In addition to its WiFi-connected pellet grills, Traeger offers a range of gear and supplies to help you complete your grilling sessions. From tools to tray liners, plus a range of rubs and sauces, the company will sell you everything you need for its grills to smoke a brisket or cook a few dozen wings. Now the company is expanding further to give you literally everything you might need for a full meal, with all of the dishes cooked directly from on its grills. Trager Provisions is a HelloFresh-like meal kit that includes the meat, sides, rubs, sauces and more needed for a complete backyard feast that will feed crowds small and large.

At launch, the meat options are Wagyu beef brisket, Poulet Rouge chicken and Berkshire St. Louis pork ribs. Traeger says portion sizes for all three will accommodate 4-8 people, depending on the protein. For the brisket, the company also offers an option for 14-16 people (half brisket vs. whole brisket). With the smaller packages, you get the choice of two sides and four come with the big brisket feast. Right now, the options include three-cheese mac and cheese, bourbon baked beans with bacon, collard greens with bacon and cornbread with spiced brown sugar. All of the side dishes come in “Traeger-ready” foil pans, so they’re good to go on the grill quickly. Prices range from $150 to $180 for the smaller packages, while the larger whole brisket box is $250. Shipping is an additional $10.

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Traeger is also preparing three holiday options for Thanksgiving. These Provisions boxes are more expensive at $220-$250, but the Heritage black turkey, naked turkey breast and rolled and trussed porchetta options will feed 8-10 people according to Traeger. They come with three side dishes instead of two and there are seasonal options like green bean casserole or apricot and bacon stuffing. The two turkey packages can also be upsized for 18-20 people for another $100.

As you might expect, all of this ships frozen and packed with dry ice. To start, Traeger is shipping the boxes to Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Utah. Since the meat and sides will be solid when they arrive, you’ll need to add a few days into your meal planning timeline, and the company offers detailed guidance on how to do exactly that as part of its cooking directions.

In addition to advice on the thawing process, Traeger includes all of the steps to prep the meat for the grill. That includes any trimming or seasoning that needs to be completed beforehand. The printed directions also guide you through the entire cook, with details on when to wrap (if necessary) and when to put the sides on the grill. It’s basically a paper-based version of Traeger’s app that offers step-by-step instructions with tons of recipes. If you need additional help, the directions have QR codes for videos and more info on tricky steps like trimming a brisket. There’s also guidance for how to prepare and cook the sides, including cooking bacon to mix in or topping a dish with bread crumbs before putting it on the grill. Lastly, supplies like rubs, sauces, pickled veggies, “pitmaster snacks,” gloves and butcher paper are all included. You literally just have to provide the grill and a bag of pellets.

Billy Steele/Engadget

I tested out Traeger Provisions with a Wagyu beef brisket Smokehouse Box. I selected the smaller size for 7-8 people, which included a six-pound Brisket, three-cheese mac and cheese, bourbon baked beans with bacon and all of the aforementioned accoutrements. Even though I have experience with barbecue and Traeger’s recipes for its grills, I followed the Provisions directions closely, and the guidance was clear and easy for cooking on the Ironwood 650. I only deviated in an attempt to brown the breadcrumbs on the mac in the oven and popped the beans in there to keep them warm. Cooking steps helped with timing too, which can be difficult when you’re trying to have meat and sides all ready at the same time.

Obviously, the brisket was the star of the show. Mine was slightly dry as I have a tendency to over trim the extra fat, but that’s a me problem and not an issue with Traeger’s culinary tips. Still, the Wagyu beef was perfectly marbled so the fatty cuts were more forgiving to my butchering mistakes. Those remained quite moist and very tasty. Consensus among my family was that the mac and cheese was also a winner, with the herby, garlicky thick sauce serving as a great complement to the brisket. The baked beans we didn’t care for, but that’s likely because they were more what I’d call “barbeque beans” with a thinner sauce than the thick, molasses-tinged dish we’re used to in the Carolinas. I also enjoyed the “pitmaster snacks,” which included a smoked nut mix and smoked beef jerky.

The directions helped me time everything perfectly so we weren’t waiting on one thing to finish while the rest got cold. I think the portions are also accurately calculated. Eight servings would’ve been stretching it, but I could have easily gotten six or seven out of the half brisket box. The ribs option also seems okay in terms of portions, but the Poulet Rouge chicken might not. Four half chickens for 6-8 people seems like a stretch unless these are massively huge birds.

