Home » Apple AirPods3, the proof – La Stampa

Apple AirPods3, the proof – La Stampa

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It’s been five years since Apple’s first AirPods, launched alongside the iPhone 7, the first without a headphone jack. Today the market for true wireless earphones is large and varied, with offers in different price ranges, from smartphone manufacturers, big names in audio, from newborn companies. So Apple has seen fit to submit the AirPods to the first radical redesign: if the differences between the first and second generation were not so radical, this third version marks a clearer turning point.

What changes
The appearance is very similar to that of the AirPods Pro: shorter stem, greater thickness, larger case (but smaller than the Pros). The biggest difference is the absence of the silicone rubber, otherwise it is difficult to distinguish the two models. Another novelty compared to the previous AirPods is the resistance to water and dust: not excellent, but sufficient not to fear splashes and sweat (technically it is the IPX4 standard).

Inside, there are many improvements, starting with the new driver, designed by Apple, which seems to have improved the performance on the bass, actually remarkable for headphones that do not seal the ear canal. The lack of the rubber pad also limits the passive isolation from external noise, and does not allow the implementation of the noise cancellation function. You notice a lot on the plane or train, where we continue to prefer the AirPods Pro, but in quiet environments the difference is negligible, and at most you just need to turn up the volume a little to make up for it. The obtainable sound volume is reasonably high, and as per Apple tradition, there is no trace of distortion up to almost the maximum. And yet, we’d like to be able to adjust the volume without having to ask Siri every time or use the iPhone keys.

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We recommend spending some time looking for the best position in the ear: minor variations can change the sound substantially, also because the internal microphone that monitors the audio inside the ear canal needs to work well. to compensate for any differences from the input signal. On the other hand, the AirPods 3 are more stable and tend less to slip from the ear, but obviously this depends on the shape of each one’s ear.

How they sound
Two new features come to AirPods3: Adaptive EQ and Spatial Audio with Dynamic Head Tracking. To try them it is worth listening to a classic, like Drive by Rem, in the spatial audio version with Dolby Atmos: the effect is impressive, the amount of hidden details that emerge even after yet another listening is surprising. It’s like being on stage, with the American band playing all around, and even moving your head the relative position of Michael Stipe and the other Rems doesn’t change. Here, as in Mammamia of the Måneskin, however, turning up the volume to the maximum shows some hardening of the sound in the high frequencies. Better Stromae, Health, which has a less aggressive mix.

Montero (Call me by your name) by Lil Nas X, instead it seems perfect for the AirPods: each instrument has its place in space, the voice is reproduced in all its nuances, the mix of electronic and (few) acoustic sounds is well balanced, even if the effect space is not as explosive as it happens in for example No time to die from the soundtrack of the last 007. The orchestral power is rendered with great realism, and the crescendo of strings are perfectly calibrated, but Billie Eilish’s voice always remains in the foreground, even when her unmistakable singing softens into a whisper . The improvement over the previous model is evident.

Call quality has improved: callers will notice, because thanks to a new coating of the external microphone, the new AirPods eliminate background noise and wind sound more decisively, so that the interlocutor can hear well in every occasion. Paradoxically, in this case the absence of active noise cancellation is not a problem, indeed an advantage: the speaker’s voice is not processed, so in noisy environments it is clearer and more natural than AirPods Pro.

Intelligent
The H1 chip is the same as the AirPods2 and the AirPods Pro. In addition to processing the sound, it also allows you to pair headphones with iPhone only by opening the case next to the phone. A dialog pops up on the screen to connect them, and then any other Apple device registered with the same Apple ID will share the pairing, making it easy to switch between iPhone and Mac, or Apple TV. The H1 chip also allows you to support Apple’s voice assistant with the usual “Hey Siri” (but you can also start with a pinch to the stem).

And it is in the stem that the controls are located, as in the AirPods Pro: a quick press starts or pauses the music (or answers an incoming call), a double press allows you to go to the next song, with a triple press you goes back; a long press switches between the noise canceling modes. When running or cycling the system is perhaps less practical than the touch used in previous models, however the gesture is more natural, and it seems that you are simply placing the headset in your ear.

To interrupt the magic of music, if desired, just remove at least one of the earphones. Thanks to a new internal sensor that recognizes the proximity of human skin, playback will stop, to resume when you put the headset back into your ear. It works great, and is on its own one of the most welcome improvements introduced in this third generation of Apple earphones.

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Airpod3’s are trackable via the Find My app, and you can even set a notification if they’re forgotten away from the device they were connected to.

Apple declares over 6 hours of autonomy in listening to music, an hour more than the AirPods2; as always, the base allows four recharges, so the total comes to just under 30 hours; even more interesting is the fact that only 5 minutes of charging are enough to listen to an hour of music. In our test both statements are confirmed, while we cannot say if it is true or not that with a recharge you get to 4 hours of talk time, but it seems likely.

To recharge the AirPods, just place them in the case, which in turn has a battery. And the battery can be recharged both with the lightning cable and wirelessly (MagSafe or any Qi standard charger), simply by placing it on a compatible base.

In fine
The AirPods3 arrive in Italy on Tuesday 26 October and cost 199 euros: a little more than the previous generation. But they offer so much more, and are certainly among the best true wireless earbuds on the market. Not recommended for those who use Android (although they are compatible, in fact, many functions are not usable), they are among the best choices for those who use iPhones and Apple devices in general, unless they absolutely need noise cancellation.

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