Today at its special event, Apple made the often-rumored AirPods 3 official. The true wireless earphones have better battery life, an in-ear detection sensor and adaptive EQ.
This tune sounds in real time based on how the new AirPods fit in your ear – which is welcome considering that this style of earphones does not give a seal in the ears. So the adaptive EQ tries to adjust the low and medium frequencies to take into account what may be lost due to differences in fit.
AirPods 3 has spatial sound support, and with Dolby Atmos, they place sound all around the user. The in-ear detection sensor automatically stops playback when you remove either AirPod from your ear. Ray-shaped microphones block out ambient noise in phone calls focusing on your voice, and hands-free Hey Siri is also supported. Siri can also read important time-consuming messages to you, including alerts from Messages, Reminders, Calendar, and calls, as well as third-party apps that use the specific API required.
Battery life is now estimated at six hours from the earplugs themselves, and the case provides four extra full charges for a total of 30 hours. In addition, there is fast charging – five minutes of charging gives about an hour of battery life.
AirPods 3 also has MagSafe support, so you can charge them wirelessly with a MagSafe charger. The earbuds are now part of the Find My network of devices that offer proximity viewing in the Find My app and lost state, as well as separation warnings and sounds.
The new earplugs can be ordered today for $ 179, and they will be available in more than 27 countries and regions on October 26th. AirPods 2 still sells for $ 129. If you want to go one step further, AirPods Pro is still nearby and adds active noise reduction to your experience for $ 249 – and now they also come with a MagSafe-compatible charging case.
If you buy a pair of new AirPods, you can get Apple Music’s regular subscription for free for six months. Apple also unveiled a cheaper Apple Music plan, called the Apple Music Voice Plan. This costs $ 4.99 a month (compared to $ 9.99 for the normal one). The catch? You need Siri for playback. In fact, you can only use Siri to play everything, but you have unlimited song jumps (via Siri, of course).
With the Apple Music Voice Plan, you get a customized in-app experience with suggestions based on your preferences and a queue of recently played music through Siri. There will also be a section called Just Ask Siri where you can learn “tips for optimizing Siri for Apple Music”, whatever that means.
Apple Music Voice Plan does not give you access to “premium offers” such as spatial sound, lossless sound, lyrics, music videos “and more”. This plan will be available “later this autumn” in 17 countries and regions, including Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, UK and the United States.
