Apple's Newest AirPods Are Water and Sweat Resistant
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While Apple's AirPods are one of the most popular headphones on the market, the design of the the true wireless buds hasn't been updated since the second generation of the device was released in early 2019. Yes, the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max have come out since then—but those are more expensive options for the power user. Everyday commuters and exercisers have been waiting for an update for the base model. Today, Apple held its second hardware event of the season, and that long-awaited upgrade has finally come with the new third-generation AirPods.
The third-gen AirPods look similar to the Pro with a shorter ear stem than in the previous two generations (but doesn't sport the in-ear silicone tips of the latter model). Those stems feature the same on-ear control as the Pro (Apple calls it an " intuitive force sensor") so you can pause, skip, and play songs with a quick squeeze. The third-gen case has also morphed into the same wide shape of the Pro case.
Fitness fans will be excited to learn that the new AirPods sport an IXP4 water and sweat resistance rating (the Pro does too), meaning you won't have to worry about frying your buds if you get to sweaty during a workout or caught out in a rainstorm on a run. The case has the same rating, so spills are less of a concern there, too.
Apple says the third-gen AirPods use a new custom driver and a high dynamic range amplifier for better sound quality, while computational audio will bring some of the high-level sound features of the Pro and Max models, like Adaptive EQ and spatial audio, to the base AirPods line. This gives the buds a more premium package, a step above the last model which felt like a take on the bands classic EarPods sans wires.
Importantly, the new AirPods are rated for better battery performance than previous generations. Apple says the third-gen model will have a six-hour lifespan for listening per charge (four hours for talk time), with 30 total hours of listening time for a fully charged up case. The case will use Apple's MagSafe wireless charging, rather than having the feature as an add-on as it was in the second-gen model.
You can order the new AirPods today from Apple for $179, with a wide release next week.
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