Apple Event: Airpods 3, Update to Homepod Mini announced.

Apple announced the third generation of AirPods featuring spatial audio and adaptive EQ. The Airpods which run on the H1 chip, have been redesigned with shorter stems, features the same intuitive force sensor as AirPods Pro for media control and an IPX4 water and sweat resistance rating.

The Airpods also has improved battery life. Apple claims that the Airpods offer an extra hour of battery life over the previous generations, with up to six hours of listening time and up to four hours of talk time. Just five minutes of charging provides about an hour of battery life, and with four additional charges in the case, users can get up to 30 hours of total listening time.

The Third-Gen Airpods are available for order and will be available in stores on October 26 with a $179 price tag.

Tech Specs

• Audio Technology: Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, Adaptive EQ, Custom high-excursion Apple driver, Custom high dynamic range amplifier
• Sensors: Dual beamforming microphones, Inward-facing microphone, Skin-detect sensor, Motion-detecting accelerometer, Speech-detecting accelerometer, Force sensor
• Chip: H1 headphone chip
• Sweat and water-resistant (IPX4)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
• Charging Case: Works with MagSafe charger, Qi-certified chargers, or the Lightning connector

Battery
Up to 6 hours of listening time with a single charge (up to 5 hours with spatial audio enabled)
Up to 4 hours of talk time with a single charge
AirPods with MagSafe Charging Case
Up to 30 hours of listening time
Up to 20 hours of talk time
5 minutes in the case provides around 1 hour of listening time or around 1 hour of talk time

Apple HomePod Mini

Apple also announced updates to the Homepod mini. In addition to the Silver and Space Gray models from last year, the speaker now comes in three new colors: orange, yellow, and blue. The Homepod mini runs on the S5 chip and will cost the same as the original mini at $99. The mini will work with the new Apple Music Voice subscription, which Apple also announced at the event. This is a cheaper tier of Apple’s music streaming service that you access only via the Siri voice assistant, although there will be a limited app option. It arrives later this year for $4.99 per month. The Homepod mini will be available in November.

Apple HomePod Mini specifications and price

• Colours: Silver, Space Gray, Orange, Yellow, Blue
• Size: 3.3 inches high (84.3 mm), 3.9 inches wide (97.9 mm)
• Weight: 0.76 pounds (345 grams)
• Audio Technology: Full-range driver and dual passive radiators for deep bass and crisp high frequencies, a Custom acoustic waveguide for a 360º sound field, Acoustically transparent fabric, Computational audio for real-time tuning, Four-microphone design for far-field Siri, Multiroom audio with AirPlay, Stereo pair capable
• Touch Accommodations
• Siri
• VoiceOver
• Home app and HomeKit
• Intercom transcriptions
• System Requirements HomePod mini with the latest version of the software, iPhone SE, iPhone 6s or later, or iPod touch (7th generation) with the latest iOS; or iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation or later), iPad Air 2 or later, or iPad mini 4 or later with the latest iPadOS, 802.11n Wi-Fi internet access

Price: $99