Apple’s wireless Bluetooth headphones are among the most popular in the industry, to the point where the company made more money from sales than MasterCard or Adobe in an entire year. AirPods are a mass phenomenon and since the first version came out in late 2016, Californians have released new models with improved features.
The third generation AirPods (2021) are the latest addition to the catalog. This review drinks from the AirPods Pro (2019), the most complete fully wireless Bluetooth headphones from Cupertino. At first glance they are almost identical, but they have quite a few differences and key points that can make us opt for one or the other. We put them face to face.
Features AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro
|
specs |
AirPods 3 (2021) |
AirPods Pro |
|---|---|---|
|
Dimensions and weight |
Headphones: 3.08 cm high by 1.83 cm wide and 1.93 cm thick; weight of 4.28 grams | Case: 4.64 cm high by 5.44 cm wide and 2.14 cm thick; weight of 37.91 grams |
Headphones: 3.09 cm high by 2.18 cm wide and 2.4 cm thick; weight of 5.4 grams | Case: 1 1/2″ high by 2 1/2″ wide and 0.87″ thick; weight of 45.6 grams |
|
sound technology |
Adaptive EQ, Apple custom high-excursion transducer, custom high dynamic range amplifier, and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking |
Active Noise Cancellation, Ambient Sound Mode, Adaptive EQ, Apple Custom High Excursion Transducer, Custom High Dynamic Range Amplifier, Spatial Audio with Dynamic Head Tracking, and Pressure Compensation via a Slot System |
|
sensors |
Skin sensor, motion-sensing accelerometer, voice-sensing accelerometer, and pressure sensor |
Two optical sensors, motion-sensing accelerometer, voice-sensing accelerometer, and pressure sensor |
|
microphones |
Two microphones with beamforming technology and an inward-facing microphone |
Two microphones with beamforming technology and an inward-facing microphone |
|
connectivity |
H1 chip and Bluetooth 5.0 |
H1 chip and Bluetooth 5.0 |
|
controls |
Press once to play audio, pause audio, or answer a call; press twice to go to the next song; press three times to go back to the previous song; long press to activate Siri; Say “Hey Siri” to hear a song, make a call, get directions, and more |
Press once to play audio, pause audio, or answer a call; press twice to go to the next song; press three times to go back to the previous song; press and hold to switch between active noise cancellation and ambient sound mode; Say “Hey Siri” to hear a song, make a call, get directions, and more |
|
Drums |
Up to six hours of audio playback on one charge (up to five hours with spatial audio on), and up to four hours of talk time on one charge; with the case up to 30 hours of audio playback and up to 20 hours of talk time |
Up to 4.5 hours of audio playback on one charge (up to 5 hours with active noise cancellation and ambient sound mode off), and up to 3.5 hours of talk time on one charge; with the case up to 24 hours of audio playback and more than 18 hours of talk time |
|
Endurance |
Resistant to sweat and water (IPX4) |
Resistant to sweat and water (IPX4) |
|
Price |
From 199 euros |
From 279 euros |
New Apple AirPods (3rd generation)
Apple Airpods Pro with MagSafe Charging Case (2021)
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DesignNote: The 3rd generation AirPods and AirPods Pro are very similar in design. Although the dimensions of the earphones and charging case are not exactly the same, they are practically identical except that Pros have interchangeable silicone ear tips because they are necessary for one of the sound functions that we will discuss later.
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sound technology: the AirPods Pro are the most complete in this section because they have active noise cancellation and ambient sound mode. They share with the third generation spatial audio with dynamic head tracking and adaptive equalization.
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Drums: at this point the AirPods 3 “win” because last up to six hours of playback per charge and up to 30 hours with the charging casecompared to 4.5 hours for the AirPods Pro. We put the win in quotes because the autonomy of the AirPods Pro is reduced by the active noise cancellation function.
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Price: AirPods 3 have a suggested retail price of €199 and AirPods Pro with MagfSafe Charging Case at €279. Nevertheless, can usually be found much cheaper in storeshovering around 179 euros and 210 euros, respectively.
AirPods 3 or AirPods Pro, which wireless Bluetooth headphones to buy?
The third-gen AirPods and AirPods Pro are similar in their design and that they have spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, and little else. The differential factor between both headphones is the active noise cancellation, one of the most desired functions in this type of device. So the purchase decision rests on whether this feature is a must or not.
The autonomy It can also be a factor to take into account because we went from 4.5 hours on the AirPods Pro to 6 hours on the third generation AirPods. Regarding the price, it is not a huge difference if it is purchased in stores that are not the Apple Store, because it can be around 30 euros with an offer, which is quite common in these headphones.
New Apple AirPods (3rd generation)
Apple Airpods Pro with MagSafe Charging Case (2021)
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