Apple Announces New AirPods 3

Oct 20

Oct 20 Apple Announces New AirPods 3

Apple has finally unveiled the brand new AirPods 3 which have been long rumoured and leaked since early 2021. All rumours and leaks have been confirmed during last Monday’s Unleashed Apple Event. As always, Apple had kept some small secrets well hidden, although the AirPods Gen 3 is probably one of the most accurately leaked Apple products. In fact, several third part OEMs have released AirPods 3 clones months before Apple officially announces them.

Disclaimer: the 3rd generation of AirPods were designed with the intention to replace the base, non pro AirPods. Apple’s plan was always to maintain the AirPods Pro as the best pair of earbuds in its current lineup.

Design

The design is significantly different compared to the first two generations of AirPods as they now resemble the AirPods Pro. In-ear design, with shorter stems and force sensors that can be pressed to access the AirPods controls (instead of tapping). The brand new AirPods Pro are IPX4 certified for sweat and water resistance which make them suitable for working out both indoors and outdoors.

Wind noise is minimized and bass is more punchy than ever before thanks to the smart design of Apple’s new pair of earbuds.

AirPods Gen 3 vs AirPods Pro

One of the main differences with the AirPods Pro is the fact that the AirPods Gen 3 do not feature the interchangeable soft ear tips that seal the sound inside the ear and offer Active Noise Cancelation (ANC) support. This also make the fit of the new AirPods a hit or miss for your ear since there is no official way to change the way they fit into your ears.

Another big difference is the fact that the new AirPods are lighter and therefore more comfortable than the AirPods Pro both with and without the case. Let’s also not forget that the new AirPods Gen 3 are more affordable than the AirPods Pro ($179 vs $249).

Battery & Charging

The battery of the AirPods 3rd Gen is improved compared to the AirPods Pro (and 2nd gen AirPods), but we need to keep in mind that they lack Active ANC or Transparency mode. AirPods Gen 3 come with a MagSafe Charging case as standard. The case of the new AirPods is not only Qi certified, which allows users to charge their AirPods with a Qi wireless charger, but also MagSafe compatible.

The new AirPods Gen 3 offer 6 hours of listening time on a single charge (vs 4.5 hours on the AirPods Pro) and 30 hours in total with the case (vs. 24 hours on the AirPods Pro).

It also worths pointing out that the AirPods Pro have also been updated and include a MagSafe wireless case as standard.

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Features

Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos support is finally available on the brand new AirPods. Spatial audio is a unique experience which makes much of a difference with compatible audio sources. Apple TV+ and Apple Music can offer you lots of examples with compatible movies and music tracks that support Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos.

HD voice quality is now available on FaceTime with support for Spatial Audio both for 1:1 and Group FaceTime calls. Of course the new AirPods support “Hey, Siri” always on voice activation but most importantly, you can find any missing AirPods through the Find My app on iOS 15 thanks to the new H1 chip included in the new AirPods.