[Gadgets] Apple AirPods 3: a worthwhile update, especially if your thing is not the pads

[MussicOnPro!]

We tested the new AirPods 3 in 20Bits, which Apple finally presented last October 18 in a keynote with its new MacBook Pro. The latest generation of headphones from Steve Jobs' company comes with powerful news: better sound, greater autonomy, renewed design, more technology and a very, very comfortable wireless charging.

 

Technical specifications

Sound Technology: Spatial Audio with Dynamic Head Tracking, Adaptive EQ, Apple High Excursion Custom Driver, High Dynamic Range Custom Amplifier
Sensors: two microphones with beamforming technology, inward-facing microphone, skin sensor, accelerometer with motion detection, accelerometer with voice detection, pressure sensor
Processor: H1 chip for headphones
Controls: press once to play audio, pause or answer a call, press twice to skip to the next song, press three times to go back to the previous song, press and hold to activate Siri, say “Hey Siri” to listen a song, make a call, get directions, and more
Resistance: sweat and water (IPX4)
Dimensions and weight: 3.08 cm high, 1.83 cm wide, 1.93 cm thick and 4.28 g weight per earphone; 4.64cm high, 5.44cm wide, 2.14cm thick and 37.91g case weight
Charging: compatible with MagSafe charger, Qi certified chargers and Lightning connector
Battery: up to 6 hours of audio playback on a single charge (up to 5 hours with spatial audio on), up to 4 hours of talk time on a single charge; in total with the case up to 30 hours of audio playback and up to 20 hours of talk time; 5 minutes in the case gives you about 1 hour of audio playback or about 1 hour of talk time
Connections: Bluetooth 5.0
Price: 199 euros

Design: more to the pro
Without leaving much of their original aesthetics, the new AirPods 3 change when it comes to the previous generation: we have a shorter temple and a larger 'head', which makes them look more like the Pro model of headphones of Manzana. For the rest, the Jobs keep their classic white and their style of wireless headset "with leg".

The new design makes them more comfortable and the grip on the ear is better. In addition, I am not a fan of pads, I appreciate the renewed format without having to introduce them - and I applaud Apple's decision not to do it.

In terms of dimensions and weight, they are 3.08 cm high, 1.83 cm wide, 1.93 cm thick and 4.28 g in weight per earphone. The case measures 4.64 cm high, 5.44 cm wide, 2.14 cm thick and weighs 37.91 g. This means that each earbud is slightly heavier than the AirPods 2, which weighed 4 grams each. But that extra weight goes completely unnoticed.

There are also more possibilities in the controls: press once to play audio, pause it or answer a call, press twice to skip to the next song, press three times to go back to the previous song, press and hold to activate Siri and - as always- say “Hey Siri” to listen to a song, make a call, get directions and everything else you can think of.

In its commitment to the environment, the company ensures that these AirPods have been manufactured with 100% recycled rare earths in all magnets, 100% recycled aluminum in the hinge of the MagSafe charging case and 100% recycled tin in the solder of the plate. main base of the MagSafe charging case.

Improved technology
As described by Apple on its website, these headphones have improved the bass and high frequencies, in addition, they offer an improvement in the voice to increase the quality of video calls. Other compatibilities are ‘Adaptive EQ’ to modify the sound in real time as we move the head and the adaptation to the ear of each user.

After a couple of weeks with them I can confirm that these technological improvements are real and very notable, especially coming from my old AirPods 2 that already had many kilometers of wear and tear.

They also incorporate Dolby Atmos and a new skin detection sensor that is able to distinguish if they are on the ear, in a trouser pocket or on the table, taking into account that it stops the music playback when we take them off. It is quite useful and reacts super fast.

Another novelty is that both the headphones and the case are IPX4 certified, that is, they are resistant to water and sweat. This has been one of the requests that users have made the most to Apple about their AirPods.

The longest autonomy of some AirPods
With its up to 6 hours of audio playback on a charge -5 hours with the spatial audio function activated-, the new AirPods 3 are the wireless headphones with the longest autonomy in Apple's history, including the Pro model, whose maximums reach 4.5 hours of audio playback on one charge - up to 5 hours with Active Noise Cancellation and Ambient Sound Mode turned off.

In conversation, Apple promises 4 hours on a charge, compared to 3 for the AirPods 2 and 3.5 for the AirPods Pro. And if you add the battery that the case adds, the third generation of Apple's wireless headphones go up to 30 hours of autonomy in audio playback and 20 in conversation, a considerable increase compared to 24 and 18 offered by the other two models.

Finally, and my favorite, 5 minutes in the case gives you around 1 hour of talk or audio playback.

In numbers, we are talking about a considerable improvement in one of the aspects that most interest users. But they also have another very juicy addition: in addition to the Lightning connector, the third generation of AirPods has a case compatible with wireless charging, both with the MagSafe charger and with Qi-certified chargers.

The wireless charging part is one of the ones that I liked the most, because I have the MagSafe very close at hand and it involves filling up very quickly.

 

Summary

In a nutshell: I like the new AirPods 3, it seems to me that there is a major update and a notable generational leap over their predecessors and that they are worth buying whether you have the AirPods 2 or not.

As I said, they improve the integrated technology, sound, design, comfort, usability and autonomy and also offer two of the jewels in Apple's crown: spatial audio and wireless charging.

They are not cheap nor are we going to pretend that they are - they cost 199 euros - but they are within a reasonable price for the quality they offer. So I can only recommend them.

LINK: https://www.20minutos.es/tecnologia/moviles-dispositivos/apple-airpods-3-una-actualizacion-que-merece-la-pena-sobre-todo-si-lo-tuyo-no-son-las-almohadillas-4881342/