At its Unleashed event earlier this month, Apple introduced a long-awaited update to the AirPods.
The AirPods (3rd generation) — Apple’s first major redesign of its popular flagship wireless earbuds — have a completely new design as well as fantastic features like spatial audio and Adaptive EQ derived from the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, as well as longer battery life.
The most noticeable change is the new AirPods design, which features a shorter stem and a larger earpiece that is less likely to slide out of your ears during a strenuous running session (a longstanding gripe of AirPods users). The tighter fit also means that the outside environment has less of an impact on the audio quality, making sounds more clear and direct. Apple used thousands of ear scans and measurements, in-depth acoustic investigations, and heat mapping modeling to build a lightweight and intentional earpiece that is designed for comfort.
The stem also has a force sensor — a feature of the AirPods Pro that users find intuitive — for easier song switching right from the buds. And, like the AirPods Pro, the AirPods and their case now have an IPX4 sweat and water resistance rating.
Significant improvements have also been made to the audio quality, which is an important element for a good pair of headphones. To produce fuller bass and smoother high frequencies, Apple has designed a unique driver and high dynamic range amplifier. The audio quality has been enhanced to improve voice clarity during phone calls, with an inset microphone integrated in each earbud and wrapped in a special acoustic mesh to prevent wind noise. They also include AAC-ELD, a superior codec that enables FULL-HD voice quality.
The new AirPods include fan-favorite spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, which combines powerful spatial audio algorithms to create theater-like sound. The result is rich, layered audio that sounds like it’s coming from all around you, a considerable improvement while viewing movies, listening to music, or participating in a group chat. The device uses a powerful H1 chip and Adaptive EQ to adapt the listening experience for each user, while an inward-facing microphone on each bud listens to the sound emerging from the device and automatically tunes the low-and-mid frequencies to the user’s ear shape in real-time.
Furthermore, Apple has increased the device’s battery life to up to 6 hours of listening time on a single charge – an hour longer than the previous version — and has incorporated MagSafe charging for the case for even more charging possibilities.
The AirPods, like previous models, contain pleasant features such as one-tap setup, in-ear recognition through an all-new skin detect optical sensor, beam-forming microphones, audio sharing, Siri, and Find My integrated right into the gadget.
Beginning Tuesday, October 26th, the AirPods (3rd generation) will be available for $179 USD in-store and online. The price of the AirPods (2nd generation) has also been reduced to $129 USD, while the AirPods Pro now includes the MagSafe charging case for the same $249 USD price.
Overall, it looks that Apple meticulously constructed the new AirPods generation by utilizing some of the best capabilities present in the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max while also providing the buds with new hardware and a whole makeover. As a result, the AirPods Mini is an excellent solo product as well as an excellent complement to the AirPods family lineup.
