How to choose the right Apple AirPods?

For many, buying AirPods to go along with their iPhone, iPad, or Mac sounds like a no-brainer. There are, however, many models of headphones that are just as capable, or even more so, and at better prices. But if, after careful consideration, the AirPods fit your needs perfectly, or if you think your street cred is more important than anything, here are some tips to optimize your choice among the few models on the market.

Is the price gap between 2nd generation AirPods and 3rd generation AirPods justified? Is there a point in turning to the 3rd generation AirPods when the AirPods Pro are offered at the same price? So many questions that we are often asked and that deserve to be answered. Let’s start with a quick tour of the owner.

Released in 2019, the 2nd generation AirPods have largely found their audience since they abound today in global urban landscapes. Then came the AirPods Pro, a decidedly more upscale model bringing a brand new design, an active noise reduction system and much better sound performance than the 2nd generation AirPods. Finally, at the end of 2021, Apple announced the 3rd generation AirPods, an evolution of the 2nd generation AirPods and also bringing their share of new features.

Is the price gap between 2nd generation AirPods and 3rd generation AirPods justified?

At the time of writing, the 2nd generation AirPods are offered at 149 € on the Apple site, while the 3rd generation AirPods are displayed at 199 €. The two models are extremely similar, both in terms of their very good manufacturing quality and the excellent comfort they provide. There remains the support which is more divisive on the 3rd generation AirPods because of their more massive design. The quality of the hands-free kit is also very close between the two with all the same a slight advantage for the 2nd generation AirPods, in particular thanks to their longer stem.

On the rest, the 3rd generation AirPods outperform their predecessors. The sound reproduction is more homogeneous, more generous in the bass and more precise. The user experience is also vastly superior thanks to the pressure sensors allowing a greater variety of control. In addition, they have a slightly longer autonomy and an IPX4 certification demonstrating increased protection against splashes of water and sweat. The contribution of Spatial Audio with tracking of head movements is also an asset, as long as you enjoy conditions of silence to take advantage of it properly…

In view of the many new features brought by the 3rd generation AirPods, the difference of 50 € between the two models seems justified to us. The only two reasons we would recommend the 2nd Gen AirPods would be if the 3rd Gen AirPods won’t fit in your ears or if your budget doesn’t allow you to put $199 into a pair of headphones.

Is there a point in turning to the 3rd generation AirPods when the AirPods Pro are offered at the same price?

The AirPods Pro are currently offered at €279 on the Apple site, but are regularly subject to reductions bringing their price to around €200, a price relatively close to that of the 3rd generation AirPods. Here too, the two models are close to each other on many points such as the quality of manufacture and the hands-free kit, but also the user experience offered.

The AirPods Pro are, however, far more capable than the 3rd generation AirPods when it comes to sound performance with excellent accuracy and clean, vivid and versatile sound reproduction. The AirPods Pro are also distinguished by their active noise reduction functionality, simply one of the most efficient that we have tested on headphones. true-wireless nowadays.

However, these two major advantages are only made possible with a semi-intra-auricular design sealing the entrance to the auditory canal, which can nevertheless pose a problem for people resistant to this feeling of an insulating bubble. For these people in particular, buying the 3rd generation AirPods and their “open” button design seems more appropriate to us. For others, it is obvious that the AirPods Pro are placed as an indisputable choice as they are superior to the AirPods 3rd generation, especially when they are the subject of a promotion.