Over the previous couple of years, Apple has gone from promoting one AirPods mannequin to 4. You may at the moment purchase the 2nd-gen AirPods, Third-gen AirPods, and 2nd-gen AirPods Professional with USB-C, and the AirPods Max over-the-ear headphones.
Let’s set that final choice apart for a second. In case you’re prepared to spend $500 or extra on a pair of cans, you’re making a complete totally different shopping for resolution than in order for you true wi-fi earbuds. You may like to try our round-up of the greatest over-ear headphones the place we evaluate the AirPods Max to the competitors.
However that also leaves three comparatively similar-seeming earbuds to select from. So which is best for you?
AirPods and AirPods Professional options in contrast
Right here is how the three in-ear AirPods stack up side-by-side. Notice there are two variations of the Third gen AirPods as indicated, one has a MagSafe charging case the opposite doesn’t cost wirelessly.
| AirPods (2nd gen) | AirPods (Third gen) | AirPods Professional (2nd gen) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $129/£129 | Lightning mannequin: $169/£169 MagSafe mannequin: $179/£179 |
$249/£229 |
| Weight (earbuds) | 0.14 oz (4 grams) | 0.15 oz (4.3 grams) | 0.19 oz (5.3 grams) |
| Weight (case) | 1.35 oz (38 grams) | 1.34 oz (38 grams) | 1.79 oz (50.8 grams) |
| Battery Life | 5 hrs + 19 from case | 6 hrs + 24 from case | 6 hrs + 24 from case |
| Charging | Lightning charging case, no wi-fi charging | Wirelessly cost with MagSafe. The cheaper Lightning mannequin doesn’t cost wirelessly | Wirelessly cost with MagSafe. 2023 2nd-gen mannequin gives USB-C, 2021 2nd-gen mannequin featured Lightning |
| Noise-cancellation | No | No | Sure |
| Dialog Consciousness | No | No | Sure |
| Spatial Audio | No | Personalised Spatial Audio with head monitoring | Personalised Spatial Audio with head monitoring |
| Controls | Faucet on earbuds | Power sensor on stem | Power sensor on stem, swipe on stem |
| Water/sweat-resistant | No | Sure (IPX4) | Sure (IPX4 Lightning mannequin, IP54 in USB C mannequin included mud resistance) |
AirPods and AirPods Professional design
The obvious distinction between the three fashions is their design. The 2nd-gen AirPods have the unique design from 2016, with lengthy white stems and earbuds that resemble the wired earpods that used to return with iPhones, simply with out the wire.
The newer Third-generation AirPods have shorter stems and a extra bulbous, rounded earpiece. Regardless of the shorter stems, they very related in weight to the older AirPods. The charging case appears to be like similar to that of the AirPods Professional–shorter and wider.
The AirPods Professional take the short-stem design and provides rubberized eartips to the earbuds, to create extra of a seal that blocks out noise and improves sound high quality.
Irrespective of which AirPods you select, you possibly can solely get them in shiny white.
AirPods and AirPods Professional noise cancelling
That is the place the AirPods Professional distinguish themselves, and is the only function most certainly to get you to decide on them over the Third-gen AirPods. Not solely do the rubberized ideas assist block out extra outdoors noise, the lively noise cancelling provides you an actual sense of a extra non-public listening house.
Whereas we’re at it, we must always point out that solely the AirPods Professional assist the Dialog Enhance accessibility function.
AirPods and AirPods Professional Spatial Audio and sound high quality
All AirPods assist Dolby Atmos spatial audio in Apple Music. In truth, you possibly can power it on for any pair of headphones. However spatial audio for video within the TV and different supported apps, with head monitoring, isn’t supported on the 2nd-generation AirPods. You want the Third-generation or the AirPods Professional to do this.
The Third-gen AirPods have higher sound than the 2nd-gen in different methods, too. Apple has a brand new redesigned low-distortion driver that it says delivers higher sound high quality, they usually assist Adaptive EQ just like the AirPods Professional. AirPods Professional (2nd-gen) sound considerably higher than common AirPods, even with out lively noise canceling. The 2nd-generation model, launched in September 2022 (and up to date with USB-C in September 2023), supplied an enormous step up in sound high quality over the unique AirPods Professional.
