Apple Needs a New Higher Tier of AirPods

If you want to buy Bluetooth earbuds that combine top-tier audio quality with the best noise-canceling available, there are only two options available: the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sony’s WF-1000XM6.If you believe Apple’s marketing, then the AirPods Pro 3 — the most popular noise-canceling earbuds available — also belong in, or on top of, this comparison. But they don’t, as they’re a slightly different kind of earbud.Compared to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, the AirPods Pro neither sound as good nor cancel noise as well. They work excellently for the rumble of daily life, but in loud environments — for example, the London underground — AirPods Pro let in far more noise than Bose does. That’s both the ambient rumble of the train and the conversations of my fellow passengers. And though they have a pleasant, easy-to-listen-to sound quality, they’re not as impressive as the best Bose and Sony earbuds.That isn’t a dig at the AirPods Pro, but rather an acknowledgment that they are a different category of earbuds. Sony and Bose have focused entirely on sound quality and noise cancellation, whereas Apple also adds lightness and compactness to the Pro’s balance.The Bose are comfortable, but to house their larger drivers, they weigh more than the AirPods, and that means they put a subtle pressure on the ear that Apple’s finest don’t. You won’t forget you’re wearing the Bose, and though you can wear them for 6 hours or so without too much problem, they’re not ‘forgettable’ in the way the AirPods are. You wouldn’t just leave them in your ears all day, as many AirPods Pro users do. They also have a significantly bigger and heavier case than the AirPods pill.Because of this, I have suggested in the past that Bose should make something similar: a ‘QuietComfort Light’ earbud, focused on being light and extremely comfortable while still premium. But after a month of using the AirPods Pro 3, I’m also convinced that Apple should try making a higher-tier AirPod earbuds: an AirPods Ultra that would sit above the Pro and compete directly with Bose and Sony.They would be heavier and bigger than the AirPods Pro, with a bigger case, but then use significantly better noise cancelling, and perhaps also a triple-driver setup like the Status Pro X. They could come in a range of colors — like the AirPods Max — and perhaps also come with a higher quality Bluetooth codec than AAC, letting Apple’s Bluetooth earbuds take advantage of their lossless streaming service.

Apple Needs a New Higher Tier of AirPods

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