Apple’s Unleashed Event has concluded, with announcements for HomePod mini, the new 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pros, and of course AirPods 3.
Apple has revealed the third-generation AirPods that feature a similar design to AirPods Pro and including some interesting features.
New Design
Like how I mentioned above, AirPods 3 looks similar to AirPods Pro, with its shorter stems and rounded-like corners for a better angle for putting it in your ears. Force Touch sensors are also included for media control.
The earbuds do not feature silicon tips, which means that they are exclusive only for the AirPods Pro. AirPods 3 also sport IPX4 sweat and water resistance not just for the earbuds themselves, but for the charging case as well.
Audio
The most important question when it comes to earbuds is: “how do they sound”? and AirPods 3 gives us a pretty good experience ”“ at least on paper ”“. The earbuds feature a custom driver and a high dynamic range amplifier which in turn makes a powerful bass and high frequencies. AirPods 3 also features the AAC-ELD codec that offers better speech and full HD voice quality.
More to that, AirPods 3 has Apple’s Spatial Audio feature, a 3D-like audio technology that moves the sound of your media depending on where you move (eg. your head). Spatial Audio is supported on Apple Music, Apple TV+, and other third-party apps like Netflix and Clubhouse.
Finally audio-wise, AirPods 3 sports Adaptive EQ, this technology can be found on AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, and it tunes the audio that is led by inward-facing mics that controls the sound. With Apple including this technology from high-end AirPods to the baseline models, this is a very interesting shift in the AirPods lineup.
Battery
The battery on the AirPods 3 is also improved. Apple says that the earbuds offer one hour over the previous models, and with up to six hours of listening time and up to four hours of talk time. Charging for five minutes will result in about an hour of battery life, with the maximum of 30 hours of listening time.
Also, the charging case now supports MagSafe wireless charging, looks like Apple is expanding the MagSafe ecosystem to now cover AirPods.
Conclusion
Apple has finally unveiled its latest member of the ever-expanding AirPods family, but if you want more features for your AirPods experience, then AirPods Pro and/or AirPods Max are the way to go with. However, the price is pretty stable for such earbuds like these.
AirPods (3rd-generation) is available for pre-order for $179 and will begin shipping on October 26th.
