4 Reasons Why You Should Get the AirPods 3 (and 3 You Shouldn’t)
Credit: Apple
It took Apple long enough, but the company finally revealed the AirPods 3. After many months of speculations, rumors, and — so much — waiting, we finally know what the third-generation AirPods bring to the table.
To be frank, they're pretty awesome. Apple completely redesigned the AirPods, added some cool new features, and extended the battery life.
If you're considering buying the AirPods 3, read on to learn 4 Reasons Why You Should Get the AirPods 3 (and 3 You Shouldn't).
A Whole New Design
One of the best reasons to buy the AirPods 3 is the new design. While it's true they kind of look like the AirPods Pro, this new look is exactly what Apple needed to do.
If you were one of the people who didn't like the big step, the new minimal, sleek design would instantly make you want to buy them. The AirPods 3 feature smaller stems, so they're more subtle when you're working out or just listening to your favorite tunes. Likewise, the charging case also has a smaller—but wider—design, similar to the AirPods Pro case.
Plus, the AirPods 3 feature force sensor controls like the AirPods Pro, thanks to the similar design. Thanks to this design, there are also many new features available, but we'll talk more about that in a moment.
Great Battery Life
One of the most important things a pair of wireless earbuds should have is battery life, and Apple added the best battery life to the new AirPods 3. If you're looking to have more hours of listening time with a single charge, the AirPods 3 are the obvious choice for you.
The new AirPods have up to six hours of total listening time. Not only that, but you'll get a total of 30 hours of listening time with the charging case. Speaking of the charging case, it also works with MagSafe too, so you can charge your iPhone or AirPod with the same charge without using Lightning.
And perhaps the coolest new feature about the AirPods is that they can get up to one hour of battery life for just a five-minute charge.
Spatial Audio
The new AirPods 3 aren't just different on the outside; Apple also changed the inside and packed it with some cool new features, including spatial audio.
Now you can use your AirPods 3 to listen to songs that support spatial audio in Apple Music. Not only that, but you can also watch movies that support this feature, so you feel like you're in the middle of the action.
What's cool about spatial audio in the AirPods lineup is that it can potentially be more immersive than other headphones. This is because of a dynamic head tracking feature, which uses the AirPods' gyroscope and accelerometer to track your head actively and your iPhone. That way, if you move you're head to the right or left, the sound will adjust accordingly.
Other Cool Features
The AirPods 3 have other new features that make it worth buying. And no, unfortunately, the 2021 AirPods don't come with Active Noise Cancelation, but we'll get to that in just a moment.
First off, the new AirPods now have an easier pairing process similar to the AirPods Pro, allowing you to start using the AirPods 3 as soon as you open the charging case.
Another cool feature borrowed from the AirPods Pro is Adaptive EQ. This feature lets you listen to music the way you were meant to.
Adaptive EQ will automatically adjust the sounds in real-time depending on how the AirPods 3 fit in your ear. The best part is that you don't have to do anything about using it. Just put on the AirPods, and they'll do the rest.
The new AirPods are also IPX4 water and sweat-resistant, so you won't have to worry about them while you rock the gym.
No Active Noise Cancelation
Now onto the "negative" reasons why you should skip the AirPods 3. Unfortunately, Apple decided to keep ANC exclusive to the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. This is probably because of the like of ear tips in the AirPods 3 — which some people like.
We still don't know exactly how good the sound on the AirPods 3 will be, but we can assume that it'll be really good. Still, without Active Noise Cancelation, you won't be as immersed as you would with the AirPods Pro or other earbuds that have this feature and are quite cheaper.
The Price
This year Apple decided to up the price of the regular AirPods by around $20 dollars. However, it might not seem like much; for $179, you can almost buy the AirPods Pro.
Sure, Apple showed that the AirPods Pro list price is $249. And it is if you buy it from the Apple website. But if you go to Amazon, you'll find the AirPods Pro are just almost $20 more expensive. And it's possible that they'll go even lower than that.
Yes, I get it, the AirPods 3 have better battery life than the AirPods Pro, but it's only because the AirPods Pro have Active Noise Cancelation. Plus, they basically have every other feature the AirPods 3 now have. If you don't mind compromising battery life, the AirPods Pro are a solid alternative.
Better Ones Might Be Coming
A good reason to wait to buy the AirPods 3 is that, according to rumors, Apple's also working on the second-generation AirPods Pro.
I know what you're thinking. If you wait just to buy the newest product later, then you're never going to buy anything. It's like saying you shouldn't buy the iPhone 13 because the 14 will eventually come out, and not buy the iPhone 14 because Apple will surely release the 15 too.
Still, if you don't really need the AirPods 3 right now, or you're willing to wait a few months until we have more reports about the AirPods Pro 2, it might be worth it. Rumor has it that the AirPods Pro 2 will be an awesome update like the AirPods 3 are. Plus, if you wait, you might find the AirPods 3 at a discount, which will make it a better deal.
Overall, if you have AirPods that don't need to be changed right now, you might be better off waiting for a little before you decide to buy the third-generation AirPods. Make no mistake, though; if you do get them right now, you won't be disappointed.