AirPods 3

amazon AirPods 3 reviews

Design, appearance, and wearing feel

In terms of appearance, the first point that we can notice is the design change of the AirPods 3 generation compared to the previous two generations of AirPods 1 and 2. The new AirPods 3 has a more modern design, something Apple could have done a long time ago. This year’s version has a similar design to AirPods Pro, both in headphones and an external charging case.

AirPods 3 uses a rectangular but horizontal charging case design similar to AirPods Pro; the overall size is smaller. Each headset side is also designed with a shortened tail, a larger housing, and a diagonal angle like AirPods Pro. AirPods 3 is no longer like a cord-cutting EarPods headset.

The charging case of AirPods 3 still uses the same design language as other AirPods, including the front is a status LED, the back is where the connection and reset button is located, and the bottom is the Lightning charging port. The hinge of AirPods 3 is also finished from extremely solid metal.

I feel dissatisfied with the charging case of AirPods 3 in particular, and AirPods in general, which is the design of the charging case is finished from glossy plastic. Over time, this plastic material will cause the surface of the case to be scratched, not to mention the inside is finished from rough plastic that is quite easy to get dirty, used for a while if you don’t clean it regularly. AirPods 1 that I used after two years. But in return, this year’s AirPods 3 have an IPX4 waterproof charging case.

Still like the tradition of the standard AirPods line, Apple-designed AirPods 3 in the form of earbuds. That is not a popular design because it offers the same advantages as in-ear headphones, such as passive noise cancellation. However, for those who are used to wearing earbuds, AirPods 3 are a “standard” option.

There are two changes in the design of AirPods 3. The earphone tail is designed to be shorter, using the “squeeze” operation to navigate, and the housing is larger, tilted at a certain angle to help the wearing experience be more comfortable. In terms of wearing experience, since each person has a different ear cup size, each person’s wearing experience will be different. For me, a person who has worn AirPods for two years, AirPods 3 gives a feeling still relatively familiar, but it is more certain, although not as certain as to when using AirPods Pro.

When wearing AirPods 3, basic operations such as jogging and exercising will not cause the headset to fall out of the ear, but in some cases, it is impacted by another object, such as a helmet strap. Slicking can easily cause the headset to fall off the ear; this is not the case with AirPods Pro.

Overall, the experience of wearing AirPods 3 is not as good as AirPods Pro. Still, as someone who is not too fond of noise-canceling, AirPods 3 is always the best earbuds wireless headset choice that can be found in the market.

How is the sound quality of AirPods 3 headphones?

According to Apple’s announcement, the new AirPods 3 are still equipped with the Apple H1 processor chip, which appears on AirPods 2, AirPods Pro, and even the expensive AirPods Max. Although the chip has not changed, thanks to the refinement of the new diaphragm, the sound quality of AirPods 3 is now “warmer” than previous generations.

With the first-generation AirPods and AirPods 2, the evaluation shows that Apple has tweaked the sound quality of these two earphones to be quite balanced in the tonal ranges. Therefore, with the design of the open earbud quite a bit, the bass feels weaker than in-ear headphones with the same sound quality. The new diaphragm design on AirPods 3 helps to improve the bass significantly. Quite suitable for modern popular market music taste.

In my personal experience, the new AirPods 3 give more bass and more force. The midrange is also highly detailed; the singer’s vocals are warm, separate from other bands. For most of today’s popular modern music genres, AirPods 3 give a very good sound quality experience. Apple has been very successful in fine-tuning the headphones to best suit the music listening tastes of the user, rather than completely leaning towards a certain genre of music. That is also a feature of the AirPods series so far.

As for the high range, it isn’t easy to notice the difference compared to previous generations. Maybe Apple just tweaked it a bit to give a slightly brighter high, but only a little, and for many people, they probably won’t notice this change.

If only in terms of sound quality, AirPods 3 can completely bring a sound quality as good as AirPods Pro, but what keeps the sound quality of AirPods 3 comes from the earbuds’ design itself. The earbuds design makes the sound quality of AirPods 3 affected by environmental sounds quite a lot, thereby causing the track’s sound to lose part of its detail, which is something that AirPods 3 users have to trade-off.

What new features does AirPods 3 have?

Announced at the launch event, Apple’s AirPods 3 emphasized two features: Adaptive EQ and Spatial Audio.

With Adaptive EQ, Apple uses a small recording mic placed in front of the headset’s driver to measure the sound inside the ear canal, then process and respond to AirPods 3 to adjust the sound to best suit the ear. For audiophiles probably won’t like this feature but want to adjust EQ fixed, but Apple does not allow them to adjust EQ manually. Believer audio does not buy AirPods 3 to experience the sound.

As for Spatial Audio, this is a pretty “cool” feature, and it gives a pretty enjoyable listening experience. AirPods 3 can give a simulated surround sound experience with three modes: Off, Fixed, and Head Track. The bass, mid and high bands, are now stretched by the headphones and spread evenly around; at this time, the sound seems to be coming out evenly from all directions and straight to the listener’s ears.

In Head Track mode, the sound will stay in one place; when the listener moves the head left or right, the sound will not be moved but will focus on the left or right ear. This feature is only available on AirPods 3, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max, supporting iOS 15 and up.

One drawback when using Spatial Audio mode is that the bass range is clipped; the mid and high range is now more dominant and more resonant, thus affecting the sound quality of the AirPods.

Conclusion: Are AirPods 3 worth buying?

AirPods 3 is considered a suitable wireless headset and is extremely worth buying for those who are only used to wearing earbuds, are not used to wearing in-ears, and do not need noise cancellation. Currently, there are not many high-priced headphones on the market like AirPods 3 that still use the design of the earbud; most in this price segment, manufacturers all use in-ear headphones to support active noise cancellation (ANC).

So if you are a user who can wear in-ear headphones well, you can spend a few hundred thousand more to buy AirPods Pro; now you will have a better sound experience, better noise cancellation, and feels like wearing more firmly. Other features are completely similar, and there is no difference in daily use.

where can you get a AirPods 3 online

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