Engadget Logo The Japanese version of AirPods (3rd generation) is the earphone that is the closest to the air in the world. A new area with a light fit, good sound quality, and battery life (Masaichi Honda)

When asked what is the world's best-selling fully wireless stereo (TWS, True Wireless Stereo), many must say AirPods. Wireless earphones with independent left and right sides have gradually penetrated the world, and now wireless earphones that are not TWS will not be noticed unless there is a great deal of attention.

On the other hand, five years have passed since AirPods appeared, and the know-how to make TWS type earphones has become established. Neither audio makers nor smartphone makers may now have fewer brands that haven't released TWS.

After using the 3rd generation AirPods, I found that it was a product that probably didn't compete with most, or perhaps any, TWS. Many TWS aim for a deep "immersion" in music and video works. However, AirPods has the theme of blending in with the lifestyle and eliminating its presence.

There have been products with similar concepts, but none have been as highly balanced in sound quality, fit, functionality, and battery life as the 3rd generation AirPods.

Not only does it have no rivals, it's so comfortable that it's hard to believe that it's in Apple's AirPods family.

The only product I would like to compare is the TWS model of ambie, whose shipment is delayed, but the total balance including sound quality is much closer to music for AirPods than for ambie.

A device that connects people with the digital world through ears

For a while, the term "hearable device" was used for wearable devices.

It's a word that I haven't heard much recently, but while various wearables have been proposed as devices that connect smartphones and people, it means devices that interface with smartphones through hearing and voice.

There are various products because the genre is not fixed. I liked the concept of Ambie made by an engineer from Sony, and Sony Mobile's Xperia Ear Duo is also a challenging product as a hearable device. All of them had in common that they could comfortably mix everyday sounds with sounds from smartphones.

The main purpose is to blend in with the actual environment rather than immersing yourself in the outside sound as much as possible, so you won't get tired even if you use it for a long time. And the Xperia Ear Duo also had notification and reading capabilities.

Compared to those, AirPods is a concept with a slightly stronger degree of "immersion in music", but it is designed so that it can be installed without a silicon ear tip, it does not block external sounds, and if it is set to an appropriate volume, the surrounding situation can be grasped. .. As you know, the degree of perfection as a hearable device such as reading aloud function has increased with the evolution of iOS as well as Siri interlocking.

It is my impression that AirPods as such a hearable device has finally improved its perfection by redesigning it in the 3rd generation.

The point of AirPods (3rd generation) is

Is the largest.

In addition to that

There is, and cooperation by Apple OS such as iOS / iPadOS / macOS / watchOS is not good.

I wouldn't recommend it if you want to immerse yourself in the music world with eartips that have active noise cancellation and improved sound insulation like the AirPods Pro, but if you always want to wear earphones, the new AirPods Is finished in a product with a perfection that no other rival can think of.

Let's introduce the points of evaluation in order.

Well-balanced and comfortable light sound quality

Apple explained that the 3rd generation AirPods are equipped with a larger dynamic driver than before, and the bass can be heard firmly.

It is also equipped with a microphone that is directed to the inside of the ear, and by performing equalizing while measuring the acoustic characteristics, it is said that it can respond to individual differences in the shape of the ear and changes in sound quality due to wearing conditions.

When you actually start listening, the mid-low range is clearly stronger than the open-air earphones of the same type. It's not powerful or speedy, but it gives you a sense of volume in the bass sound.

However, it does not mean that the bass sounds like AirPods MAX. If you don't want the texture of timpani or contrabass even in classical music to enjoy general popular music, it means that the range balance is well-balanced and easy to hear.

The characteristics toward the high range are also straightforward, and the amount of information is not large, but it naturally extends and there is no peaky band, and it naturally rolls off toward the ultra-high range. Making sounds that don't make you hear unpleasant sounds is consistent with Apple products, and it's not hard to hear even if you use it for a long time.

The "high quality" of a high-fidelity audio device is reasonable, but the "sound quality" is well-developed, and it can be said that it is a light sound quality that can be enjoyed for hours.

Greatly improved mounting stability

Speaking of AirPods, the light feeling that you can wear it just by hooking it on your ear without using ear tips made of silicone or urethane foam is attractive, but there are also voices that it does not fit. I myself have dropped AirPods many times. It seems that people who fit are easy to use for running and workout, but I myself seemed to come off and could not use it very much when exercising.

However, this product is stable with a light fit. Even if some people tried it, they had the same impression, so I think that the feeling of wearing it has definitely improved, although there are (of course) individual differences.

Not only is it waterproof to IPX4, but the resin coat itself, which does not use any soft materials, is naturally resistant to sweat. If this is the case, it can be actively used during running and various workouts. You can enjoy music with good sound quality while properly grasping the surrounding situation.

