New apple airpods pro 2021
Apple unveiled a new set of AirPods at tonight`s Unleashed event. Years after the last update (AirPods 2 was released in March 2019!), Apple's earphones weren't as attractive as their new competitors.
The new earphones, which the company calls "Thirdgen AirPods" rather than the AirPods 3 and other new brands, have a whole new design and a range of new features. The price is higher, but you can also buy the old model, which has been reduced in price to commemorate the new release. Here's everything you need to know about the new 2021 AirPods.
New AirPods design
As expected, the standard 2021 AirPods use many design features of the more expensive AirPods Pro, including shorter legs and a horizontally aligned charging case. (The gap between standard and Pro, both in feature set and design, may widen again when Apple releases its second-generation AirPods Pro, but that`s not expected until 2022. ) Single, double, or triple taps or long presses trigger various actions. (AirPods 2 are far less versatile, offering only double-tap. )
Specs & features
In terms of features, the focus of Apple`s announcement was Spatial Audio support previously available on AirPods Pro but not available on AirPods 2. In terms of specs, Apple says battery life has increased by an hour. It's interesting to note that the AirPods 3 have a longer expected battery life than the AirPods Pro. Pros are expected to run for a total of 24 hours just like the AirPods 2, but Apple hedges this by saying "before" for the AirPods 3 for 30 hours and "more" for the other two for 24 hours. You can put them or the AirPods Pro in the charging case for just five minutes and gain an hour of listening time; the figures quoted for the AirPods 2, by contrast, are 15 minutes and three hours, which feels morally the same, although perhaps we've missed the point. (How much battery life would the AirPods 2 gain from 5 minutes of charging? According to Apple, the new AirPods are sweat and water resistant, and both the headphones and case are rated IPX4. (That doesn't mean they're completely lacking in protection, it's just that they haven't been tested by Apple. ) And that matches standard AirPods with AirPods Pro. At least for now.