by Apple recently introduced the new AirPods 3 to the wireless headphone market. The third instalment in the AirPods series (5th if you count the AirPods Pros and AirPods Max), sports significant changes but continues the legacy of its predecessors. It still exhibits that surreal minimalist look, with the same white colour, and it continues to convey Apple’s design language and simplistic style.
Image Credit: Apple
Things have changed most from a design standpoint. With the new AirPods being more similar looking to the AirPods Pros than to the first and second-gen AirPods. It has the same shorter stems and the horizontal charging case of the Pros, with an almost similar fit, the silicone earbuds being the only difference. Both the left and right earbuds have touch sensors on them, allowing the user to play, pause and skip songs, as well as answer calls and tap to call Siri. This allows for a perfect experience, without the need to ever take your phone out of your pocket. The sensor has significant improvements and is more reliable to use when compared to the tap method that the previous AirPods used.
The new AirPods also boast significant improvements to battery life. The AirPods now reach to six hours of audio playback, which is boosted up to 30 hours with the charging case. This is a massive change to the last gens 5 hours of battery with the AirPods and 24 hours with the charging case, now allowing users to listen to 6 more hours of music without running out of juice. The cooler thing though, is how the new AirPods charge. Even though they still have a lightning port, the AirPods now charge using MagSafe, so you can even use your phone as a charger while on the go to load up on some extra listening time.
The new AirPods can sense when they are in your ears, using a new skin detection system. So music only plays when they are in your ears, removing the hassle of having to connect or disconnect your AirPods. There have also been improvements to the audio quality of the AirPods, especially with Apple’s new Adaptive EQ. Adaptive EQ uses Apple’s almost magical software to tune the music the user is listening to, to the shape of their ear. This is done by using microphones on the inside of the AirPods to ‘hear’ what the user is hearing and then adjusting the sound accordingly to deliver sound at a higher quality specially tailored for each user’s experience. Apple also improved the base of the AirPods by redesigning a driver that now allows for cleaner treble and deeper, meaner bass. One face they fall short of though, is noise cancellation, with that feature only being available on the Pro and Max models. They also integrated Spatial Audio, which is essentially 3 Dimensional sound, allowing for a more submissive and immersive experience.
The new AirPods have plenty of new features, both in and out. And they might be that perfect pair of earphones you’ve been looking for.
PC: Apple