Billy Steele/Engadget

So, who are these boxes for? Most backyard cooks with some experience will likely have their go-to butcher or grocery store for proteins. They probably also have tricks for easy sides so they can focus on the meats. At $150, you’re definitely paying for convenience, in addition to high-quality beef, pork or poultry.

The ability to have everything you need in one box with detailed directions on how to prepare it can take some of the stress out of party planning. There is some lead time required though, so you can’t grab one of these on Tuesday for a cookout on Saturday. At the end of the day though, I don’t think that price is astronomical based on what Traeger is offering. Is it something you’ll do a lot? No. Will it come in handy in certain circumstances? Absolutely. I can see plenty of people being interested in having most of their Thanksgiving meal planning done with a few clicks.

I can also see Traeger Provisions serving as a great gift for new grill owners. Sure, it’s a considerable amount to spend on someone, but it would definitely help a novice get their feet wet with some step-by-step oversight. Plus, they might not have all the supplies they need yet — little things like butcher paper and gloves, for example.

Traeger is now taking orders for its Provisions boxes that will be delivered between November 10th and 14th. If you’re considering one of those Thanksgiving packages, you’ll need to order by November 14th to get it in time. Just remember: Traeger Provisions is only delivering to select states at this time.

Beats latest earbuds are official. After some early hints in iOS 15.1, the company has formally announced the Beats Fit Pro. This set of true wireless earbuds has a similar look to the Studio Buds that debuted earlier this year with an added fit wing, or "wingtip" as the company calls it. Combined with an IPX4 rating, the $200 Fit Pro are well-suited for workouts but are also packed with the best features from Apple's new AirPods for all-day use. 

Thanks to Apple's H1 chip, the Beats Fit Pro offers hands-free access to Siri, one-touch pairing, the latest Find My features in iOS, automatic device switching and audio sharing. Apple's fancy new skin detection sensor that improves the accuracy of automatic pausing is also on board. Beats says H1 also powers the ear tip fit test that's built into the earbuds' settings through iOS. The Beats Fit Pro also have Adaptive EQ like the latest AirPods, a feature that continuously scans and adjusts low- and mid-range frequencies using computational audio and in-ward facing mics. Spatial audio and dynamic head tracking, also key elements of Apple's new earbuds, are available on the Beats Fit Pro as well. This gives you the option of Dolby Atmos in both Apple Music or while you're watching movies and shows. 

Beats

The Beats Fit Pro go beyond the new AirPods with active noise cancellation (ANC). The company says its ANC setup "continuously adapts in real time," scanning and adjusting up to 200 times per second to counter any changes "in fit and movement." There's also a transparency mode that allows you to hear what's going on around you when needed. With both ANC and transparency turned off, Adaptive EQ takes over to keep things sounding as good as possible. 

Beats says new custom transducer and vent system have helped improve overall audio quality. There's also a new acoustic design that delivers what the company describes as "impressive dynamic range and clarity across the frequency curve." On the outside, on-board controls give you the ability to play music and take calls without reaching for your phone. Beats gives you the option to customize the long press action for on-board volume control if you'd prefer that to easy access to noise control (ANC, transparency and off). During calls, the company says beamforming microphones focus on your voice while internal mics and an accelerometer work to filter out environmental noise. Spatial audio in Group FaceTime won't be available on the Beats Fit Pro at launch, but the feature will come in a future update. 

Beats

Beats is promising up to six hours of listening time with ANC or transparency mode active, plus another 21 hours in the charging case. When you turn those off and use the Fit Pro in Adaptive EQ mode you can expect up to seven hours on the buds with 27 more in the case. The case doesn't support wireless charging but it does offer a Fast Fuel feature that gives you an hour of play time in five minutes. While everything iOS users need for the Beats Fit Pro is built into that software, Android users will need to download the Beats app. The app offers one-touch pairing, the fit test, the ability to change listening modes and customization of the long press action. 

The Beats Fit Pro are available for pre-order today for $200 from Apple's website and other retailers in the US. Color options include black, white, grey and purple. The earbuds will begin shipping on November 5th with availability in China in early December. Beats says the Fit Pro will be available "in additional regions" next year. New subscribers also get six months of Apple Music with the purchase of Beats Fit Pro.

