Apple AirPods (2nd generation) vs Apple AirPods (3rd generation)

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AirPods (2nd generation) compared with AirPods (3rd generation)

	AppleAirPods (2nd generation)	AppleAirPods (3rd generation)
Overview
Released
Released	March 2019	October 2021
Sound
Type
Type	Open-ear	Open-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	No	No
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	No	No
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	No	Yes
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC and AAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	No
Chip
Chip	H1	H1
Drivers
Drivers	–	Custom high-excursion Apple driver and high dynamic range amplifier
Audio features
Audio features	Automatic ear detection with dual optical sensors and a motion accelerometer; AAC Bluetooth audio; SBC support listed by What Hi-Fi?	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Audio Sharing; AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs (SoundGuys)
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 5 hours	Up to 6 hours
With the case
With the case	–	Up to 30 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	Yes	Yes
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	More than 24 hours of listening including case recharges, according to Apple; launch announcement claims up to 50% more talk time than first-generation AirPods	Up to 5 hours with Personalised Spatial Audio enabled
Charging case
Charging case	Lightning Charging Case charges by cable; Wireless Charging Case supports Qi-certified chargers and Lightning, with a front status LED; both measure 53.5 x 44.3 x 21.3 mm	MagSafe case supports MagSafe and Qi wireless charging or Lightning; Lightning-only case introduced in 2022 has no wireless charging
Fast charging
Fast charging	15 minutes in the case provides up to 3 hours of listening	Around 1 hour of listening after 5 minutes in the case
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	4 g (better)	4.28 g
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	–	IPX4
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	No	–
Controls
Controls	Double-tap to play, skip forwards or answer a call; hands-free Hey Siri; double-tap actions can be assigned separately to each earbud	Force sensor for playback, calls and Siri; “Hey Siri”; no stem volume control
Microphones
Microphones	Dual beamforming microphones and speech-detecting accelerometer	Dual beamforming and inward-facing microphones; skin-detecting sensor, motion- and speech-detecting accelerometers
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Fixed open-ear shape without interchangeable tips; each earbud measures 40.5 x 16.5 x 18.0 mm	Open-ear design without silicone tips
Case weight
Case weight	38.2 g for either case, according to Apple's specifications	37.91 g
Dimensions
Dimensions	–	Each earbud 30.79 × 18.26 × 19.21 mm; case 46.40 × 54.40 × 21.38 mm (height × width × depth)
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	–	IPX4 for earbuds and case; resistance can diminish over time
Works with
Works with	Full Apple features with compatible iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac and Apple TV software; standard Bluetooth audio with fewer features on non-Apple devices; Live Listen, headphone levels and Headphone Accommodations	Apple devices with current iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS or tvOS; Bluetooth audio with older Apple software and non-Apple devices, with limited features
Colours
Colours	White	White
In the box
In the box	AirPods, chosen charging case, Lightning to USB-A cable and documentation	AirPods, Lightning or MagSafe charging case, Lightning to USB-C cable, documentation