WEBVTT 00:00:00.545 --> 00:00:04.260 (box slams) - People who have AirPods love them, 00:00:04.260 --> 00:00:08.210 and everyone else doesn't get it, but even after using a pair of AirPods Pro 00:00:08.210 --> 00:00:12.150 for the past 10 months, I'm still a little skeptical about these, 00:00:12.150 --> 00:00:15.857 Apple's $180 third-generation AirPods. 00:00:15.857 --> 00:00:19.370 (plastic clicking) There's a long laundry list of Bluetooth 00:00:19.370 --> 00:00:25.410 headphone competitors that feature silicone tips and active noise cancellation for much, much less money. 00:00:25.410 --> 00:00:29.690 So, why should I bother spending my time covering these? 00:00:29.690 --> 00:00:34.380 They're just going to, oh, oh, oh. 00:00:34.380 --> 00:00:37.663 Wait, what? These sound great, sound great, sound great! 00:00:42.597 --> 00:00:47.123 Ugh, it's the AirPods way. You know what they represent. 00:00:48.150 --> 00:00:52.970 You know how hard they are to maintain. (upbeat music) 00:00:52.970 --> 00:00:56.632 And yet, they worm their way into your ears. 00:00:56.632 --> 00:01:01.632 (upbeat music) (birds chirping) 00:01:02.700 --> 00:01:07.900 I'm afraid that anyone who buys these third-generation AirPods will be quite pleased with them. 00:01:07.900 --> 00:01:13.690 They've got a new design, a new speaker driver, new MagSafe support, and they have a few features 00:01:13.690 --> 00:01:18.080 from previous, more expensive AirPods Pro and Max models, 00:01:18.080 --> 00:01:24.080 but these are still AirPods, so there are no silicone tips or active noise cancellation, 00:01:24.080 --> 00:01:28.060 but what we do get is a brand new hard-shell design. 00:01:28.060 --> 00:01:32.970 The stems are shorter and feature four sensor buttons for media control and Siri. 00:01:32.970 --> 00:01:37.440 The bud itself is a lot bigger and less funnel-ly than the originals. 00:01:37.440 --> 00:01:42.070 The case looks more landscape than portrait. Now, based on past experience, 00:01:42.070 --> 00:01:47.970 I'm still a little bit concerned about these. The mesh is just as close to the tip as before. 00:01:47.970 --> 00:01:53.330 It looks like it's gonna trap ear wax even despite the mesh's convex shape. 00:01:53.330 --> 00:01:57.143 However, these do sit in your ears differently than before. 00:01:58.010 --> 00:02:01.950 (upbeat music) They don't go in deep at all. 00:02:01.950 --> 00:02:06.380 Instead, they sit on the ear's concha without going deep into the canal. 00:02:06.380 --> 00:02:10.720 This means they do feel a little insecure in the ear at first though they haven't 00:02:10.720 --> 00:02:14.130 fallen out on me yet. You know, you do this to get water out of your ears, 00:02:14.130 --> 00:02:16.573 but I can't get the AirPod out of my ear. 00:02:18.270 --> 00:02:23.210 Actually, I think ear wax might not be this big of an issue this generation. 00:02:23.210 --> 00:02:26.790 I've been wearing these, and I've rarely seen any accumulate in the ridge here, 00:02:26.790 --> 00:02:30.640 so there might be hope, but there's only one way to find out, 00:02:30.640 --> 00:02:34.770 and that's giving these to Sarah long-term. Do your worst. 00:02:34.770 --> 00:02:37.977 I'll report back in social media in a bunch of months. 00:02:37.977 --> 00:02:41.772 (aircraft engine rumbling) 00:02:41.772 --> 00:02:44.439 (upbeat music) 00:02:45.430 --> 00:02:50.000 Another thing I was not expecting was that these would sound this good. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:54.498 The OG AirPods get the music across, but these really liven things up. 00:02:54.498 --> 00:02:57.165 (upbeat music) 00:03:00.100 --> 00:03:05.063 Even the more expensive AirPods Pro sound flatter by comparison. (upbeat music) 00:03:08.210 --> 00:03:12.220 Apple touts a new custom-designed driver that definitely brings more bass, 00:03:12.220 --> 00:03:17.130 and I swear that I can sense the adaptive EQ modifying the sound to conform to the shape of my ear. 00:03:17.130 --> 00:03:20.260 Like, I can hear it improve. 