Read our full review of the Beats Fit Pro right here. 

Thanks to some early hints in iOS 15.1, Beats’ latest earbuds are hardly a surprise. Today the company officially debuted its latest model: the $200 Beats Fit Pro. With a similar design to the Studio Buds that arrived earlier this year, this new pair offers active noise cancellation (ANC) alongside almost all of the features from Apple’s third-generation AirPods. That includes hands-free Siri, Adaptive EQ, spatial audio and more. Beats has also added a wing for a more secure fit during workouts and kept the IPX4 rating from the Studio Buds. All of those features, combined with a more attractive design, gives the company an alternative to the Powerbeats Pro in its lineup.

Design

If you’re thinking the Beats Fit Pro look almost exactly like the Beats Studio Buds, you’re not wrong. This new model is a smidge larger and the angle of the tab that holds the on-board controls is slightly different. The overall aesthetic and shape are pretty much identical, though. The biggest design difference is the fit wing, or wingtip as Beats calls it. Unlike a lot of sporty earbuds, this element is very flexible so it can bend to fit a greater range of ear shapes. That also makes it more comfortable. Even though the wing is helping keep the buds in place, you hardly know it’s there.

Like the Studio Buds, the on-board controls for the Beats Fit Pro are on the lowercase ‘b’ logo on the outside of each earbud. They’re still physical buttons you have to press rather than touch controls built for tapping. Controls are mirrored on each side by default, with options for play/pause and answering calls (single press) in addition to skipping tracks (twice for forward, three times for back) and cycling between ANC on and transparency mode (long press). The long press can be reconfigured for volume control, allowing you to turn it up on one side and down on the other. If you do this, you lose the ability to access noise cancellation or ambient sound mode. Bummer.

Beats says it strategically positioned the button for the on-board controls at the bottom of the hump on each earbud “to avoid accidental presses.” Just like I encountered on the Studio Buds, I frequently activated the controls when trying to adjust the fit of the earbuds. With the wingtip I had to do this less often than the previous model, but it was still annoying to want to secure the buds in my ear only to errantly pause the audio or change the noise control mode. And due to the positioning of the microphones, any fit adjustment usually meant touching the external mics and creating extra noise.

Apple’s new wear detection sensor sits around back. Like the tech on the new AirPods, the Beats Fit Pro have an optical sensor outfitted with wavelength LEDs that can determine if an object is skin in addition to proximity. Both Apple and Beats explain that this makes the automatic pausing more accurate, avoiding accidental activation when you don’t actually have them in your ear. Of course, this also helps save battery life when you’re less likely to erroneously turn them on.

Software and features

Billy Steele/Engadget

Thanks to Apple’s H1 chip, the Beats Fit Pro have a lot of the same features as the new AirPods. Those include one-touch pairing, where even the first time you open the case, all you have to do is tap a pop-up on your iPhone and the earbuds are connected. Messing with a Bluetooth menu and putting a device in pairing mode are both relics of a bygone era. H1 also powers hands-free Siri and Apple’s enhanced Find My features. Lastly, you get Audio Sharing too, so you can listen to music or watch a movie with someone who has a set of earbuds or headphones made by Apple or Beats.

In terms of software, everything you need for Beats Fit Pro is built into iOS 15 for iPhone users. From Control Center, you can easily access noise control and spatial audio settings with a long press on the volume slider. You can reassign the press-and-hold on-board control from the ‘i’ icon next to the device name in the Bluetooth menu. An ear tip fit test resides there too, just like it does for the AirPods Pro, and you can disable automatic ear detection as well. Noise and spatial audio controls are located on this menu too if you’d prefer to access them here. On Android devices, Beats has a dedicated app that handles fast pairing and includes the ear tip fit test, control customization and battery status features available on iOS.

Sound quality

Billy Steele/Engadget

Beats says it completely redesigned its proprietary transducer for the Fit Pro, creating “an entirely custom acoustic architecture” and promising balanced and powerful sound. That last bit is immediately apparent the first time you fire up these earbuds. There’s much more low-end tone on this model than what the Studio Buds offer. The punchier bass establishes more depth as well, so there’s more room for vocals, instruments and other elements to come through without sounding compressed or boring.

