AirPods 3 look to be another excellent earbud offering from Apple, and upon further inspection, it appears that they have a hidden new feature that's gone unnoticed. Since the debut of the original AirPods in 2016, the rise of Apple's wireless earbuds has been incredible to watch. Multiple new models have come out, Apple expanded the AirPods brand to cover premium over-ear headphones, and it's estimated that Apple sold around 100 million units in 2020 alone.
The AirPods story took another leap forward last week when Apple unveiled AirPods 3. The wireless earbuds may have been overlooked by all the hype for the new MacBook Pros, but this isn't a hardware upgrade that should be ignored. AirPods 3 deliver an improved design, spatial audio support, more capable speakers, and longer battery life than its predecessor. It makes AirPods 3 a really compelling package for the $179 asking price, but there's one other upgrade a lot of folks have completely ignored.
While reading through the fine details on Apple's website, the folks at MacRumors noticed something interesting. In the section discussing water resistance, Apple's website reads as follows: "Both AirPods and the MagSafe Charging Case are rated IPX4 sweat and water resistant, so they’ll withstand anything from rain to heavy workouts." AirPods Pro were the first AirPods to add water resistance in 2019, but that rating only applied to the earbuds themselves. With AirPods 3, Apple's taken that protection and applied it evenly across the earbuds and charging case for the very first time.
Why This Is A Big Upgrade For AirPods 3
This may seem like a fairly insignificant change on paper, but it could prove to be beyond useful in day-to-day activities. Happen to get stuck in a rainstorm while walking home from work? You no longer have to hide the AirPods case in your pocket. Accidentally drop the AirPods and case into a puddle or sink? While this may have killed the charging case for previous generations, the entire package of AirPods 3 is now protected. Water resistance for charging cases is still fairly uncommon in the overall wireless earbud world, so it's great to see Apple take an interest in the feature and hopefully encourage others to do the same.
It's also worth pointing out that the water-resistant case is exclusive to AirPods 3. While Apple quietly updated AirPods Pro with a MagSafe-compatible case, that new case does not include the upgraded water resistance. On the specifications page for AirPods Pro, Apple confirms, "The Wireless Charging Case and MagSafe Charging Case for AirPods Pro are not sweat and water resistant."
Many shoppers may overlook this aspect of AirPods 3 entirely, but either way, it's fantastic to see Apple branch out in this direction. It also suggests the highly-rumored AirPods Pro 2 will gain similar functionality when they launch in 2022. Improved durability is never something we'll complain about, so kudos to Apple on this one.