WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:08.559 Some of you feel that I may have overreacted a little when I first tried 00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:11.440 the AirPods Pro 3s. 00:00:08.559 --> 00:00:15.360 And while I stand behind my assessment that Apple unnecessarily boosted the 00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:20.960 bass on this product, the Beats acquisition was for the brand name, not 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:22.560 the sound signature, it is clear that 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:27.840 after daily driving them for a couple of months for a longerterm review that you 00:00:25.119 --> 00:00:33.040 were right. I've now accepted that it is a small price to pay for the plethora of 00:00:30.880 --> 00:00:36.559 benefits that these bring to the table. The way that Apple managed to pack the 00:00:34.719 --> 00:00:40.320 heart rate sensor and its supporting electronics into the ear tip is nothing 00:00:38.559 --> 00:00:44.719 short of incredible in a mass-produced product. The increased battery life and 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:48.719 the more secure fit have directly contributed to a more restful sleep for 00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:53.600 me, sometimes lasting all the way through the night. And the ANC is quite 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:58.559 literally the difference between a restful travel experience and arriving 00:00:56.480 --> 00:01:03.039 on zero hours of sleep and not being able to function. Not to mention its 00:01:00.480 --> 00:01:07.280 day-to-day utility. both as a tool for taking the edge off of sensory 00:01:04.720 --> 00:01:10.960 overloading environments, and as a quick and dirty hearing protection that both 00:01:09.360 --> 00:01:16.560 looks better on camera, which is great for me, and thanks to Apple's incredible 00:01:14.240 --> 00:01:21.920 adaptive transparency mode, allows me to communicate with others in those 00:01:18.080 --> 00:01:23.520 environments. Like, wow. 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:28.400 But none of that means that they aren't without legitimate issues, like the 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:32.799 unnecessary omission of this pry point that results in some ear tips getting 00:01:30.240 --> 00:01:36.720 stuck on the AirPods Pro 3's so tight that they can't be removed without 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:42.400 ripping off the silicone flange. Also, while the fit is more secure, it is 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:47.439 still not as comfortable for me. So, do I upgrade or do I stick with the twos? I 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:52.560 legitimately don't know what to do. >> There is another way, my child. Tim, is 00:01:51.759 --> 00:01:56.880 that you? >> It is I. And you have forgotten the 00:01:54.960 --> 00:02:02.399 sacred words passed down for generations. Why not both? 00:01:59.759 --> 00:02:08.239 >> No, I thought the secret words were segue to our sponsor. 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:12.160 >> Charge. Their Ice Mag 3 is a Chi 2 25 watt wireless fast charging power bank. 00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:16.239 Keep your device cool while the speeds are hot thanks to their turoflow active 00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:20.160 cooling. It's clean and stylish and has that sweet, sweet RGB. Grab your Ice Mag 00:02:18.720 --> 00:02:23.160 3 today with the link in the video description. 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:36.480 Something I want to make clear is whether we're talking about my initial ShortCircuit or this video, any 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:42.239 criticisms you hear from me about the AirPods Pro 3 or even the entire AirPods 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:43.920 Pro lineup comes from a place of love. I 00:02:42.239 --> 00:02:48.319 may despise some of Apple's pricing strategies and business practices, but I 00:02:45.920 --> 00:02:53.360 have been a diehard user of this product line ever since it launched. And the 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:55.519 AirPods Pro 2Os were by far my favorite 00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:59.360 true wireless earbuds for their entire 3-year life cycle. And that is in spite 00:02:57.440 --> 00:03:02.800 of the fact that Apple treats me like an absolute secondass citizen for having 00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:07.200 the audacity [music] to pair them with an Android phone. With 00:03:04.720 --> 00:03:11.280 that said, I was impressed by just how seamless the process was for pairing my 00:03:09.040 --> 00:03:15.040 Pro 3s to my Android. You just [music] tap the virtual button in the front and 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:19.599 within about 5 seconds you can be listening to music [music] 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:21.440 and only listening to music. Even using 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:25.840 a third party app that does allow battery monitoring and pausing playback 00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:30.159 when removing an earphone. As an Android user, I miss out on a lot of the 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:34.640 functionality of these, [music] like binding separate actions for pressing 00:03:31.920 --> 00:03:39.440 the left and right stem, using head gestures for control, pausing media when 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:43.680 I fall asleep, using the stem as a camera shutter, personalized spatial 00:03:41.440 --> 00:03:48.640 audio, and adaptive audio that adjusts based on my environment. Forget about 00:03:45.440 --> 00:03:50.720 it. The list goes on and on and on. I 00:03:48.640 --> 00:03:55.760 mean, you still can't even update the firmware on your AirPods unless you have 00:03:52.720 --> 00:03:58.000 an iPhone, an iPad, or a Mac, which 00:03:55.760 --> 00:04:02.720 personally I believe entitles Apple to a special level of hell for them and any 00:03:59.920 --> 00:04:06.400 other company that is so user hostile that they will punish a customer with 00:04:04.640 --> 00:04:11.360 cut down functionality simply because they haven't bought enough of their 00:04:08.480 --> 00:04:17.359 products to be cared about. But once you try the A&C or the active 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:22.160 noise cancellation on these earbuds, you just can't go back. It is genuinely 00:04:20.400 --> 00:04:25.680 mind-blowing what Apple has done here. And the more that I've used these, the 00:04:23.919 --> 00:04:30.518 more that I love them. Here's a paragraph that I wrote while I was on a 00:04:27.280 --> 00:04:31.120 flight to Japan for the Kyokia Fab Tour. 00:04:30.518 --> 00:04:36.080 [clears throat] I feel like I'm flying private almost. 