Two and a half years have passed! since we saw the first rumors about AirPods 3 with Ming Chi-Kuo as the source. A pandemic later, the AirPods 3 are here, just announced by Apple during the event in which the Mac of professional ranges have been the main protagonists.
As some more recent rumors predicted, the AirPods 3 arrive with a redesign that makes them more similar to the AirPods Pro, with the stick that is outside the ear moving to a more measured and discreet dimensions, and the “head” of the headphones becoming slightly wider. The case also changes its aesthetics and proportions slightly. It becomes somewhat smaller and its arrangement is no longer square, pulling vertically, but rather horizontal, oblong in shape. On the other hand, they are now water resistant.
No noise cancellation, but with MagSafe, adaptive equalization …
On a functional level, they release spatial sound, such as the AirPods Pro and Max, in addition to a longer battery life, which goes from 24 to 30 hours of total use, combining the different loads that its case allows. With five minutes of charge you get autonomy for approximately one hour of music playback .. The headphones themselves also have another utility, the touch control along the elongated area that protrudes from the ear. You can no longer just tap the headset to control it, but also tap and vary the response based on pressure.
Of course, they bring wireless charging and MagSafe compatibility in their case, thus ending the discrimination that Apple made with the AirPods 2, which came in two versions, with it and without it. They also include adaptive equalization, like that of the AirPods Pro and Max. The differences with respect to these have been shortened considerably, and go mainly by noise cancellation, which they continue to lack.
According to Apple, the skin sensor has also been renewed in the AirPods 3. It is the sensor that is responsible for knowing if the headset is on the ear, in a pocket or on a table, and stops playback when the user takes it off . So we can expect a higher hit rate on this feature.
New AirPods 3: features, price and availability
The AirPods 3 are not a great revolution compared to those we already knew, but rather a necessary tune-up adding MagSafe, adaptive equalization, and a redesign to make them a little more discreet when wearing them.
The AirPods 3 hit the market at a price of 199 euros, 20 more than its predecessors but 30 less if we consider that the model with a wireless charging case cost 229 euros. They are available from today, October 18.