AirPods and AirPods Professional options and controls
You management the 2nd-gen AirPods by tapping on them, whereas the Third-gen AirPods and AirPods Professional have just a little cutout space on the stem that’s delicate to stress. Squeeze the stem (there’s a fake “click on” sensation) to play/pause, skip ahead, again, or summon Siri. The AirPods Professional can even detect a swipe up or down alongside the stem to alter quantity (that’s new within the 2nd-gen mannequin). All AirPods fashions assist hands-free “Hey Siri” management.
Each AirPods Professional and Third-gen AirPods are water- and sweat-resistant, and doubtless higher suited to understanding, although you wouldn’t wish to dunk any of them within the pool. The 2nd-gen AirPods don’t have any water resistance.
The Third-gen AirPods assist expanded Discover My assist for monitoring down misplaced earbuds and setting separation alerts. The AirPods Professional, for the reason that launch of the 2nd-gen model, even have a speaker on the charging case to play a loud tone when utilizing Discover My, and have the U1 chip so you possibly can guided on to them. The Third-gen AirPods and AirPods Professional additionally assist Announce Notifications, which lets Siri dictate essential messages and alerts as they arrive.
Foundry
AirPods and AirPods Professional battery life
The 2nd-gen AirPods final 5 hours, and you may cost roughly 4 instances with the charging case for a complete of 24 hours of listening time.
The Third-gen AirPods and AirPods Professional prolong that listening time by an hour for six hours of listening time, and with 4 extra expenses within the case, you get a complete of 30 hours. With AirPods Professional, turning noise canceling off will add about an hour of listening time. Examine the way to prolong AirPods battery life.
AirPods and AirPods Professional wi-fi charging
Apple solely sells the 2nd-generation AirPods with a wired case, however you should buy a wi-fi charging case for $79 / £79 individually. There’s a cheaper model of the Third-gen AirPods that doesn’t supply wi-fi charging, that mannequin, which is $10/£10 cheaper, ships with a case for charging by way of Lightning.
The Third-gen AirPods with MagSafe and AirPods Professional include a wi-fi cost case that allows you to cost any Qi wi-fi charger, or Apple’s MagSafe wi-fi charging.
You too can use the case to cost the Third-gen AirPods by way of Lightning and the AirPods Professional by way of USB-C (an older mannequin supplied Lightning).
You may cost the AirPods Professional utilizing your Apple Watch charger, and, in case you have an iPhone 15-series telephone you possibly can cost your AirPods Professional by plugging the cable into the USB-C port in your iPhone.
Apple
Conclusion
Every of the three AirPods fashions Apple gives are very totally different. In case you don’t care about wi-fi charging, the 2nd-gen AirPods is a good purchase. They gained’t sound fairly nearly as good or final fairly so long as the Third-gen AirPods, however they’re an excellent inexpensive choice.
If wi-fi charging issues, positively get the Third-gen AirPods, since shopping for the charging case with the 2nd-gen AirPods will really value greater than the Third-gen AirPods.
The AirPods Professional had been up to date to a second-gen mannequin in September 2022 and once more in September 2023 (after they gained USB-C assist), and whereas they value much more than the usual AirPods, they provide significantly better sound high quality and distinctive options like lively noise canceling, adaptive transparency, and dialog increase.
We predict the Third-gen AirPods are one of the best purchase for many. They’re technically cheaper than the 2nd-gen AirPods with a wi-fi charging case and include a slew of latest options. They’ve higher battery life and sound higher than the older mannequin.
The second-generation AirPods Professional are clearly the superior selection, however you’ll pay greater than 40% extra for them. If noise canceling issues to you, it’s value the additional expense.
For extra recommendation about the entire vary of Apple’s AirPods, together with the Max, Professional and the usual AirPods fashions learn: Greatest AirPods – Which AirPods are greatest? and New AirPods 2023: What to anticipate from the next-gen AirPods.