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:40.880 There is a bit more pressure than before when you enable the ANC, but you quickly 00:04:38.400 --> 00:04:45.919 forget about that as you just marvel at the silence. And Flying Lionus wasn't 00:04:43.919 --> 00:04:50.479 exaggerating. Plof took these home for a week and said basically the same thing. 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:55.680 Just about everything. Engine noise, crowd chatter, treadmills, it's either 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:57.373 gone or it's reduced to a light hum. And 00:04:55.680 --> 00:05:01.280 that's before you turn on any music. [music] The moment you press play on 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:03.759 your media, even some appliances like London. 00:05:02.080 --> 00:05:07.280 >> What? Yeah, just like that. >> Oh, I couldn't hear it. 00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:12.639 >> That's exactly what I'm talking about. There's a plane overhead that's 00:05:08.880 --> 00:05:16.720 interrupting our shoot and I can't tell. 00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:19.680 You can't script that man. 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:24.240 Anyway, let me continue. Seriously, they might be too good. Turning A and C off 00:05:22.479 --> 00:05:28.000 when you're in a noisy environment can be downright jarring, especially if 00:05:26.400 --> 00:05:31.520 you've been using transparency to speak to the people around you. It almost 00:05:29.840 --> 00:05:35.680 makes me wish that they offered two or three different levels so you could have 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:39.520 a little bit of A and C just for walking around the mall, but the full fat when 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:43.199 you're trying to sleep on a noisy plane. Even without that though, they are 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:46.880 simply phenomenal. And I'm going to be using these when I travel for years to 00:05:45.039 --> 00:05:50.720 come. All without worrying too much about the battery life. And that last 00:05:49.039 --> 00:05:54.560 point is a huge one that is pushing me toward the threes. Whether you've got 00:05:52.320 --> 00:05:59.759 the ANC on or off, if you've got the case with you, these things last 00:05:56.400 --> 00:06:00.960 forever. Okay, not forever. and 8 hours 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:05.039 isn't even going to get me all the way from here to China. But they recharge so 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:09.199 quickly that even once they finally do run dry, you just throw them in the case 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:14.400 and you can zap them up to three times in between every time you recharge that. 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:18.240 And it's just a non-issue if your bedtime routine already includes 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:21.680 plugging in your electronic gizmos or putting them on a G-spot or putting them 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:25.840 on your Apple Watch charger. There's just so many options, none of which they 00:06:24.080 --> 00:06:31.520 felt was necessary to include in the box, of course, not even a charging 00:06:27.919 --> 00:06:33.199 cable, which to be clear, I get it, that 00:06:31.520 --> 00:06:37.199 wouldn't bother me either. I actually agree with Apple that we don't need an 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:41.600 endless supply of warts and cheap cables. But their end of the deal is 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:46.080 that they're supposed to pass the savings on to me, and you know damn well 00:06:43.919 --> 00:06:50.080 they didn't. Talk about pricing later, though. Back to the case for a second. 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:55.120 The extra battery life and the updated shape did make it a bit bigger, which I 00:06:52.400 --> 00:06:58.880 noticed immediately in my unboxing, but it still fits in all my usual pockets 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:01.919 that I store my AirPods in. So, realistically, 00:07:00.479 --> 00:07:07.360 it hasn't changed the experience of using it much. And it really is a great 00:07:04.479 --> 00:07:10.720 user experience. Find My is included, so as long as you at least have a friend 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:14.720 with an iPhone, they're pretty easy to track down, which I have had to do a 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:18.560 number of times, including once when my two Pros were stolen. and they still 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:23.120 have the speaker that makes little ping noises to make them easier to find. Um, 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:27.360 I guess the hinge is slightly less satisfying, but it's still better than 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:32.240 just about any other wireless headphone. They're just a great overall package. 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:36.000 Unfortunately for Apple, this is the part where I start bringing up the less 00:07:33.840 --> 00:07:41.199 positive stuff. Starting with the ear tips. My rage is justified here, guys, 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:44.800 because what were they thinking? I mean, yeah, it's not the kind of thing that 00:07:42.960 --> 00:07:49.919 you have to change often, but removing and replacing the ear tips sucks. I 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:53.440 don't know if this is a manufacturing tolerance thing or what, but if you get 00:07:51.840 --> 00:07:58.080 one of the ones that fits as tight as mine do, good luck removing these 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:01.520 without tools or without tearing them to absolute pieces. I tried to swap them 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:06.479 out on a flight thinking that it would be easy. Big [music] mistake. And the 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:11.759 worst part is regardless of which size I try, I still prefer the comfort of the 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:14.800 AirPods Pro 2os. Your mileage will vary 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:18.160 