Hardly any Apple gadget is as intimate as the Airpods, because they are almost in the body – or at least in the ears. And since everyone’s ears are different, this becomes a bit of a personal review.
The most important question for me: How firmly do the cordless things sit in the auricle in everyday life?
I have had good experiences with the first generations of Airpods. I only found the rubber plug of the Pro model a little uncomfortable.
But now the new Airpods 3 are here, which are somewhere between the existing models in terms of price and functionality.
The first thing you notice is the new design: the stem has become shorter, the ear piece more bulky. Incidentally, there is now also the battery, which Apple says should last longer.
“Boom Boom Pow” roars into the ear canal
So. Unboxing in the office. Airpods in. It feels different, but good. I turn on “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas. The bass comes in with oomph and convinces in comparison with the old Airpods. If you are an Apple Music customer, you can even activate Spatial Audio (3D sound), a function that was previously reserved for the Pro model, which can now only stand out with noise suppression.
But now to the outdoor test. After all, we want to know whether the Airpods stay in your ears when you’re jogging or if it’s a bit bumpy.
I decided on the Grosse Mythen (1899 m) in the canton of Schwyz as a test mountain. Here you are not only above the fog in autumn, the path is rough enough.
Plan! Suddenly the left airpod peaks out
When hiking up I have the feeling that the right Airpod constantly wants to wander out of the auricle and I regularly push it in with my finger. Then suddenly: Plan! Suddenly the left airpod peaks out – and luckily remains on the way.
That didn’t happen to me like that with the predecessors. Probably because the ear piece was thinner and the longer stem stabilized the Airpod better.
Tricky call acceptance
When a call comes in on the mountain, I notice something different, which I don’t really like: Until now, you could perform certain functions with a comfortable tap on the Airpods – like accepting calls. The Airpods 3, on the other hand, have a button on the stem. And to hit them correctly on the go without having to push the headphones out of your ear is a bit tricky.
Conclusion: When it comes to headphones, it’s all about sound, and the Airpods 3 are convincing here. At a price of 199 francs, you can expect that too. And everyone has to find out about their ears for themselves. Everything is very intimate.