Compared to the 2nd generation AirPods, the length of the shaft part extending from the driver part is also 2/3. In other words, the center of gravity is gathered at the top, which may be the reason why the anxiety when moving the neck is reduced.

Battery that can be used for 6 hours or more on a single charge

The excellence of AirPods as a hearable device is the same up to the second generation, but the battery life is still a bit disappointing. It can be used for 6 hours in the 3rd generation.

When I actually start using it, even if I always think that I'm wearing it as a hearable device, there are always times when I'm not wearing it, such as when I'm having a meal or having a meeting.

In the case of the author, in the morning, I put it on when I got up, had breakfast, checked my email, and replied. There is about 50% battery power left before lunch. You can remove it, charge it, turn on the TV, watch news programs in the morning on a recorder, return to 100% by the time you start interviewing or working in the afternoon, and continue to use it until night.

In reality, the battery never runs out in 6 hours. If you have used it for a year, it may have deteriorated to the specifications or a little shorter duration, but it will not be a problem.

There are some other companies' products that have a spec value of 6 hours, but like those, I think that it is a number that can be operated with a margin. In addition, the total driving time including the battery case is 30 hours.

When the AirPods (3rd generation) battery case (including AirPods Pro) is placed on the MagSafe charger, it is automatically centered by a magnet to a position with good charging efficiency.

3D audio and AirPods

In addition to this, the operation by the pressure sensor introduced in AirPods Pro (play, stop, next track, previous track, etc. are assigned by default because there is no noise caching function) is also incorporated, and new elements A skin detection sensor has been added as.

Until now, the proximity sensor detected the attachment, but this prevents it from being mistakenly recognized as "attachment" even if it is put in a pocket without being put in the charging case.

In addition to these minor improvements, the introduction of spatial audio head tracking (a function that changes the sound image localization according to the movement of the head), which was supported only by AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.

The virtual 3D sound reproduced by spatial audio is not much different from the AirPods Pro. Since AirPods Pro has higher bass reproduction ability, compared to that, AirPods does not hear the low frequency sound effect that the subwoofer is in charge of when watching a video work, but it reproduces stereophonic sound. I didn't feel a big difference in sex. (However, AirPods Max is exceptional)

Apple Music's Dolby Atmos has begun to be distributed, but the feeling of enjoying the music distributed by spatial audio is very favorable.

Even if you shake your head from side to side, the vocal position of the Dolby Atmos song does not change. It seems that he is also conscious of the reproduction in the height direction, and even if he tilts his head diagonally, he follows it properly. However, the vocal localization does not change when the chair is turned to change the direction or when listening while walking.

The naturalness of tuning around here is not limited to AirPods, but it is common to all Apple's spatial audio compatible products, but songs arranged with spatial audio do not feel cramped even when listening with earphones, and they are open. Many of them make fun sounds.

If AirPods supports spatial audio head tracking and this value spreads to general listeners, the production of Dolby Atmos-compatible songs will expand further.

For a solitary TWS that does not compete with any product

At the beginning, I wrote that the TWS version of ambie is the only rival, but as I actually write it and use it, I'm starting to feel that there is no similar product in the first place.

There are many products that do not seal the ear canal with ear tips and have an open feel, but in terms of the balance between sound quality and openness for enjoying music, other products are as well-balanced as the 3rd generation AirPods. Will not be there.

It is comfortable to use all day long, and while it has an open design that makes it easy to grasp the surrounding conditions, it has sound quality that is sufficient for a music environment in a quiet place.

However, needless to say, AirPods are peripheral devices for the iPhone. You can connect to an Android smartphone via Bluetooth, but you can't show its full potential.

On the other hand, because it is integrated with the functions provided by iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, etc., it works seamlessly with devices running these OSs, and it also has a function to read out notifications whenever OS functions are updated. It will be refined.

If you go through the ticket gate on your Apple Watch, it will tell you your SuiCa balance, and you can set it to notify you when your family or partner calls you so you don't miss an important call. Reading aloud has become more natural as iOS has evolved.

Even if there is no such plus α added value, AirPods (3rd generation) is an open type that balances wearing comfort and mounting stability, and only produces a well-balanced sound that makes you feel a sense of volume in the low range. It can be said that it is a unique product.

Compared with the same Apple products, the second generation AirPods are treated as "lower model", but both AirPods Pro and AirPods Max are for those who want to cut off from the outside world and immerse themselves in music and video works, AirPods For those who want to learn information notifications through music and ears in their daily lives. Actually, I think that the 3rd generation AirPods are not competing in the lineup.