Shootouts

Creative Outlier Air V3 vs Outlier Pro true wireless earbuds review: Kings of value

By Oscar the Grouch - 20 May 2022

Features, Sound, and Conclusion

Features

From the top: Outlier Air V2, Outlier Air V3, Outlier Pro. I was sad to see the LED ring lights go, but the Outlier Pro looks slightly sleeker.

For a model that Creative calls “Pro," you’d expect a serious spec upgrade over the Outlier Air V3, and for the most part, Creative delivers.

The key difference between the two earbuds lies in their active noise cancellation capabilities. The Outlier Air Pro features an active noise cancellation implementation that is similar to other top-tier flagship earbuds in that it uses microphones to pick up unwanted noises outside the earbuds and inside your ears. Some brands might call such a setup “hybrid ANC.”

The Outlier Air V3, on the other hand, only uses mics to pick up noise outside the earbuds. Consequently, Creative says the Outlier Air V3 only has “active noise reduction.” 

There’s no contest. The Outlier Pro is much more effective at nullifying outside noise. At home, it completely cancelled out the hum of my air conditioner and fan, something that the Outlier Air V3 couldn’t do completely. 

If microphone performance is crucial, it’s worth noting that the Outlier Pro has three mics on each earbud as opposed to the two on the Outlier Air V3. Now, the number of mics alone usually doesn’t determine mic performance, but I did find the Outlier Pro to sound more clear and more natural than the Outlier Air V3. 

Battery life is mostly quite similar. Creative says the Outlier Air V3 can last for up to 10 hours on a single charge and up to 40 hours if you include the charging case. Creative quotes identical figures for the Outlier Pro. However, if you turn ANC off on the Outlier Air Pro, you can stretch the battery to up to 15 hours on a single charge and up to 60 hours with the charging case. Both earbuds also feature quick charging where 10 minutes in their charging cases is enough to provide the earbuds with enough juice to last up to 2 hours. 

The Outlier Pro and Outlier Air V3's batteries will easily last over a week with on and off listening.

In practice, both earbuds will easily last over a week (with their charging cases), before you need to charge them. And speaking of charging, both can be charged over a USB-C cable or wirelessly with any Qi-compatible wireless charger.

Other features worth mentioning and common to the two earbuds is their IPX5 water resistance ratings. This means you can take them to exercise and not worry about sweat messing them up. Both earbuds also support voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant. 

Insofar as features are concerned, the Outlier Pro is clearly the one to go for. For just S$119, you get flagship-level features that other brands charge hundreds of dollars for, so it’s really a no-brainer unless you’re on a very tight budget.

 

How do they sound? 

The Outlier Air V3 on the left has a more balanced and refined sound. The Outlier Pro, on the other hand, counters with punchier bass and a more exciting sound.

Despite being similar in many ways, the Outlier Pro and Outlier Air V3 have completely different drivers. Both earbuds are Super X-Fi ready but the Outlier Pro uses 10mm large graphene dynamic drivers while the Outlier Air V3 has smaller 6mm bio-cellulose drivers.

Size and material differences alone do not determine how something sounds. But having said that, graphene drivers generally have a punchier sound while bio-cellulose drivers are favoured by some for having a more natural tone.

After careful evaluation, my preference is for the Outlier Pro. I think it’s hands down the best-sounding earbuds Creative has made to date. The sound is full-bodied and the overall tonality is warm because of the slightly emphasised bass. 

Bass was a standout feature of songs like Justin Bieber’s Ghost, Charlie Puth’s Light Switch, or Harry Styles’ As It Was. While the bass was certainly strong and impactful, it didn’t muddy the rest of the spectrum too much and the vocals were still intelligible. If I had to nitpick, I’d say the treble could use more bite and sparkle. Luckily, this can be rectified by using the Creative app to customise the earbuds’ EQ settings. 

As for the Outlier Air V3, it actually has a more balanced signature compared to the Outlier Pro. Treble performance is certainly superior but that has come at the expense of less energy in the bass. Some listeners might prefer this more refined sound, but some might find it a little less exciting. As is the case with sound, this is all a matter of personal tastes.

 

Wait, didn’t you mention Outlier Air V2 earlier? 

The Outlier Air V2 might have been around for a while but it's still a solid choice, especially if you can find them on discount.

Why yes, yes I did. 

If you pour over the detailed spec sheets of Creative’s recent true wireless earbuds models, you’ll notice a glaring omission from the Outlier Air V3 and the Outlier Pro.

Neither model supports the aptX codec. Both earbuds only support AAC and SBC. Now, this isn’t necessarily an issue. In fact, if these abbreviations sound like gibberish to you, feel free to skip this section. However, for more discerning listeners, this is something to take note of. iOS device users need not worry since all iPhones and iPads support AAC. This is mostly an issue with Android users since newer Android devices mostly rely on the aptX and LDAC wireless audio codecs. This means they will have to use the SBC codec when connecting to the Outlier Pro and Outlier Air V3. There’s nothing inherently wrong with SBC, just that it is, in theory at least, a lower bit-rate codec, which means more audio data is thrown away.

If this is important to you, then unfortunately you’ll have to hunt for an Outlier Air V2. This might be easier than you think, as Carousell is awash with the same models both new and used.  

 

Value kings

The Outlier Pro is Creative’s best true wireless earbuds. There’s absolutely no doubt about that. It looks and feels a little more expensive than the Outlier Air V3 and pumps out sound that, in this reviewer’s opinion, is more pleasurable. 

And best of all, you’re not paying a lot more for the Outlier Pro. It has the same S$119 launch price as the older Outlier Air V2 and is incredibly affordable when you consider its improved feature set. Even Nothing's very solid Ear 1s (which also has ANC) is considerably more pricey at S$179. 

It's hard to beat Creative's new Outlier Pro where value is concerned.

That said, the Outlier Air V3 is also a very capable performance and is even more affordable now that its successor is available. Although it was launched at S$99, you can easily find it for a lot less if you look around (even from Creative's own store at under S$60 during promotions). If you need a solid pair of earbuds in a pinch, you could do a lot worse than that.

But as capable as Creative’s new true wireless earbuds are, there are reasons why more expensive options exist. While sound is subjective, there’s no denying that earbuds like Sony’s WF-1000XM4 have significantly better ANC performance, while others like Bang & Olufsen’s BeoPlay EQ8 and Master & Dynamic’s MW08 are better crafted and made of more luxurious materials.

But for those after excellent features and sound on a tight budget, the Creative’s Outlier Pro is really in a class of one.

The Outlier Pro is available on Creative's online store here. The Outlier Air V3 can be found on Lazada and Shopee, in addition to Creative’s own store.

Final Ratings
Creative Outlier Pro

Click to see a breakdown of ratings, pros and cons

Creative Outlier Air V3

Click to see a breakdown of ratings, pros and cons

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