After two years, Apple finally officially released Apple AirPods 3 true wireless earphones on October 19, 2021. In terms of appearance design, the charging case uses MagSafe charging case, but the overall volume is smaller and lighter. The earphone adopts a new contour design, the earphone handle is shorter and the ear curve of the body is round and full, which can better fit the auricle and provide a more comfortable wearing effect.
Compared with AirPods 2 in terms of function, it has been upgraded in an all-round way. The audio experience supports dynamic head tracking spatial audio, adaptive equalization, and audio sharing. In terms of interaction, it supports pressure sensing, skin recognition in-ear detection and “Hei, Siri” voice control. It also supports multi-device connection seamless switching, search, magnetic wireless charging, etc.
On October 26th, Apple AirPods 3 was officially launched. 52audio got this product at the first time. This time, I’m here to share with you the initial hands-on experience. For the experience evaluation and disassembly report, please pay attention to 52audio’s follow-up reports.
The Apple AirPods 3 packaging box still continues the minimalist design of previous generations. The overall design is very simple. The front is embossed to show the appearance of the headset. This is also a way to distinguish true and false AirPods.
The back of the box shows the appearance of the MagSafe charging case, as well as part of the product design, production and Apple information.
On the side is the Apple brand LOGO processed by the hot silver process.
The top is also printed with “AirPods MagSafe Charging Case” through the hot silver process.
The bottom label introduces part of the product’s functional parameter information, which is compatible with iOS devices, iPadOS devices, Apple Watch or Mac installed with the latest version of the software. It can be used with MagSafe and Qi certified chargers.
Commodity name: wireless headset; model number: A2564, A2565. Product name: earphone box, mobile power supply. Model: A2566, Input: 5V-1A, Output: 5V-1A, Manufacturer: This product is authorized by Apple Inc., the distributor: Apple Computer Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., and the barcode of the product.
The lid of the packaging box has a very moderate damping feel. Lifting the lid, the inner packaging box slowly slides down, and the internal structure design is the same as before. The contents of the box include the host, charging cable, product manual, operation guide and warranty card.
The charging cable is changed to a USB-C to Lightning interface, which is more in line with the current use.
The Apple AirPods 3 MagSafe charging case has a rounded square design and can be opened vertically with one hand. It supports wireless charging and can be used with all products such as MagSafe series chargers, external batteries, protective cases, etc. It also supports Qi-certified chargers for wireless charging. The magnetic design also makes it easy to charge whether it is placed on a flat surface or suspended by the charger.
A metal hinge is used on the back of the headset, and a pairing button is provided.
The Lightning interface is located at the bottom of the charging case, decorated with a silver metal ring.
The earphone placement in the charging case is more protruding from the cockpit than the previous generation, so that it is easier to take out. However, since it is still smooth and rounded, it will still cause slippery problems if you have sweat on your hands.
The Apple AirPods 3 charging case is attracted and repelled by magnetic force on the feel of the switch cover. After the cover is opened, the weak magnetic repulsion can be felt, so that it will not automatically close, and it is very stable when the cover is closed.
The product “Model: A2566, Apple Inc., charging case, mobile power, made in China” is printed on the left side of the charging case cover.
On the right is printed charging case rated capacity: 345mAh/1.327Wh, input: 5V-1A, output: 5V-1A.
The metal shrapnel used for charging the headset is still located at the bottom of the charging case cockpit.
The appearance of Apple AirPods 3 earphones uses a handle-like semi-in-ear design. The overall look and feel is similar to AirPods Pro with eartips removed, but the in-ear curve is different.
The headphone head is not as full as AirPods Pro and is relatively thinner.
In terms of the wearing effect, the inner side of the earphone fits the auricle more closely, and there is no earphone suspension feeling when the AirPods Pro is taken off the eartips.
Apple AirPods 3 uses a short headphone handle design, and the back is designed with a microphone acoustic grille that is in the same arc as the body curve to reduce the impact of wind noise.
On the earphone handle, a pressure-sensitive button is applied, and a groove is provided to facilitate blind operation. Support pinch, pinch twice, pinch three times and long press control. Compared with the previous generation of touch keys, the accuracy is higher, and the discomfort caused by the stethoscope effect when tapping is avoided.
The charging contacts at the bottom of the earphone handle are designed with two metal tail plugs. The microphone opening is hidden in one of the tail plugs, avoiding the large-area opening at the bottom of the second generation.
An oval pressure relief hole is provided on the top of the earphone to ensure air circulation in the cavity, reduce ear pressure during wearing, and improve wearing comfort.
There is also a tuning hole on the inside of the earphone to ensure the air circulation inside the sound cavity and enhance the low-frequency effect.
Compared with the AirPods 2 generation, AirPods 3 canceled the dual-channel in-ear detection sensor, and instead applied a skin recognition sensor, which can determine whether to wear it by identifying the humidity of the contact object, so as to achieve automatic suspension of picking and automatic resumption of playback after re-wearing.
The AirPods 3 skin recognition sensor is the first application on the AirPods headset, which avoids the opening of the optical sensor on the fuselage, and prevents the misjudgment of the sense of time being blocked. In the initial experience, the sensitivity is not worse than the light perception. The headset will automatically pause the moment it leaves the ear, and there will be a delay of about 1 second when the headset resumes playback.
AirPods 3’s mouthpiece adopts a slanted design, matching the ear curve of the body and the auricle. When wearing, the mouthpiece faces the ear canal, which can better receive audio information.
Summary:
Apple AirPods 3 true wireless earbudss are more biased towards the AirPods Pro solution in terms of overall design. The earphone adopts a semi-in-ear design, and the earphone head design is relatively thinner, which can better fit the inner auricle and have a very comfortable wearing experience. The earphone mouthpiece has a tilted design and faces the ear canal, which can better receive the audio information output by the earphone.
The headset further optimizes the interactive experience and uses pressure-sensitive buttons to avoid the stethoscope effect when the AirPods 2 touch operation is tapped. The skin recognition sensor reduces the number of holes in the fuselage and is comparable to light perception in sensitivity. The application of MagSafe charging case brings a magnetic wireless charging function, making the charging experience more convenient.
Apple AirPods 3 true wireless earbuds have been upgraded with many new features. Due to time issues, this is only a preliminary unboxing review. Follow-up 52audio will also bring you a detailed experience evaluation and disassembly report.
Source: 52audio
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