Indeed, guitars ring out in the chaotic metal of Every Time I Die, with bombastic drums booming underneath. The bass is ample and never overpowers, even with genres where things can get out of hand quickly when the tuning is the slightest bit off. There’s a clarity on the Fit Pro that’s well suited for genres like blues, bluegrass, ambient, electronic and more. Across all of those genres, the crisp details highlight Beats’ full range of tones. Bass, fiddle, guitar and mandolin all stand on their own for acts like Nickel Creek, giving space for each to shine. There’s no doubt the sound profile here is an improvement over the Studio Buds, but it’s not on the level of pricer sets like the MW08, Momentum True Wireless 2 or WF-1000XM4.

Thanks to the H1 chip, Beats Fit Pro work with Apple’s spatial audio. This gives you the ability to listen to Dolby Atmos Music content in Apple Music — with or without dynamic head tracking enabled. Spatial audio is also available for these earbuds on Apple TV or movies and TV shows streamed iPhone or iPad. Like the latest AirPods, the Fit Pro are equipped with Apple’s Adaptive EQ. This feature is active when you disable both ANC and transparency mode, continuously monitoring sound with internal microphones and adjusting the low- and mid-range frequencies to keep the audio quality consistent. The feature also takes into account the shape of your ear when making its tweaks.

As I’ve already mentioned, the Beats Fit Pro have active noise cancellation on board. It’s another feature powered by Apple’s H1 chip and it, too, adapts to both ambient noise and how the earbuds fit in your ears. Like previous Beats headphones, this tech continuously monitors and automatically adjusts based on the environmental clamor. Beats says the system is powered by an algorithm that can adapt the signal 200 times per second. That looks nice on paper, but at the end of the day, all you need to know is the ANC system on the Fit Pro does a solid job of blocking distractions when you need it to. It’s not as powerful as Bose or Sony, but it counters distractions well enough to come in handy.

As is typically the case with noise-cancelling earbuds these days, the Fit Pro also offer a transparency mode for tuning into your surroundings. There’s no denying this tool is helpful in certain scenarios when you need to pay some attention to what’s going on around you. However, like the Studio Buds, these don’t feed your voice back into the earbuds when you talk, so you have to speak up to hear yourself. Still, transparency mode will help you keep an ear out for your name at a coffee shop.

Call quality

Billy Steele/Engadget

For calls, Beats equipped the Fit Pro with six microphones: three on each side. External beamforming mics focus on your voice while the internal units for ANC, transparency mode and Adaptive EQ pull double duty to help improve calls. The company says the feed-forward microphones are recessed to avoid wind issues and a voice accelerometer counters external noise with the help of “an advanced algorithm.”

All earbud companies make some version of this pitch with a mix of mics, algorithms and strategic placement. Mileage varies greatly with these promises and more often than not they don’t hold up. With the Fit Pro, your voice sounds better than speakerphone, but it comes across muffled on the other end. The person you’re speaking to will also get ample background noise if it’s loud enough. At the end of the day, these will work fine if you’re in a decently quiet space, but don’t expect them to block out a noisy office when you have a phone or video call.

When they first arrive, the Beats Fit Pro won’t support Apple’s new Group FaceTime spatial audio. The feature employs immersive sound so that participants sound like they’re speaking from the location they are on your screen. Apple says this makes FaceTime calls more natural, and it does to a degree. It definitely enhances the experience of a meeting or group chat, but it’s still far from real life. Beats says it plans to add this feature to the Fit Pro as part of a future software update.

Battery life

Beats is promising up to six hours of use on the earbuds with ANC or transparency mode active. When you factor in the additional 21 hours in the case, that’s 27 hours of listening time with the most attractive features turned on. If you opt to skip those and go with Adaptive EQ mode, you can expect an extra hour on the Beats Fit Pro and three more in the case for a total of 30. As always, the company has included its Fast Fuel feature that offers an hour of noise-cancelling playback with a five-minute charge.

Battery life claims are rarely an issue with Beats gear and that holds true here. Using a mix of active noise cancellation and transparency mode throughout the day, I managed nearly seven hours before completely depleting the power. I missed it by about 10 minutes. That’s enough to get you through a full day at the office, and if you can dock the buds at some point, you’ll have no trouble wearing them during your commute either. All of these figures are on par with the new AirPods, but Apple’s latest don’t have ANC. Our current top pick for best earbuds, Sony’s WF-1000XM4, lasted seven and a half hours during my tests with noise cancellation active.

