one I’ve stuck with. Bass Boost can make some songs sound too muddy while Treble Enhancement can make some music sound a little too tinny. However, Treble Enhancement and Bass Reduction can come in handy for podcasts where the speaker has a deep voice.

The new PeatsAudio app also allows you to customize the touch controls, upgrade the firmware, and flip through ANC, Transparency, and Normal modes (which you can also achieve by holding down on the left earbud for 1.5 seconds). The app still has some rough edges (not all of the permission prompts have been translated) and requires creating an account (even if you had an account in the old app). However, it gets the job done. It also allows you to pair the earbuds to a second device as the Capsule3 Pro+ earbuds support multipoint connections.

One of the new features of the Capsule3 Pro+ earbuds over the non-plus version is the new xMEMS speaker (whereas the previous version used a traditional dynamic speaker). This results in improved spatial audio imaging, providing more separation and clarity in the music. Many headphones operate in the 20Hz-20kHz frequency range, but the Capsule3 Pro+ earbuds can achieve a 20Hz-40kHz range. You’ll likely only noticed this expanded range if you’re listening to high fidelity audio files on a device supporting LDAC (which excludes iPhones at this time).

Active Noise Cancellation also works great for low frequency hums, like an airplane or engine. Like most earbuds in this price range, it is less effective on higher frequencies like a baby crying or people talking. However, it can help reduce these sounds so you can enjoy your music and podcasts at a lower volume. It uses 3 mics to compare outside sounds with the sounds making it inside to your ear, and it adjusts the amount of Active Noise Cancellation accordingly. Active Noise Cancellation performance has been enhanced slightly at 45dB maximum noise reduction, compared to 43dB maximum noise reduction for the predecessor.

Transparency Mode also works well, but isn’t quite as natural sounding as the AirPods Pro. Still, you can hear things around you and it’s fine if you need to listen to an announcement, for example. It might be difficult to pinpoint exactly where the noise is coming from as the earbuds reproduce the sounds being picked up by its mics.

The mic system is also effective for filtering out background noise during a phone call. Performing a test recording with my white noise machine playing in the background, the Capsule3 Pro+ earbuds effectively filtered out the white noise and allowed my voice to come through clearly.

My only gripe would be the fact that these earbuds do not seem to have an auto-pause feature. The earbuds do not automatically pause your music when removing one of the earbuds from your ear.

Battery Life

Battery life is slightly shortly compared to the previous version, but still achieves up to 6.5 hours between charges. With the charging case, you can enjoy the earbuds for up to 43 hours. The charging case uses a standard USB-C connector, but there is no wireless charging support.

Capsule3 Pro+ vs Capsule3 Pro

The main difference between the Capsule3 Pro+ and the Capsule3 Pro (not plus) is the new speaker and ANC system in the Capsule3 Pro+, providing slightly better sound and ANC performance. However, battery life is slightly less than the original Capsule3 Pro.

	SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro+	SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro
Active Noise Cancellation	up to 45dB	up to 43dB
Transparency Mode	✅	✅
Gaming Mode	✅	✅
Speaker System	xMEMS w/ 12mm Dynamic Driver	12mm Driver
Listening Time	6.5 hours	8 hours
…with charging case	43 hours	52 hours
LDAC Support	✅	✅
Water Resistance	IPX4	IPX4
Bluetooth	5.3	5.3
Supported Profiles	A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP	A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP
Single Earbud Weight	5g	5g

Capsule3 Pro+ vs Apple AirPods Pro

The SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro+ earbuds are not a bad alternative to the Apple AirPods Pro, offering many of the same features at a lower price.

	SoundPEATS Capsule3 Pro+	Apple AirPods Pro (1st gen)
Active Noise Cancellation	up to 45dB	up to approx 32dB
Transparency Mode	✅	✅
Gaming Mode	✅	❌
Multipoint Connections	✅	iCloud switching
LDAC Support	✅	❌
Water Resistance	IPX4	IPX4
Auto Pause	❌	✅
Listening Time (without ANC)	up to 6.5 hours	up to 5 hours
…with charging case	up to 43 hours	up to 24 hours