With that said, you’ve probably got a laundry list of questions that you desperately want answers to. For example, how much do the AirPods 3 cost? When are the AirPods 3 going on sale? How long is the battery life of the AirPods 3? What’s the difference between AirPods 3 and the AirPods Pro? Here’s everything that you need to know about the AirPods 3.
When is the AirPods 3 going to release?
After several weeks’ worth of rumors and leaks, Apple finally launched the AirPods 3 at the Unleashed event alongside new MacBook Pros and MacOS 12 Monterey. Similar to the recently announced M1 Pro and M1 Max devices, the AirPods 3 are already available for pre-order right now and will start shipping as soon as next week. According to Apple, most official Apple retailers should have the AirPods 3 available in-store starting as early as October 26.
How much do the AirPods 3 cost?
Apple’s stable of wireless earbuds just got a lot bigger with the AirPods 3. Because of its price point, Apple now has something to offer for people who are looking for something more feature-filled than the AirPods 3 but less expensive than the AirPods Pro. The AirPods 3 retails at $179, which is $70 less than the AirPod Pro’s $249 price point and just $50 more than the AirPods 2 at $129. However, it is worth mentioning that Apple just stealthily announced that all AirPods Pro units will start shipping with the same MagSafe charging case as the AirPods 3 going forward.
Does the AirPods 3 look different in terms of design?
At first glance, you probably wouldn’t notice. But, if you take a closer look, you’ll see how Apple redesigned the AirPods 3 to have a more angled fit. Apple claims that this helps improve the comfortability and listening experience without affecting the weight as much. The AirPods 3 also comes with a high dynamic range amplifier and a brand new driver. The trickle-down effect is also very real as the AirPods 3 borrows a couple of key features from the AirPods Pro such as the shorter stems and touch controls. Unfortunately, the AirPods 3 still doesn’t have interchangeable ear tips; this remains exclusive to its more expensive sibling. As for the calling experience, Apple has covered the mic of the AirPods 3 with an acoustic mesh to minimize wind noise with an AAC-ELD codec for higher quality calls over FaceTime.
What’s new in the AirPods 3?
The AirPods 3 don’t just look new, the latest AirPods also bring plenty of fresh features on the table, and some aren’t just borrowed from the AirPods Pro. For example, while the AirPods 3 has the same spatial audio support in Dolby Atmos and dynamic head tracking, it has a much longer battery life (30 hours with the case compared to the AirPods Pro at 24 hours). Speaking of the AirPods Pro, the AirPods 3 comes with Adaptive EQ that automatically adjusts frequencies depending on how you’re wearing the AirPods. On that note, the AirPods 3 are more durable as well. The wireless earbuds are not IPX4 water and sweat-resistant, as well as a “skin-detect” sensor that can tell if you’re wearing the earbuds or not and pause automatically whenever you take them out. It’s a bummer that the AirPods 3 still doesn’t have active noise cancellation, but then again, Apple might have just reserved this feature for the more premium AirPods Pro.
Are the AirPods 3 worth buying?
If you haven’t had a chance to jump on the wireless earbuds bandwagon yet and you have money to spare, the AirPods 3 are a no-brainer. It doesn’t exactly come with all the premium features of the AirPods Pro, but it’s also $70 cheaper. At the same time, it’s just $50 more expensive than the AirPods 2 and comes with its wireless charging case already, which makes its $179 price point a rare steal for a newly launched Apple product.