The competition

Billy Steele/Engadget

Beats has a more affordable alternative to the Fit Pro in its lineup. The Studio Buds will save you $50, but you’ll have to make some sacrifices. First, and perhaps most importantly, the sound quality isn’t nearly as good. It lacks the punchy bass and overall depth the Fit Pro exhibits. The Studio Buds don’t have Apple’s H1 chip, but you still get quick pairing and hands-free Siri in addition to the ability to listen to Dolby Atmos tunes in Apple Music. What you won’t find is Adaptive EQ or the new skin-activated wear detection sensor.

The absolute best true wireless earbuds you can buy right now are still the Sony WF-1000XM4. As feature-packed as the Fit Pro are, the handy features are most useful for iOS. Sony goes beyond ANC to include automatic pausing when you speak and quick attention mode for short conversations. You can also fully automate your noise-cancelling or transparency levels on the WF-1000XM4 based on your activity or location. Of course, that’s if you’re willing to trade some privacy for convenience.

Wrap-up

If you’re looking for the best of what AirPods has to offer in earbuds that don’t have the polarizing stick apparatus, the Beats Fit Pro should do the trick. They offer a nice blend of features, sound and noise-cancelling performance for the price. Sure, there are better options but they also cost significantly more, especially if you’re looking for the absolute best audio quality. For now, Beats is giving the masses an AirPods alternative that’s actually still packed with Apple tech. And that’s an interesting proposition for iPhone owners.

At its annual design conference each year, Adobe shows off the new features coming to its range of Creative Cloud apps. The company also has a tradition of previewing experimental tools that may make it to the likes of Photoshop and others. As part of its "sneaks" session today, Adobe will demo Project In-Between: an AI-based tool that creates what the company calls "living photos" from separate still images. 

Using Adobe Sensei AI, the tool makes an animation between two or more photos with a single click. Project In-Between will also let you choose the number of transition frames with a higher number creating faster motion. Once it's done, you can access the in-between frames individually as well. There is a big caveat though: your images have to be similar. For example, you could use an image of a person smiling and one of them not in the same general pose. If the images are too different, the results get weird quickly as the transitions become more like transformations. Adobe says the feature can also be applied to video to create slow-motion clips. 

Adobe sees Project In-Between as a way to make photos you take on your phone more interesting. The company explains that the results of the tool could be posted as GIFs to social channels and various other places. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Adobe can bake this technology into a mobile app so that you can do all of the editing on your phone, and keep the results there for easy posting. 

Adobe has shown off dozens of experimental features over the years at its Max event. In fact, the Sneaks portion of the festivities has become so popular, the company schedules a dedicated session entirely devoted to previews of technology that's in development. Of course, not all "sneaks" make the leap to full-on features in Creative Cloud apps. However, some of them do, with Photoshop's powerful Content Aware Fill perhaps being the most famous example, demoed long before "sneaks" became as popular as they are today. 

You can expect to see a demo of Project In-Between and this year's other "sneaks" during an Adobe Max session at 12PM ET today.

Adobe

Adobe Fresco has given artists and designers the ability to draw and paint with lifelike digital materials for two years now. Last fall, the company expanded the app to iPhone, but this year the updates are much more robust. With the additions announced today at its annual Adobe Max design conference, the company gives its free-to-use drawing and painting app handy tools that expand how and what artists are able to create. 

First, Adobe is adding motion to Fresco. This gives artists and designers the option to add timelines and motion frames to individual layers. The company explains that this allows you to assign specific movement to each element. Adobe says you can also draw paths for objects to follow and the goal is to keep things simple so the concept of motion is approachable for all skill levels. 

Next, the company is adding reference layers to Fresco. This should help speed up the process when you need to add color to line art. Once you set the reference layer, you can begin working on a separate layer for fills. Fresco will still recognize the lines on the original layer without applying edits to it. This will work if your reference layer is vector or pixels and keeps your original drawing intact.  

Adobe/Kyle Webster

Vector brushes are already available in Fresco, but Adobe is expanding that library to include a new set with "jitter." Basically, these brushes will help you quickly give drawings texture. Lines are still sharp, but there's variation in the stroke for a more naturally drawn look. As always, vector brushes are infinitely scalable and can be combined with pixel brushes in the same Fresco file. 