on this one, but it's a big reason why, 00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:19.840 spoiler alert, I might not end up daily 00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:24.000 driving these, at least not for everything. More on that later, because 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:28.160 next I want to talk a bit more about the lack of feature support on Android, 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:33.039 which need I remind you is estimated at over 70% of mobile phone users 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:37.440 worldwide. If you've got an iPhone, the AirPods Pro 3s are a lot more than just 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:41.599 earbuds. They're a single pair of devices that can play audio, act as a 00:08:39.680 --> 00:08:46.080 hearing aid or hearing protection, read your heart rate, and do live 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:51.600 translation. Okay, slowly for that last one, but it is still an incredible 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:54.000 package, even at $250. 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:59.440 Wait, did I say $250? cuz I meant more like starting at $850 00:08:57.680 --> 00:09:03.760 because unless you spend that much, Apple doesn't want to give you a bunch 00:09:00.959 --> 00:09:08.000 of those features. Now, Libra Pods is a thing. Cavish Devar posted on r/ Android 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:12.800 apps about a month ago claiming that they have reverse engineered the AirPods 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:16.959 protocol, giving us key features like ear detection, conversational awareness, 00:09:14.640 --> 00:09:21.279 and head gestures. Except the problem is, as cool as that is, and like 00:09:18.800 --> 00:09:27.519 seriously like gold star for you, it requires root access. though very very 00:09:24.800 --> 00:09:32.800 few Android users are likely to use it which really sucks because it also adds 00:09:29.760 --> 00:09:34.240 a freaking EQ mode. 00:09:32.800 --> 00:09:40.480 On that note, let's talk a bit more about sound quality. Did I overreact? 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:44.080 Yes, [music] they offer up suitably adequate sound quality for listening to 00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:49.040 anything from podcasts to your favorite metal album. But while I could have 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:53.519 toned it down a little, my point does still stand. They are worse when 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:58.080 compared to the AirPods Pro 2os for the average listener. As you can see from 00:09:55.279 --> 00:10:02.880 this helpful visual courtesy of DMS, it isn't a massive downgrade, but this is 00:10:00.959 --> 00:10:07.360 an expensive pair of earbuds from a company that has the R&D budget of a 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:11.680 small nation. Okay, I shouldn't fly off the handle, but I also don't have to 00:10:09.680 --> 00:10:15.920 lick their boots. [music] Apple created their own mess here by branding 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:20.000 themselves as innovative and constantly reminding us that the new version is 00:10:17.680 --> 00:10:23.600 just way better than the old one. Sorry, that was a terrible accent. The 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:28.640 point [music] is, this time around, it isn't. At least not in every way. By the 00:10:27.040 --> 00:10:31.680 way, the Labs team wrote up a great article on testing these earbuds. So, if 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:35.760 you want to know more about that, we'll have it linked down below. Spoiler, some 00:10:34.079 --> 00:10:39.760 folks said that a firmware update might change the sound profile, but we got the 00:10:38.160 --> 00:10:44.959 same results with the latest firmware. So, what's more likely is that they, 00:10:42.079 --> 00:10:49.600 like I did, either got more used to it or they got the hang of getting a better 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:53.440 fit in their ears. You know, it's funny. I thought I'd have a clear answer after 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:57.440 spending 2 months with these, but I'm still torn. And it's not just me. More 00:10:55.920 --> 00:11:01.040 and more reviews have come out with mixed opinions now that people have had 00:10:59.040 --> 00:11:07.760 these for weeks or months, and they're not just glazing Apple over their shiny 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:09.200 new toy. So, in conclusion, Pro 3es. 00:11:07.760 --> 00:11:13.040 Yeah, I don't think there's any other answer, is there? Did I say I wasn't 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:16.399 going to daily the Pro Twos? I think I've changed my mind between then and 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:21.200 now. I think I'll hand me down my AirPods Pro 2os and then maybe I'll 00:11:18.640 --> 00:11:24.640 treat myself to a nice USBC to 3 and 12 mm adapter and then I'll just use the 00:11:22.880 --> 00:11:29.760 IE600's that I already carry for emergencies whenever audio like really 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:35.200 really matters, but it isn't in a noisy environment. I tried them on the plane. 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:39.200 It was awful compared to these. Like 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:41.839 absolutely awful. And oh, sorry. I got 00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:47.440 to take this. Oh, it's our sponsor. They want me to 00:11:44.079 --> 00:11:48.720 segue to our sponsor, Vessie. It's that 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:52.160 time of year where you need to think about gifts for loved ones. What do you 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:56.640 give that one person who doesn't seem to want anything? Well, I know one thing we 00:11:54.079 --> 00:12:01.040 all want. Dry socks. Right now, Vessie has their largest sale of the year going 00:11:58.320 --> 00:12:06.320 on. They're offering 25% off their entire site with some items being 00:12:02.959 --> 00:12:07.920 discounted by a whopping 55%. You know, 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:11.519 Vessie is the folks who claim to make 100% waterproof shoes like their 00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:16.560 Stormbburst lineup. But did you know that they also make other stylish apparel like jackets and beanies? 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