Apple unveiled its third-generation AirPods (AirPods 3) during its Unleashed event. The design seems to be a blend of the classic AirPods and the AirPods Pro, the plastic unibody looking exactly like the Pros, without the interchangeable silicone ear tips.
The new AirPods have much shorter stems than its predecessor but they’re also thicker now as they adopt the Pro’s force sensors which let you click for controls with haptic feedback instead of just tapping. The third-gen AirPods sport a custom driver and adaptive EQ, which fine-tunes the audio output to your environment in real-time. Unlike the previous AirPods, these are rated at IPX4 for water and sweat resistance, though you still can’t take them in the shower.
Just like the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, the AirPods 3 uses computational audio to introduce dynamic head tracking, meaning that these earphones are compatible with Apple’s Spatial Audio unlike the AirPods 2. They also feature Dolby Atmos and AAC-ELD, which Apple claims is “a superior speech codec that offers full HD voice quality, providing clear, natural communication for FaceTime calls.”
This year’s release also comes with a wireless charging case that’s compatible with the MagSafe charging system, which also makes a return in the new Macbook Pro as a charging port. The battery gets a slight bump with up to six hours on a single charge and 30 hours with the case, which crowns it as the AirPods with the longest battery life — not counting the AirPods Max headphones.
The AirPods 3 will be sold at USD$179 (~RM746), snugly in between the AirPods 2’s new US$129 (~RM537) price tag and the Pro’s US$249 (~RM1037) price that remains the same. They’re due for a general release date of 26 October in select markets but we still don’t know when they’ll be landing in Malaysia.