Lastly, Adobe is helping you keep your perspective correct with new guides. Perspective grids will help you keep illustrations looking realistic when it's time to add depth. You can set vanishing points anywhere, even off the the artboard, and lines will snap to the grids as you work. Adobe says this should allow artists and designers to focus more on art and less on the heavy lifting.  

Adobe Fresco is free for anyone to use on iPhone, iPad and Windows without a Creative Cloud subscription. There are more tools available if you do pay for Adobe's apps, like access to an expanded library of brushes. 

Master & Dynamic has staked its name on its mix of refined design, premium materials and crisp, clear audio quality. The company has a number of models under its belt, including wired, wireless and noise-cancelling headphones, in addition to true wireless earbuds and a concrete speaker. Now M&D is venturing into uncharted sonic territory: gaming headsets. With the MG20, the company has built a set of "wireless gaming headphones" with its trademark design and a range of handy features for a whopping $449 (€449/£429). 

The MG20 has a familiar look to the company's over-ear headphones, with some simplified design choices. This gaming headset doesn't have quite as many varying textures as some of M&D's other products, for example. This time around, the company opted for a combo of aluminum, magnesium, lambskin leather and Alcantara. There's a detachable boom mic for gaming sessions and the MG20 also has microphones for calls when you're using them as a set of headphones. The headphones also have a semi-open back design for a wider sound stage and more natural audio quality. 

Inside, 50mm drivers power 7.1 surround sound with support for aptX HD for music and aptX Low-Latency for mobile gaming. With the debut of the MG20, M&D has added EQ presets to it's headphone app for the first time, allowing users to select a sound profile to fit their needs. What's more, independent volume controls for game audio offer another degree of customization. A low-latency USB adapter is compatible with both PlayStation and PC and offers easy switching between devices. Master & Dynamic says the MG20 will last for up to 22 hours on a charge, and thanks to wear detection, the headphones can save battery life when you're not wearing them. 

The MG20 will be available in black and white color options starting November 16th.

When you consider 2019’s second-generation AirPods were a modest update rather than a complete overhaul, Apple was way overdue for an all-new model. With this year’s third-gen version, the company has given us just that. The 2021 AirPods have a new design, complete with handy features from the company’s more expensive earbud and headphone models. The stick-bud look is still with us, and the overall fit will remain polarizing, but Apple has nonetheless massively improved its “regular” AirPods in nearly every way.

Design

Billy Steele/Engadget

Apple completely redesigned AirPods inside and out for this third-generation model. The new look is a blend of the original AirPods design and the AirPods Pro, with some modifications. Right off the bat you’ll notice the lack of the silicone eartips found on the Pro. The overall fit of the new model is similar to that of the first two AirPods, which means that there will be a good number of people who won’t care for it. That mixture of designs continues on the stem. Apple reduced the length of the component by a third versus the previous model, adding the force sensor from the AirPods Pro for the on-board controls.

For its new “contoured design,” Apple says it considered customer feedback on fit and comfort as well as thousands of ear scans, acoustic studies and heat map modeling to create the shape. The company explains that the design reduces weight and its tapered silhouette and angle increase comfort. Not to mention the updated earbud better directs sound into your ear. All of this turned out to be true, as the new model is more comfortable and the design helps deliver massive improvements to audio quality.

Despite a lot of people using AirPods at the gym or on a run, only the Pro model was sweat and water resistant. Apple has extended that protection to this third-gen unit as well as its charging case. You won’t want to try submerging either one, but the IPX4 rating should be enough to keep the earbuds safe during workouts or from an errant, albeit small, splash.

AirPods have had automatic pausing before now, but Apple changed in-ear detection for the 2021 edition. Instead of a simple optical sensor, Apple’s new version actually detects skin. Combined with the built-in accelerometer, AirPods can better determine when they’re in your ear, which Apple says makes pausing more accurate and can even extend battery life.

Software and features

Billy Steele/Engadget

Like Apple’s other recent AirPods models, this new set is equipped with the company’s H1 chip. That component enables a lot of features, with the first one being one-touch fast pairing. Simply flip open the case near your iPhone and all you have to do is tap the pop-up to sync the two devices. It’s so quick and easy, and you’ll quickly realize how much time you wasted putting earbuds in pairing mode before swiping over to the Bluetooth menu. Those days are long gone and, quite frankly, good riddance.

