How to choose between new AirPods and AirPods Pro
Love them or hate them, the folks at Apple certainly have a knack for seeing trends and creating products that take over a big chunk of the market.
The iPhone was not the first smartphone, but it did start the world down a path of carrying phones with touch screens and apps.
The iPod wasn’t the first digital music player, but Apple did create the iPod with a companion music store and changed the way we buy music. Now we’ve lived long enough to see the iPod go away in favor of playing music through our phones.
Here, I’m reviewing the third generation of Apple’s AirPods ($179).
AirPods have become ubiquitous in the ears of iPhone users. We’ve all seen those white stems sticking out of people’s ears.
I know there are plenty of other wireless earbuds. I’ve reviewed quite a few, but I don’t seem to notice people wearing other brands as much as I notice people wearing AirPods.
Let’s talk about naming.
Apple is labeling these AirPods (3rd Generation). They have a shorter stem and resemble the AirPods Pro.
You can still purchase the old-style AirPods (2nd Generation) for $129, and AirPods Pro for $249, which have a shorter stem and are the only AirPods with a silicone ear tip.
Since Apple has moved away from the long stem design, I’ll be comparing the features of the new AirPods with the AirPods Pro.
The design of the new AirPods is what I noticed first.
The new AirPods have shorter stems that are still visible but not as much.
If you look at the part of the
AirPod that fits inside your ear, you’ll notice the third generation is larger.
If you have small ears, you might notice a tighter fit.
The AirPods have the force sensors of the AirPods Pro.
Force Sensors are the buttons you press by squeezing on a flat spot on the AirPods stem.
Squeeze once to play or pause music or answer a phone call.
Squeeze twice to skip to the next song.
Squeeze three times to skip back.
Squeeze and hold for Siri or just say “Hey Siri” to invoke the personal assistant.
The new AirPods and their charging case are sweat- and water-resistant.
They have a new feature called Adaptive EQ , which has an inward-facing microphone that monitors the sound and adjusts it to account for variances in fit.
The new AirPods also have spatial audio, which creates a three-dimensional surround experience. It isn’t quite as good as real surround sound, but it is impressive. AirPods Pro also have spatial audio, a good example of a pro-level feature making its way down to the cheaper model.
While I’m comparing features, the third-gen AirPods do not have noise canceling, which is a feature of the AirPods Pro.
Apple says the new AirPods offer an extra hour of battery life over the previous versions. This is impressive considering the reduction in size.
You can expect six hours of music playback or four hours of talk time.
The charging case for the new AirPods is wider than previous models but not as wide as the case of the AirPods Pro.
The battery inside the charge case can charge the AirPods four times, for a total of up to 30 hours of music listening.
The case can be charged via lightning cable, Qi wireless charger or Apple’s Magsafe charger.
If your AirPods’ battery is run down, just five minutes in the case will provide an hour of listening.
There is a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box.
Apple’s Find My network helps users find their lost Apple portable products (iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, AirTags and AirPods).
You’ll see them listed under the Devices tab in the Find My app. You can set them up to send you a notification if your phone and AirPods get separated.
If you lose them in your house or car, you can remotely play a sound, but the sound comes out of the AirPods, so it isn’t very loud.
It is difficult to get really good voice quality out of a set of wireless earbuds. Most people who spend their day wearing headsets use one that has a boom microphone that extends down near the mouth.
The voice quality of the AirPods microphone has always been very good, and that is still true of the newest model.
Sound quality rivals any phone or headset.
Apple has added a small screen over the microphones to minimize wind noise.
Apple has perfected the AirPods setup.
Unbox them, bring them close to your iPhone, flip open the case and you’ll see a dialog box appear on your phone with a button to Connect.
Once you connect them to your phone, they’ll automatically connect to any other Apple device you use with the same Apple ID.
They will attach to nonApple phones, tablets and computers via Bluetooth.
The incoming sound and outgoing voice quality are top-notch. Compared to the second generation AirPods, there is a noticeable sound quality improvement.
I also thought these latest AirPods sounded better than the AirPods Pro.
To my ears, the 3rd Generation AirPods are the bestsounding AirPods you can buy.
An electric blanket can provide a comforting, warm feeling on a cold winter’s day. What if you could take that feeling with you wherever you go? Heated clothing from iHeat and Aunroaa (iHeat for women) allows you to do exactly that.
Aunroaa and iHeat heated clothing uses high-tech, lightweight graphene heating elements and a removable, rechargeable battery pack to power them. The pack can be charged via MicroUSB and USB-C, the latter also working as a charger for connected devices that support USB-C charging. Two ordinary USB ports are also provided, one for powering the clothing and the other to charge your phone. I tried a men’s jacket and the unisex vest, and also had an Aunroaa women’s jacket on hand to examine and compare to the other items.
The jackets and vest impressed me as quality garments and not just a gimmick, with premium
YKK zippers and fabric that could seemingly support the price even without the built-in heating and phone charging. There are three separate heating zones with three separate heat levels each, each controlled by soft-touch buttons inside the left breast of the jacket.
The iHeat and Aunroaa heated clothing would be especially appreciated by winter sports enthusiasts, outdoor workers, those attending sporting events outside in cold climates and anyone who dislikes dressing in layers. If they were used with suitable camouflage I imagine hunters would appreciate the products, as well.
The Aunroaa heated women’s jacket and iHeat men’s jacket are each $139.99, and the unisex heated vest is $89.99 on amazon.com.