How Beats Studio Buds could make the AirPods 3 better

How Beats Studio Buds could make the AirPods three better

(Image credit: Beats)

While the Beats Studio Buds blueprint was spoiled pre-release, Apple tree'southward newest pair of true wireless earbuds however snuck some surprises into its reveal. Non just is this a very cheap pair of buds by Apple standards, only it also wields a premium feature in active dissonance cancellation (ANC).

On meridian of that, information technology emerged that the Studio Buds has ditched the usual Apple tree H1 and W1 chips in favor of silicone favors a more platform-agnostic, Android-friendly approach. The consequence is one seriously norm-breaking pair of earbuds, and while our initial easily-on impressions are positive, I can't assistance but wonder what the Beats Studio Buds means for the AirPods 3.

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Yes, Apple'due south other probable headphones launch for 2021 hasn't been announced, though nosotros have seen various photos purportedly showing the AirPods 3 design. Specs and features can only be speculated upon at this point, but Apple could easily look to its own Studio Buds for inspiration.

More features for less

Apple AirPods 3 leak — (Image credit: 52 Audio)

Beats headphones have never been every bit pricey as AirPods, particularly not the likes of the $549 AirPods Max. Yet because this the Studio Buds is a major new release, with a drastically overhauled design compared to the Powerbeats Pro or Beats Flex, $149 seems like an uncharacteristically generous asking price. Neither the Powerbeats Pro or the absolute cheapest Apple AirPods are equally cheap, and they're both a couple of years quondam.

Neither of them provide ANC, either. Although this feature is becoming increasingly bachelor on lower-cost headphones, including some of the best cheap wireless earbuds, it'south still a hardware-reliant bonus that pushes costs up. The cheapest pair of ANC-enabled AirPods, retrieve, is the AirPods Pro, which you'd exist lucky to find at $200 in a sale.

The Studio Buds also packs a Transparency manner and IPX4 water resistance, suggesting Apple might finally have get bored of Apple Tax jokes. Does this mean the AirPods iii will be, or even should be, a $99 bargain? Not necessarily, but Apple itself has now proven that good features don't demand huge investments. Either a price cut from the second-gen AirPods or a significant feature upgrade could therefore assistance the AirPods 3 keep an edge in an always-more-competitive market.

Accepting Android

Reading through the Studio Buds' Android features is an experience bordering on the surreal. One-touch pairing? Find My Device support? Did Apple seriously make this?

Fifty-fifty the charging case refuels over USB-C, non Apple tree Lightning, then Android owners can more than hands repurpose their phone'southward charging cable. Apple's conclusion to forgo its H1 and W1 chips, which provide numerous benefits to iOS users at the cost of only having the virtually basic Android support, was clearly fabricated to augment the Studio Buds' appeal.

Will the AirPods 3 follow accommodate? It doesn't seem equally likely every bit a lower cost or ANC support; unlike the Studio Buds, this model has "Apple" right there in the name. Simply on the Studio Buds, Cupertino has also managed to carry over some of those chips' iOS advantages even with added Android friendliness — perhaps enough to be worth trying again on the AirPods three.

AirPods 3 clone — (Prototype credit: EverythingApplePro)

The Studio Buds still lets iOS users locate lost buds with the Find My app, and single-tap pairing is included for both mobile platforms. In fact iOS still has the overall advantage, offering Bone-based exclusives like spatial audio for Apple Music and "Hey Siri" voice controls. So the Studio Buds, and potentially the AirPods 3, can go much further in satisfying Android owners while withal providing incentives to stay within Apple tree's walled garden. By offer more the bare minimum to Android fans, the AirPods 3 could tighten Apple's grip on wireless earbuds even more than.

That said, the Studio Buds don't entirely replicate the benefits of Apple chips. At that place'south no sound sharing with other Apple/Beats headphones, no syncing beyond iCloud devices, and no fast switching across multiple iOS/macOS sources. The Studio Buds might end upwards as Apple's best headphones for Android, but they could also exist seen every bit its worst headphones for iOS. If Apple tree does decide to get frontward with this multiplatform strategy, information technology will need to make up one's mind if those dropped features are worth sacrificing.

Of grade whatever influence on the AirPods 3 could depend on how the Studio Buds performs; it bombs in sales, or angers enough iOS fans, nosotros could well see the AirPods 3 equally a totally conventional follow-upward to the 2019 AirPods. Like hardware, no big surprises on the feature listing and no fallen price.

But the Beats Studio Buds is a major departure from the norm, and if that means taking a few risks, it could be the AirPods 3 where they pay off.

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James joined Tom's Guide in 2020, bringing years of experience in consumer tech and product testing. As Sound Editor, James covers headphones, speakers, soundbars and annihilation else that intentionally makes noise. A PC enthusiast, he also covers the occasional spot of computing and gaming news, usually relating to how hard it is to find graphics card stock.