Five years is a long time for an Apple product to go largely untouched, but somehow, the AirPods made it that long with only one round of fairly minor tweaks and no design changes. 

They have been one of Apple’s runaway successes in recent years, but with the launch of the AirPods Pro in 2019 and the growing pool of excellent competition snapping at their heels, Apple’s basic wireless earbuds have been looking increasingly long in the tooth.

That all changed at Apple’s Unleashed event, when the company announced the biggest overhaul to the entry-level AirPods since their introduction. But if anything, the third generation of the AirPods has left us questioning Apple’s plan for its most basic buds more than ever.

A few weeks ago, when their launch was looming, we put together a wishlist of things we’d like to see. And arguably, there have been some fairly big changes and overdue improvements this time round. 

For a start, the design – as predicted – has been updated. Sadly, Apple stopped short of opting for the silicone earbuds of the AirPods Pro, which we’d hoped for, but it has contoured the earbud so it sits better in the ear. There’s also shorter stems for a more subtle appearance when worn, complete with the AirPods Pro force sensor for when voice control isn’t convenient.

The AirPods 3 are now IPX4 rated too, so they’re sweat and water resistant, and the battery life is up by an hour per charge to 6 hours. You’ll also get four more full charges in the case too, for a total of 30 hours up from 24 hours in the AirPods 2.

However, I’m most pleased to see sound quality getting decent attention. There’s a new custom-built driver and high dynamic range amplifier that promises more powerful bass alongside crisp high frequencies, and while we don’t know specification specifics, I’m hopeful that Apple hasn’t scrimped here. With the competition it’s facing, it can’t really afford to.

As expected, there’s no noise cancelling here – that’s saved for the AirPods Pro. The sound experience has instead been bolstered via software, namely Adaptive EQ and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking. 

Interestingly, the addition of Adaptive EQ is made with some acknowledgement that how well the AirPods fit in the ear will determine how good they sound. Apple says it will tune the low and mid frequencies in real time “to account for what may be lost due to variances in fit”, while spatial audio will allow wearers to experience 3D sound powered by Dolby Atmos across music, video and even group FaceTime calls. 

This experience is further strengthened with the dynamic head tracking, so as you move, the sounds placed around you move too, with the aim of creating a more realistic and immersive feeling, even when just calling your family.

And that brings us to price. The AirPods 3 will set you back £169, which is actually cheaper than the AirPods 2 launched at (£199), as this time it includes the wireless charging case at no extra cost. 

The AirPods 2 will remain in the line-up to tackle the lower end of the market, though they didn’t quite manage the sub-£100 mark we’d have liked. Instead, you’ll pay £119 giving those keen for the Apple experience a slightly more accessible option, and gives Apple a horse in the budget race.

However, these both still seem wildly overpriced when you consider the competition is clearly out there offering a lot more for less, like the Nothing 1. Even headphoness from within its own ranks are showing them up, with the noise-cancelling Beats Studio Buds costing just £129.

Such a price premium is hardly unusual for Apple products, but Apple has been losing ground in this market. Apple reportedly slashed the production of AirPods by over 25 per cent this year as a result of cheaper competition, so something needed to be done to put a stop to that here. 

By addressing sound quality and design concerns and offering them at cheaper price than before, they’ve covered off the main sticking points that many people had. By just doing that, Apple could likely chalk this launch up as a success. 

However they’ve gone one step further, and fundamentally shifted how the AirPods are viewed. In many ways, these don’t feel like simply an audio product anymore. Instead, they feel like something that unlocks the full potential of the iphoness – and that’s going to win over Apple fans time and time again.

By adding experiences that non-Apple products simply can’t do and putting even more focus on the smooth functionality of AirPods + iphoness, they’re making the AirPods feel like a must-have accessory, rather than a simple pair of headphoness. 

Because if you just want a pair of headphoness, you’ll look elsewhere. There is little doubt that you will likely be able to get better sounding buds than the AirPods 3 for less money – but audiophiles already know that. What keeps the AirPods selling is Apple’s so-called “magical experience”, and it’s an experience that finally feels renewed.

It’s been a long time coming, but with more to shout about than ever, Apple’s AirPods 3 have been carefully positioned to recapture the market that had started to escape its grasp. Are they too expensive? Yes. But will they sell? Without question. They won’t make sense to the non-Apple users out there, but they never really had to. 

The Apple AirPods 3 are available for pre-order for £169 from Amazon and Apple

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This article was originally published by WIRED UK