They were to be unveiled last April, Apple finally preferred to wait for its October keynote to formalize them: the AirPods 3 are out. Price, release date, what’s new, here’s everything there is to know about the new headphones.
It had been in question for a few months now, but they were long overdue. It’s now official: Apple has just unveiled its new true wireless headphones, the AirPods 3. On the design side, Apple has revised and corrected its copy: AirPods 3 looks a lot like AirPods Pro with their little black bands on the side.
But above all thanks to this new design, Apple also claims to have worked on sound propagation in the ear canal. “By combining the power of the H1 chip with an acoustic system designed by Apple, the new AirPods use computer audio to deliver revolutionary sound with Adaptive EQ”, explains the Cupertino giant.
With its AirPods 3, Apple improves the design and audio quality of its headphones
More than two years ago, Apple unveiled the AirPods 2 and marketed them at a price of 229 €. Between the first and the second generation, there were already some differences. One more hour of audio listening, a new H1 chip, a 30% reduction in latency and voice activation of Siri. The two small accessories took advantage of a new charging box compatible with QI wireless charging (which was sold separately for € 89).
This time, Apple was more interested in audio quality, but did not neglect the other features of its headphones. Thus, thanks to their new design, the AirPods 3 benefit from passive noise reduction and spatialized sound. Remember that active noise reduction is reserved for AirPods Pro. The AirPods 3 therefore do not have an active reduction or silicone tip, but Apple ensures that their orientation allows them to have better sound propagation than on previous iterations.
The headphones also benefit from “Adaptive EQ” technology, which allows you to adjust the low and mid frequencies as you listen. A technology that is also found in AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, but also in the competition. The Galaxy Buds 2 Samsung also benefits.
Side autonomy, there is also change. We now enjoy a listening time of 6 hours maximum. In addition, and this is rather excellent news, the charging case offers up to 30 hours of battery life. The latter is also compatible with the MagSafe charger, which iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 users are familiar with.
The AirPods 3 are displayed at the price of € 199 in France. The headphones can be pre-ordered today and will be available next week, October 26, 2021 to be precise. Finally, last precision: the AirPods 2 remain in Apple’s catalog. Remember that they are displayed at 149 €.