00:03:20.260 --> 00:03:23.520 There's a very clear opinionated sound to these 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:27.120 with punchy trebles and base. Ed, our production manager, 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:31.900 thinks they sound borderline sibilant, but says they're more entertaining than AirPods Pro. 00:03:31.900 --> 00:03:34.950 And yeah, I think that's a good way of putting it. 00:03:34.950 --> 00:03:40.560 That entertaining aspect is also enhanced with the addition of spatial audio, which I'll get into, 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:45.600 but first, let's take a moment to thank this video's sponsor, Pulseway. 00:03:45.600 --> 00:03:50.360 Pulseway is all about managing devices and infrastructure from one place. 00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:53.990 So, Mac and iPhone-wielding IT professionals can take action 00:03:53.990 --> 00:03:59.130 to kill processes, reset user passwords, run PowerShell commands, backup files, 00:03:59.130 --> 00:04:03.740 and even control devices remotely. There's also powerful auto-remediation to help deal with 00:04:03.740 --> 00:04:07.900 low disk space, high CPU usage, and restarting services. 00:04:07.900 --> 00:04:12.700 Try it for free today at pulseway.com or through our link below. 00:04:12.700 --> 00:04:15.780 Now, what were we watching? 00:04:15.780 --> 00:04:19.093 Ah yes, a piece of audio-visual content. 00:04:20.710 --> 00:04:24.960 When you're watching a piece of audio-visual content, the feature does a great job of simulating 00:04:24.960 --> 00:04:28.537 the exact soundscape of sitting in a movie theater. 00:04:28.537 --> 00:04:32.852 (people chatting) (cars whooshing) but with music, it's hit or miss. 00:04:32.852 --> 00:04:35.519 (upbeat music) 00:04:36.640 --> 00:04:41.450 And that's just with listening to my stereo files. It's good with classical or music 00:04:41.450 --> 00:04:46.530 where instruments occupy a wider stage, but with my electronic tracks, I turn it off and enjoy 00:04:46.530 --> 00:04:51.030 the less processed stream of getting music piped straight into my ears. 00:04:51.030 --> 00:04:55.900 Now, if you set your spatial audio to head tracking, you will constantly think that the audio 00:04:55.900 --> 00:05:00.915 is coming from your device's speakers (upbeat music) 00:05:02.520 --> 00:05:05.943 which for me sets off panic because in LMG's writer's block, 00:05:07.670 --> 00:05:10.780 using speakers there will get you a proper scolding. 00:05:10.780 --> 00:05:14.493 Seriously, it's worse than a 19th century library in here. 00:05:15.330 --> 00:05:20.210 Oh, another neat addition is that they've added MagSafe to the charging case of this and AirPods Pro 00:05:20.210 --> 00:05:24.530 so you can stick it to any MagSafe accessory. No 15-watt fast charging though. 00:05:24.530 --> 00:05:27.550 Battery life is better giving you up to six hours from the buds, 00:05:27.550 --> 00:05:33.520 and I have to say in my usage at the office, I never ran them down below 50% in a day. 00:05:33.520 --> 00:05:36.910 Oh, and when I leave the desk, I don't really put them back in their case 00:05:36.910 --> 00:05:40.048 because I'm a bad boy. Hey! - Hey Jonathan! 00:05:40.048 --> 00:05:44.658 Do you know where all the iPhones are? (upbeat music) - Oh yeah, I'm reviewing them. 00:05:46.510 --> 00:05:51.410 Where'd I put my AirPods? Ah, this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate 00:05:51.410 --> 00:05:55.720 the enhanced Find-My feature. There's no ultra wide band like AirTags, 00:05:55.720 --> 00:05:59.840 but if you lose your AirPods, your iPhone can try and get you closer to them 00:05:59.840 --> 00:06:05.240 as long as they can connect to each other with Bluetooth, which isn't always a guarantee nor will you hear much 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:09.760 should you make them play sound. I've got a connection! Okay, so low signal, keep moving. 00:06:09.760 --> 00:06:13.490 Oh, signal increasing. Okay, I'm gonna make it play a sound. 