Expert review of the Apple AirPods 3
Apple AirPods 3
- Thanks to the H1 chip, you can automatically connect the earbuds to your Apple devices and activate Siri with your voice.
- With Spatial Audio, you enjoy movies, series, and TV with a spatial audio.
- With a full battery, the earbuds last 6 hours.
- The earbuds are water-resistant, but not waterproof, so you can't clean them with water after your workout.
- You can't adjust settings with an Android smartphone.
First impression of the AirPods 3
The first thing I noticed was that the charging case is turn 90 degrees compared to the AirPods 1 and AirPods 2. The size is similar to a match box, so I can take it anywhere. In addition, the stem of the AirPods is smaller than that of its predecessors. Apple included a Lightning to USB-C charging cable. When I open the charging case and enable Bluetooth, my iPhone asks me if I want to connect to the AirPods 3 right away with the H1 chip.
Spatial audio with Spatial Audio
The AirPods 3 have Spatial Audio. That's a technology with which I hear my music and movies more spatial. The music seems to play around me, instead of just in my ears. Dynamic head tracking supports this effect. When I turn my head, the music moves along. That's a nice addition and it makes my sound experience more realistic. When I don't want dynamic head tracking, I can easily turn it off.
Great wearing comfort
The stem is smaller than that of the AirPods 1 and 2. This way, the AirPods 3 don't stand out much when you wear them. The earbuds fit snugly in my ear and they're easy to control via the stem. With a tap on the stem, I skip a song. Thanks to the shape of the earbuds, I can close myself off from the outside world. I can hear the traffic around me this way, which is nice in busy streets.
Long 6-hour battery life
The battery life of the earbuds is impressive. With a full battery, I can listen to music for up to 6 hours. The charging case has a battery of 24 hours. As a result, I can easily listen to music for 2 days without charging the case. That's longer than the AirPods 2, which have a battery life of 5 hours. The charging case has a battery life of 19 hours.
Cooperation with iPhone
With most earbuds, I can adjust my preferences in app. Think of the equalizer and the controls of the earbuds. AirPods don't have this option. I can only adjust Spatial Audio and the controls via the settings of my iPhone. With an Android smartphone, I sadly can't adjust my preferences an I have to make do with the standard Apple settings.
Balanced sound
I mainly find it important that earbuds are suitable for different music genres. That's why I listened to rock, indie, and EDM. With EDM, I noticed that the music is balanced and I immersed myself in the buildup. I can also clearly hear the beats at the drop. With rock and indie, I noticed that the sound was balanced. I did miss some depth in the drums. I would have liked to be able to adjust my equalizer settings.
Conclusion
Choose AirPods 3 if you want detailed and spatial audio. That's what Spatial Audio does. The earbuds fit snugly in my ears and I can exercise with them without them falling out. If you have an Android smartphone and like to adjust settings yourself, choose earbuds that allow you to do so. Do you have AirPods 1 or 2? The AirPods 3 is a good successor with the improved sound and shorter stem.
