AirPods 3 Review - Apple's Most Affordable Spatial Sound Headphones

The updated model of the "basic" TWS-earphones Apple now has the same shape as the top-end. The case was made a little more compact, the sound was improved, the battery life was increased. And it's even more convenient to use AirPods 3 with other devices of the brand.

Table of contents

• Specifications
• Package and case
• Appearance and ergonomics
• Control
• Connection
• Sound
• Autonomy
• Outcomes

Specifications

Package and case

AirPods 3 come in a square white box. Inside - the headphones themselves, a case, a charging cable and documentation.

The case in the new version has become more compact. It's flat enough to fit in a pocket, and the rounded edges make it a pleasure to hold in your hand.

The magnetic lid holds firmly in place, but can be easily opened with your fingers. The backlash of the workpiece in the open position is minimal.

On the front side of the case there is a LED. It shows the power level of the headphones when they are inside, or the case itself. Green means that the battery power is at its maximum, and orange means that there is less than one full charge cycle left.

Also, the indicator lights up when the make-up cable is connected - or when its wireless version is activated. And blinking indicates the status of pairing with a smartphone: white - headphones are ready to connect, yellow - AirPods may need to be re-configured.

On the back of the case there is a miniature round button. It is used for the initial pairing of headphones with Android smartphones and Apple gadgets with outdated firmware.

A Lightning connector is used to connect the charger cable. This means that you can charge your AirPods 3 with a cord, for example from new iPadwhere USB Type ‑ C will fail.

Appearance and ergonomics

Apple saysAirPods (third generation) / Applethat the shape of the new model has been optimized to improve sound quality, and the headphones themselves have become more comfortable and less noticeable due to the shortened leg.

In medium-sized auricles, AirPods 3 sit well, do not interfere and do not press, despite the absence of ear pads. But we have nothing to please the owners of big ears: in such headphones they still do not hold well, shift when moving and active facial expressions and easily fall out.

Also, AirPods 3 have improved skin contact sensors. Thanks to them, audio playback is disabled when the gadget is removed from the ear, and resumes when you return it back.

Owners of previous versions complained that the headphones turned on in their pocket, responding to pressure sensors. There is no such problem here. But if, taking out the earpiece, touch the sensor with your fingers, it will react.

The built-in microphones are covered with a protective mesh designed to reduce wind noise during calls.

Introduced on third-generation AirPods and water and sweat according to the IPX4 standard. Such devices are not afraid of direct splashes, but they cannot be completely immersed in water.

Control

The feet of AirPods 3 have pressure sensors, or force sensors. With their help, you can perform the following actions:

• One touch - play and pause audio or answer a call;
• two - go to the next song;
• three - return to the previous track;
• touch with hold - activation Siri.

Pressing requires some effort. If earlier it was enough to knock to control the AirPods, now you have to grab the leg. In this case, the earpiece starts to move and needs to be corrected.

Connection

AirPods 3 connects seamlessly to smartphone on Android or a computer with a Bluetooth-module, but it will be most convenient to use with Apple devices.

After pairing, AirPods 3 work on all gadgets associated with an iCloud account. For example, if you watch a video on a tablet and answer a call at that moment, the headphones automatically switch to headset mode, but for some reason only return to playback on the iPhone.

AirPods are visible in Find My. This is very convenient if they are lost somewhere at home. A sharp but quiet buzzer sounds for searching.

Third-generation AirPods can be paired with others Apple headphones - AirPods or Beats. This is convenient if you want to watch a movie or listen to music together from one device.

There is no native management application. To enter the settings menu, touch the icon i in the Bluetooth menu.

There is no manual equalizer either, but there is an adaptive one - additional microphones directed into the ear analyze the sound and correct it in real time.

Sound

Compared to its predecessor, the AirPods 3 have many interesting innovations that are intended to improve audio quality.

In addition to automatic frequency correction, the headphones use a dynamic driver with a special amplifier that enhances sound detail. The bass is good, the low and middle frequencies are worked out.

One of the main features of the new model is declared spatial sound. It should provide a "three-dimensional" effect, like in a movie theater, when it seems that the sound is coming from all directions. So that this sensation is not lost when a person changes his position, head movements are tracked by an accelerometer in headphones.

This feature works on Apple devices with the latest OS, such as macOS Monterey 12 or newer for Mac. Please also note that surround sound is only available for Dolby Atmos or 5.1 audio content.

The impact of spatial sound seems to be somewhat exaggerated. The cinema effect does appear when watching movies, but is slightly lost with head movements. It is less noticeable in music tracks than in videos.

Not everyone will like the lack of active noise cancellation. Like other earbuds of this shape, AirPods 3 do not well delay external, background signals. Sometimes this is a plus, for example, on a street jog, but sometimes it infuriates, for example, if you try to listen to music in a noisy place.

As the AirPods 3 headset perform great. The interlocutors clearly hear each other, extraneous sounds are cut off.

Autonomy

The significant difference between the third generation AirPods from the previous one is support for wireless charging. The flat shape of the case attaches seamlessly to Apple MagSafe or third-party devices.

AirPods 3 last longer on a single charge than their predecessors - six hours instead of five. According to our measurements, it turns out even a little more: for an hour of listening to music at an average volume, the battery used up 12% of its energy reserve. With periodic recharging from the case, the total operating time is about 30 hours.

The headphones use an optimized mode to conserve battery life. They charge very quickly at first: 40–45% in 10 minutes. Then the speed drops, and after 80% it becomes very slow - it will take 10 hours for 100% energy replenishment.

This optimization assumes that the owner will charge the AirPods overnight. If this option is not suitable, the mode can be disable in settings, and then it will be possible to replenish the battery 100% in about an hour and a half.

Outcomes

Pay 16 490 rubles for AirPods 3 instead of 12 990 (this is the price previous version) reasonablyif the wireless charging function and protection from moisture and dust are important to you. The sound in the new model is of high quality, but the spatial sound effect is not yet as good as we would like, and it’s definitely not worth taking a gadget for it. costs.

It also makes no sense to buy headphones third generation in the hope that they will stick better in the ears. If you have dropped AirPods 2, then these will be.

Buy

The author thanks Apple for the device provided for testing. The company had no way of influencing its outcome.