The 6 AirPods 3 features we wanted from Apple but didnt get

Date:
Tue, 19 Oct 2021 03:32:09 +0000

Description:
Apple has unveiled a marginally better pair of true wireless earbuds, but
here are six big features that couldve really made them great.

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After months of rumors, Apple finally announced the new AirPods 3 during its Unleashed event , where we were also treated to new colors for the Apple HomePod mini , the Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max , MacBook Pro 14 , and MacBook Pro 16 .

Sporting new features like Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, adaptive EQ, and longer battery life than their predecessors, they certainly look like an improvement on the original earbuds but it doesnt quite feel like Apple pulled out all the stops.

Potentially that's because in those aforementioned months of rumors we had heard Apple was bringing big new features to the third iteration of its earbuds like noise cancellation and fitness features, as well as safety features that would help keep you safe. Unfortunately, none of those materialized in the final product.

However, rather than vent about it, weve decided to put together something constructive a guide to all the features wed like to have seen. Maybe we
wont get them in this generation, but with enough luck, well get them in the AirPods 4. Want AirPods on the cheap? Be sure to check out our Apple AirPods Black Friday deals 2021 and Apple AirPods Cyber Monday 2021 deals to see all the latest discounts Feature #1: Hi-Res Audio

While Apple is adding spatial audio support to its true wireless earbuds, it doesnt plan on adding Hi-Res Audio support which is a bit disappointing. Like its other wireless earbuds, Apple simply hasnt found a way to send Hi-Res Audio over Bluetooth on the AirPods 3.

In fairness, the necessary bit-rate to deliver truly lossless audio over Bluetooth hasnt been available until very recently. In September, Qualcomm announced aptX Lossless , a new feature of its Snapdragon Sound technology, which the company claims is capable of delivering 16-bit / 44.1kHz audio over a Bluetooth connection. Without something like that in the AirPods, theres no way well get true Hi-Res Audio in this generation of AirPods. (Image credit: Apple) Feature #2: Fitness support

With Apple touting its latest fitness features on the Apple Watch and
iPhones, we thought itd be a sure thing that those same features would appear on the AirPods 3.

Among the fitness features we thought wed see on AirPods 3 were ambient light sensors that could make them much more useful as health monitoring devices. With light sensors installed, you mightve been able to monitor more health aspects like heart rate, which has so far been limited to the Apple Watch.

A few months back Apple even filed patents for something similar but unfortunately those upgrades arent coming to AirPods 3. Feature #3: Noise cancellation

When we heard the rumors that the AirPods 3 might resemble the AirPods Pro,
we were nearly certain that wed finally get active noise cancellation in the base model AirPods.

Unfortunately, that wasnt the case. In some ways it makes total sense that Apple wants to keep noise cancellation a feature of its more expensive
AirPods Pro, its somewhat shortsighted other earbuds makers like Sony have included at least some basic noise cancellation performance in its
entry-level earbuds and Apple not doing so here could help the competition by giving them a clear advantage. If the HomePod mini can get this many color options, why can't the AirPods? (Image credit: Apple) Feature #4: More color options

Its not a deal breaker for us, but it wouldve been nice to see the new
AirPods in some interesting colorways instead of the iconic white. Sure,
thats a classic, but it wouldve been nice to see Apple ape some of the colors that Samsung put out with its new Galaxy Buds 2 like Olive and Lavender on
top of the traditional Black and White options.

This has been something Apple has slowly been improving over time as seen by the announcement of the new color options for the HomePod mini, but as of yet that design mentality hasnt quite made its way to Apples flagship earbuds. Feature #5: More control over their sound

Another entry in the improved... but maybe not enough category is the EQ in the earbuds. Apple says its enabling the adaptive EQ from the AirPods Pro in the AirPods 3 that will tailor the sound of the earbuds in real time, based
on how they fit in your ear however they wont allow you to go in and tweak things how you like.

In our review of the 2019 AirPods we said that they had a lively, powerful presentation, but said that they sound slightly harsh when it comes to higher-frequencies and lacked the proper bass response.

To its credit, Apple says it has redesigned the drivers inside of the earbuds for better bass, but its still not allowing users to go in and tweak the
sound to their liking with the latest launch of the AirPods. The redesigned drivers should offer better bass response... we hope. (Image credit: Apple) Feature #6: Safety features

While it was a bit far-fetched, we had grown to like the idea that the
AirPods 3 might come with some neat safety features. They were always a bit nebulous, but rumors had pointed to a patent that allowed the earbuds to adjust their audio output based on the user's activities and location, including "adjusting audio volume, stopping or preventing audio from playing, providing feedback, directions, encouragement, advice, safety information and instructions".

In an example we saw, the earbuds could "pause or prevent audio playback" through the earbud thats adjacent to the road when youre out cycling or running, allowing you to hear traffic while still listening to music through the other earbud.

Thats currently not something any earbuds are doing, so to see it in the AirPods 3 wouldve really felt unique and special. Oh well, theres always the AirPods 4. Ready to cut the cord? Check out our guide to the best true wireless earbuds



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/the-6-airpods-3-features-we-wanted-from-apple-b ut-didnt-get/


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