00:06:14.335 --> 00:06:18.163 (AirPods beeping) There they are. 00:06:19.440 --> 00:06:23.320 This is a nice to have, but it will be frustrating if you're used to looking for AirTags. 00:06:23.320 --> 00:06:25.870 Oh, and by the way, this also works on AirPods Pro. 00:06:27.020 --> 00:06:32.140 I was also hoping to report that these have had no Bluetooth problems with my M1 iMac 00:06:32.140 --> 00:06:36.380 like other AirPods I've used, but now that I've used them for a few weeks, 00:06:36.380 --> 00:06:39.680 uh, they're just as bad. (upbeat music) 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:43.460 There's a lot of AirPods magic in here, and they've surprised me, 00:06:43.460 --> 00:06:46.460 but $180 is still a lot of money, 00:06:46.460 --> 00:06:51.470 and it's worth putting that price into context. Last year, the old AirPods were $20 less 00:06:51.470 --> 00:06:55.350 unless you opted for a wireless charging case. Then, they cost 200. 00:06:55.350 --> 00:06:59.340 So, 180 should seem pretty great. 00:06:59.340 --> 00:07:02.440 Oh, and second-gen are now 130, by the way, 00:07:02.440 --> 00:07:06.303 though I can't really recommend them for you know the reason. 00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:10.910 I wore a lot of earbuds to see how these stack up. 00:07:10.910 --> 00:07:15.370 Most all of them had silicone tips and a form of noise cancellation. 00:07:15.370 --> 00:07:19.310 The best alternative to my taste would be the OnePlus Buds Pro. 00:07:19.310 --> 00:07:24.940 They sound pretty great and give you AirPods' magic-like features if you use a OnePlus phone, 00:07:24.940 --> 00:07:28.090 but you're watching "Mac Address," so you probably don't have a OnePlus phone, 00:07:28.090 --> 00:07:31.210 and if you do, welcome. Might I suggest an iPhone? 00:07:31.210 --> 00:07:34.670 Nevertheless, you might think that spending less money 00:07:34.670 --> 00:07:38.040 than these and going with one of the alternatives is a better option. 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:41.650 Well, if you fly a lot, then yes, perhaps, 00:07:41.650 --> 00:07:46.390 but I did a quick survey of people here at the office and found that there's a good number of us 00:07:46.390 --> 00:07:50.060 who don't like noise-canceling silicone tips ear buds. 00:07:50.060 --> 00:07:54.060 I can tell you from personal experience that they do tend to pop out of my ear. 00:07:54.060 --> 00:07:57.930 Now, if you take silicone tips out of the equation, the options get slim. 00:07:57.930 --> 00:08:01.040 This is a collection of what we had at the office, 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:04.670 and it's a lot of AirPods wannabes. 00:08:04.670 --> 00:08:06.993 They're cheap, and they sound really bad. 00:08:08.084 --> 00:08:13.294 (railroad crossing bell ringing) (upbeat music) 00:08:14.290 --> 00:08:17.560 Yes, without silicone tips, you don't get sound isolation. 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:21.950 The world around you is completely audible with crystal clarity. 00:08:21.950 --> 00:08:25.460 I like this, but then again, I'm the person who wears their AirPods pro 00:08:25.460 --> 00:08:29.030 in transparency mode all the time anyway, and I know I'm not alone. 00:08:30.670 --> 00:08:35.480 I'm quite surprised with these AirPods. They sound a lot better than I was expecting. 00:08:35.480 --> 00:08:41.050 They fit better in my ear than I was expecting. They accumulate earwax way less than I was expecting. 00:08:41.050 --> 00:08:44.730 And if I were to go out and buy a pair of Bluetooth headphones right now, 00:08:44.730 --> 00:08:49.410 it'd probably be these. Thanks for budding into this "Mac Address." 00:08:49.410 --> 00:08:54.150 Now, if you're a big AirPods fan, give this video a like, and if you wish you had a set, why not subscribe? 00:08:54.150 --> 00:09:00.680 Now, I'm curious what you think are a viable alternative to these AirPods third-generation. 00:09:00.730 --> 00:09:03.230 Very hard to find good ones without silicone tips.