How Far Do AirPods Reach? (A Detailed Answer)

AirPods are one of the most affordable and popular Apple gadgets. But How Far Do Airpods Reach? I won’t lie when I say that they gave a huge impetus to developing TWS headsets. But it was relatively recently – the first version was shown in 2016.

In the yard of 2021, Apple has since released the second generation of AirPods, then their first in-ear noise-canceling headphones and full-size ones. As for their range, How Far Do Airpods Reach?

Check This Out Next: The Evolution of Apple AirPods

They are Bluetooth earphones, so somewhere in the 30-60 feet range, relying upon other impedance and where you are found. The AirPods Pro will be more like 60 as they exploit Bluetooth 5.0, assuming that your gadget upholds it. AirPods original Will go around 33 feet.

It would seem that it is worth forgetting about the earbuds’ form factor, but no, the company has its vision. 

I am a fan of such solutions, I still find in-ear headphones uncomfortable, but I still use AirPods Pro because noise-canceling solves it. However, with my second pair of headphones – the AirPods 2 – sometimes your ears need a break. 

Sales: How Far Do Airpods Reach?

Apple holds about 30% of the wireless headphone market – number one. But that was until the first half of 2021. AirPods sales fell 26% in the second quarter of this year, according to Canalys, as competitors ramp up sales. Apple is still in the lead, but it needs some kind of powerful impetus for growth. 

Marketers foresaw this; therefore, in October, they announced the third generation of AirPods. It is clear that the company is serious about the headset market since the headphone section on the Apple website has moved into a separate category in the top menu for the first time.  And I’ll start with indignation – so far, only white. 

I can’t say that I don’t like white – it’s stylish, it goes with everything, but, for example, the AirPods Pro case turned into beige and white after a year of use (I carry it in my pocket). Dirt on white is more visible. Personally, I’m waiting for the black matte version. I think Apple could make it extremely elegant.

Appearance and concept for AirPods 3 borrowed from AirPods Pro. The headphone stem is shorter than regular AirPods by 10 mm; while the weight was 4.28 grams, the previous generation had four grams. The charging case now opens horizontally, weighs almost the same, and fits easily into a small jeans pocket.

The AirPods 3 box is made in the style of the iPhone 13; that is, there are no film – only paper protective strips. Inside the headset itself instructions and a USB-C to Lightning cable. In the past generation, a USB-A cable was put in the box. 

Landing, protection, and control 

Apple has researched by scanning thousands of ears to develop a comfortable fit. The shape of the headphones is anatomical; that is, the speakers are directed directly into the ear. If the previous generation was constantly falling out of your ears, it should be better this time. My previous ones were fine, and these are even better.

The headphone housing is protected from moisture and dust according to the IPX4 standard. This means that the headphones can be used in the rain or during intense workouts, but you should not swim in the pool with them. As well as putting on the charge wet. 

There was no official certification in past AirPods. AirPods Pro have similar IPX4 protection – as I said, I use them in the gym. But the protection of AirPods 3 has a slight advantage compared with the “pros” – the headphone case also protects against moisture and dust. 

In case you forget your headphones in the rain, for example. AirPods 2 vs AirPods 3 vs AirPods Pro AirPods Pro borrowed not only the design, but also the control system. Foot presses have replaced limited tapping. It’s hard to talk about convenience – for me, tapping is easier than looking for a leg.

 It works like this: one press – start the track/pause or answer a call, two – the next track, three – the previous one, long hold – call the voice assistant. You can also call the assistant with the “Hey Siri” command.

In the settings, you can set the playback of incoming notifications (again, a useful thing in the gym), set up auto-connect to the iPhone, spatial audio, microphone selection, optimized charging, and enable Find My. About the latter – the function was announced back at WWDC 2021, with the release of iOS 15, it helps to find headphones in case of loss. 

By the way, AirPods 3 only works with iOS 15.1 or iPadOS 15.1 and up devices. This is probably why the iPhone 5S and 6S are not supported. The skin sensor replaced the optical sensors. You need this to stop and play music when you take the earpiece out of your ear. 

Watch this video: How Far Do Airpods Reach? (A Detailed Answer)

 Autonomy and little things 

AirPods Pro with noise-canceling lasted plus or minus the same amount as regular AirPods – about five hours. With a case, this time increased to 24 hours. With active use, I charge the “firmware” once a week. This is enough. 

AirPods 3 can play music for up to six hours, with spatial audio for up to five. You can talk for up to four hours. In a case, these figures increase to 30 and 20 hours, respectively. This is all provided that the volume is not higher than 50%. 

Tell me, how many of you listen to music for six hours in a row? I’m sure there aren’t many of us, but you’ll still put them in a case. The case came out of the box with a 50% charge, and in a week of use, I never charged it (not counting a couple of frames on wireless charging). I still have 10% of the case and 100% of the headphones left – I think it’s a good result.

Charging is also a small improvement. There is a fast one – just five minutes of charge gives an hour of music. The case supports MagSafe, that is, a magnet for fastening. The exact charge rate is not reported. The case is not attached to the iPhone, Apple provided for this. 

AirPods 2 vs AirPods 3 vs AirPods Pro Of the little things, the Bluetooth version remained – 5.0. The H1 processor is the same as in the rest of the headphones. Let me remind you separately that several AirPods can be connected to one iPhone or iPad and watch a movie with someone, for example. 

Spatial sound: How Far Do Airpods Reach

Ergonomics, charging, and appearance are all good and useful. But 90% of what matters in headphones is sound. What can surprise Apple here?

In principle, the sound in AirPods has always been enough to watch movies and listen to tracks in the background, nothing more. Wireless audio is still not up to par with wired audio.  

This time, according to Apple, they redesigned the insides – they created a new dynamic driver with a low level of distortion: allegedly, high notes are heard well, and bass is at a record level. It is not the same as in AirPods Pro, but during development, they tried to achieve this.  

Yes, the sound really became more voluminous, and the bottoms are better, but the bass is not enough especially if you turn on AirPods Pro after them.

Nevertheless, noise reduction solves this and cuts off unnecessary sounds, due to which the music sounds different. And you ask – why didn’t Apple add noise reduction here because Huawei could? Everything is simple.

 Active noise canceling won’t do so well without passive noise cancellation; however, there can be problems. According to the same Huawei FreeBuds, I can say that during the idle time, they hear a hum (this is how ACN works), which, on the contrary, is annoying. But back to sound. In addition to the design, software improvements have also been added. 

The spatial sound appeared – the function works even in FaceTime. Spatial audio is especially noticeable when watching movies on streaming services; the sound seems to come from different sources.

But in terms of music, this can not be appreciated in all tracks, and sometimes such songs sound even worse than ordinary stereo.

An adaptive equalizer also adjusts the sound quality depending on your ear geometry. Again, I won’t say that this somehow greatly affects the quality. It’s more like add-ons. In addition, you will not check the operation of this equalizer in any way. Calls are my pain. 

Usually, when I talk on AirPods Pro, everyone tells me that everything around me is heard but not my speech. AirPods 3 received three microphones (the second had two); one of them is directed inward, and there is an acoustic mesh to protect against wind.

FaceTime promises HD sound quality thanks to the new AAC‑ELD codec. I can not say that something has changed significantly. Audibility has become better, but there is still something to strive for.

Read my article: How To Pair TWS Earbuds (Step by Step)

The method is suitable for any wireless headset, not just AirPods.

What you need to test the headset

All kinds of applications and services can relatively accurately determine the percentage of battery wear on an Apple wireless headset.

This does not always work; there is a simpler, more accurate way. Here is what it will require:

► Included Lightning to USB cable for wired headset charging or any other compatible analog. For the purity of the experiment, it is better to use the original accessory.

► USB tester with capacity indicator. You can find one on AliExpress or any local electronics store.

If you charge any gadget through such a tester, you will be able to find out how much energy it receives during charging.

What does the skin contact sensor of Apple Airpods do?

According to Apple, “the skin contact sensor helps the earphones distinguish whether they are in the ears or on any surface.” And these are not just words, and playback will not start if you put the headphones in your pocket or on the table.

I think this was done for those cases when the headphones suddenly started working while in the case – this is not a common problem, but I have heard about this more than once. The ear auto-detection function can be turned off altogether.

Conclusion: How Far Do Airpods Reach

AirPods are one of the most affordable and popular Apple gadgets. I won’t lie when I say that they gave a huge impetus to the development of TWS headsets. In this article, How Far Do Airpods Reach, we’ve discussed the range of Apple AirPods for your convenience.