On the morning of October 19, Apple held an Unleashed event to introduce its new product series. In addition to the focus on the MacBook Pro 2021, the latest generation of wireless headphones, AirPods 3, is also worthy of attention because of its practical improvements.
What's at the Apple event?
The event to introduce new products in the 2nd fall, after the launch of Apple's iPhone 13 series in September has ended. This launch livestream has the following notable products
- New MacBook Pro with a very different "rabbit ears" design
- HomePod mini gets upgraded and new colors
- Couple of new processors M1 Pro and M1 Max
- AirPod 3 3rd generation improved
Price
AirPod 3 has an introduced list price (in the US market) of 179 USD (about 4.1 million VND). The product will officially go on sale in some countries next week.
Like every other Apple product from the past to now, when it arrives in Vietnam, the price can fluctuate differently, usually a little higher. And in order to own the genuine administration in hand, we also need to wait a few more months.
Design like AirPods Pro
The 3rd generation of AirPods has a design that is not like the previous two, but bears the imprint of the AirPods Pro - a more expensive, high-end headset series. Its only difference is that it doesn't have the typical Pro earplugs.
AirPods Pro is inherently a more advanced product, with a more comfortable design for the listener, so this change is of course welcomed by users. Without earplugs, the headset will not have active noise cancellation like the Pro, but in return it is less annoying, especially for people who sweat a lot.
Besides, if you pay close attention, the body of AirPods 3 is also shorter than that of AirPods Pro, generally retaining the characteristic of a more compact headset line. The product has IPX4 waterproof standard, can be used in the rain without too much worry.
New features
AirPods 3 has a very interesting new outstanding feature that is the ability to simulate 360-degree sound (Spatial audio). When this technology is combined with Dolby Atmos sound and driver upgrade, the sound quality is also enhanced, both more realistic and clearer. Without earplugs, the new AirPods also do not support active noise cancellation like many competitors in the same segment on the market.
AirPods 3 also support Adaptive EQ. This is a technology that helps to adjust the sound to suit each person's ear canal. Specifically, the microphone inside the device will measure the user's feedback, then AirPods will automatically analyze and give the option of audio frequency to best suit the owner's ears. For example, if you like listening to strong rock music, after a while of use, AirPods will automatically adjust to play the music you like in a "right" and better way.
In return, we have another good news that the device now has an integrated spatial and computational sound chip to enhance the sound. These are all previous details only available in the high-end AirPods Pro and AirPods Max lines.
Battery life
The introduced AirPods 3 will be for 6 hours of continuous listening time after each full charge. For calls, the device runs for 4 hours. When used with the charging case, the headset can be used for up to 30 hours. These parameters have upgraded compared to AirPods 2 but not too much, impressive.
The AirPods 3's box also supports fast charging technology - the trend of today's times. According to the advertisement, the device can provide 1 hour of music listening or talking with just 5 minutes of charging. Not only that, it also supports wireless charging technology, MagSafe magnetic charging like iPhone.
How is AirPods 3 different from AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro?
When a new product comes out, it is obvious that it is put on the balance sheet compared to its predecessor. Compared to AirPods 3, the changes of the new generation headphones are generally considered to be quite large. It has transformed both the outside and the inside.
But does that make the AirPods 3 a cheaper version of the Pro? Although now bearing the typical appearance of the Pro series, AirPods 3 of course still have many features of their own. If you like headphones that are not heavy, the standard version will still be more suitable. The price difference between them is only about 70 USD – a number worth considering.