The H1 chip also powers always-on Siri. As before, this allows you to summon the virtual assistant without having to reach for or be near your phone. H1 lends a hand with Adaptive EQ, spatial audio and dynamic head tracking as well, bringing features from the pricier Pro and Max models to a more affordable version of AirPods.

Similar to previous products, AirPods are equipped with automatic switching between Apple devices. When you’re listening to music on your MacBook Pro and get a call, you can automatically switch over. And when the call is finished, you can go back without re-pairing. Thanks to the latest version of iOS features like announce notifications with Siri and improved Find My are all available on the third-gen AirPods. The older audio sharing tool is back as well.

With the change to force sensor-driven controls, Apple has given AirPods the same actions as AirPods Pro. On the second-gen model, you had to tap the earbud and the options were very limited. Like the Pro version, you now have the ability to play/pause and accept calls (press once), skip tracks forward (press twice), skip tracks backwards (press three times) and activate Siri (press and hold). Once again, there’s no option for on-board volume control. The press-and-hold input on the AirPods Pro changes noise-cancelling mode, so it seems like Apple could’ve reassigned this action for volume — up on one side, down on the other. As it stands, using this for Siri seems redundant, especially as the hands-free assistant is a staple of its AirPods line.

Sound quality

I don’t want to mince words here: the new AirPods sound so much better than the previous two versions. Like almost night and day better. Apple didn’t make any significant changes to sound quality from the first model to the 2019 version. But for gen three, Apple paired a custom driver with a high-dynamic-range amplifier to improve the audio chops. The company says that the duo work together to produce “rich consistent bass” and “crisp, clean” highs. From the moment I fired up the first song, this was all immediately evident. I don’t think I’ve ever audibly said “woah” with the first note from a guitar on any review unit, but given how average older AirPods sound, it was involuntary this time.

Overall, the sound is bigger and more immersive. It’s open and airy, instead of being compressed and downright boring like older AirPods. While greatly improved, the sound quality doesn’t match the absolute best I’ve tested: Sony’s WF-1000XM4, Master & Dynamic’s MW08 and Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 2. However, the new AirPods do sound better than the Galaxy Buds 2 and are comparable to Jabra’s Elite 75t — both of which offer active noise cancellation and are more in line with Apple’s latest in terms of price.

Even without spatial audio tracks, music feels dimensional with vocals, instruments and other sounds standing on their own. The performance is consistent across the bluegrass picking of Nickel Creek to the bluesy folk rock of Jason Isbell and the grungy metal of Every Time I Die. Sure, part of this is due to the new driver/amp combo, as the crisp treble and constant, but not overpowering, bass help create these soundscapes. Another reason is the new shape of the earbud that better directs sound into your ears.

Billy Steele/Engadget

The third aspect is Adaptive EQ, a feature Apple first introduced on the AirPods Max. Using computational audio, the company’s H1 chip and the inward-facing mic, AirPods tune the music for how the earbuds fit in your ear. Adaptive EQ constantly monitors sound and adapts low- and mid-range frequencies in real time. All of these updates make the new AirPods something I actually wanted to listen to music with, rather than something that was just more convenient that other earbuds.

The new AirPods also support Apple’s spatial audio. This means you can listen to tracks that are available in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music with no issue. I can respect that spatial audio as a concept is divisive: some people like it while others don’t. I don’t care for it with the AirPods Max, but I think it sounds better with these new AirPods. Dolby Atmos seemed a bit too spacious at times with Apple over-ear headphones (Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour is a prime example), but that’s not the case with the supported earbuds. I’m not sure it will sway folks who don’t care for spatial audio currently, but that’s why you have the ability to disable it entirely.

Like the AirPods Pro, spatial audio here is also available with dynamic head tracking, which changes the position of the audio in your earbuds when you turn your head. iOS will allow you to switch between fixed spatial audio and dynamic head tracking via the volume slider in Control Center. There’s also a third option to disable the immersive sound entirely from here. I think head tracking has some benefits when you’re watching a movie or TV show, but when you’re listening to music, it’s not so great. Especially when you momentarily walk away from your computer or phone. For that reason, easy access to these controls is a great thing.

What you won’t find here is active noise cancellation (ANC) or a transparency mode. