Best AirPods to Buy in 2023: find the model that fits your needs

On Mar 14, 2023

The Best AirPods at a glance:

Apple AirPods Pro 2 – best overall

(Image Credit – PhoneArena) AirPods Pro 2 earbuds

The AirPods Pro 2 are arguably the best earbuds recommendation for iPhone users. They come with amazing sound that is clean and wide, allowing for better separation of vocals and instruments, and there there is a pinch of bass sprinkled. What makes them truly special, however, is their superb active noise cancellation, which is probably the best we have tested so far on a pair of earbuds.

One of the biggest upgrades we noticed in our review is without a doubt the option to adjust your volume with just your touch. This was a feature that was painfully lacking from the previous generation, and in AirPods in general, so we are happy it’s finally here with the 2nd generation of the AirPods Pro.

The case of the AirPods Pro 2 has also been upgraded to now feature a metal lanyard loop and its own speaker that can alert you when the battery is low, or help you find the case via the Find My app. Additionally, the case can now magnetically snap to MagSafe chargers, just like every iPhone since 2020.

Get your AirPods Pro 2 here:

The AirPods Pro 2 come in at the same price as their predecessor, which is $249. Obviously, these are no cheap earbuds, but it would be difficult to find a better pair for this price point. The seamless integration with other Apple products alongside the really good audio quality and myriad of useful features justify each dollar in that price tag in our opinion.

Apple AirPods 3 – the go-to AirPods for most

Best AirPods to Buy in 2023: find the model that fits your needs

Apple refreshed its current non-Pro AirPods lineup in 2021 with the new AirPods 3 model. This pair of earbuds feature the company’s new Spatial Audio technology, among other improvements all around.

The Spatial Audio feature, though, deserves all the credit here as we found out during our review – our sound guy Rado tested the AirPods 3 and he was genuinely impressed with the way Apple has implemented this technology. You can check out our full AirPods 3 review, of course, but the TL;DR version is that “Apple’s new 3rd generation AirPods are a worthy pick if you’re looking for truly wireless earbuds with fantastic sound, a stylish, curvy and portable design, solid battery life and Apple’s newest gimmick – spatial audio.”

Get you AirPods 3 here:

The AirPods 3 hover around $179 and they’re a good option if you don’t require any of the “Pro” features like ANC.

Apple AirPods (2nd gen) – best on a budget

The AirPods Pro price can be sometimes hard to swallow, especially if there aren’t any deals around. That’s why the best AirPods if you’re on a budget, are the second-gen AirPods – the ones Apple calls – AirPods with wireless charging case.

These ones utilize the design of the original AirPods, the “hanging-from-the-ear” thing, and many people swear by the comfort this design offers. Some of us on the PhoneArena team agree that the AirPods 2 have a comfortable fit, and some of us don’t, so it is a personal thing really. You would just have to try them out for yourself, if you haven’t already, to find out.

Get your AirPods (2019) here:

AirPods with wireless charging case: now $144 at Walmart

The AirPods 2nd gen are currently experiencing a price drop and are retailing at $144.

Even though it’s already 2023, and the second-gen AirPods are more than three years old, this model is still a viable option and also very popular. The sound is nice, and the battery life is actually better than the Pros, as our testing has confirmed.

Granted, there’s no ANC or Adaptive EQ magic, but the H1 chip inside offers great connectivity and low latency, you can activate Siri with your voice, and most importantly, these are way cheaper than the Pros.

Are they the best AirPods out there in 2023? No, of course not. But if you want to stay inside Apple’s ecosystem and get something on a budget, these are a great choice.

Apple AirPods Max – best for audiophiles

When Apple first announced the AirPods Max there were riots on the streets. People dug up their pitchforks, lit up the torches, and went berserk. Joking aside, the $550 price tag that Apple slapped on the AirPods Max was a bit of a worry.

Fortunately, after the reviews started to come in, people realized that there’s substance behind the high asking price. For starters, the design and build quality of the AirPods Max is amazing. They are elegant, clean, simplistic — very, very Apple-looking all around. These headphones are also made of metal, and while a bit on the heavy side because of that fact, they’re very comfortable.

Get your AirPods Max here:

The mesh canopy on the headband is extremely soft and gentle on the top of the head, while the cushions embrace your ears like a soft feather-stuffed pillow. Now you’re looking at the subheading and thinking – where’s the audiophile bit? Here it comes.

“The AirPods Max sound so, so clean and detailed. You can make out every instrument, every little pluck, reverb, delay, and even shoddy compression done in the production work if you have the ear for it.”

The above is just an excerpt from our review, and Preslav is not one that’s easily pleased in the audio department (or anywhere else, for that matter). Then we get to the noise cancelation which is very good on the AirPods Max, with “the best Transparency Mode out there, hands-down.”

The battery life is decent, and you also get bells and whistles such as Spatial Audio, easy switching between paired devices, a magnetic carrying case, and more. Whether or not all these equal $550, it’s up to you.

What is the difference between AirPods and AirPods Pro?

If you put the new AirPods 3 next to to the AirPods Pro 2 it might be a bit difficult to spot what exactly differentiates the two models from each other. For about $70 the new AirPods Pro offer buyers silicone ear tips and a vent system that prevents that nauseating pressure you get with regular in-ear buds.

Another seemingly tiny but very important difference is that users can adjust the volume with the AirPods Pro 2, which is not possible on the third generation regular AirPods. You also get noise cancelation, Bluetooth 5.3 (compared to 5.0). Not to mention the new H2 chip, which allows for features such as Adaptive Transparency and Conversation Boost.

Last but not least, there is about half an hour difference of battery life for the earbuds and 4 hours more with the new MagSafe charging case. The case comes with a built-in speaker, as well as the U1 chip for Precision Tracking making it much easier to discover if lost. In contrast, the case of the AirPods 3 only has Find My support.

Yes, to some extent. You are able to use AirPods with Android devices but their usefulness starts and ends with being used as a simple pair of headphones, which is to say for listening and speaking. Other functionalities like Siri, Spatial Audio, Find My, Conversation Boost, even things as simple as the battery life status indicator. Suffice to say, you are most likely better off getting a different pair of earbuds/headphones for you Android device.

When we are talking noise cancelation and AirPods, there are practically two models to compare and these are the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. Both offer stellar active noise cancellation, which is more of a praise for the Pro’s as they are marginally smaller in size.

In fact, the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Max are so similar in their active noise cancelation (ANC) capabilities, that it starts boiling down to their other qualities when you are deciding between the two. From our tests we have reached the conclusion that, at least as far as ANC goes, you can’t go wrong with either choice.

Source link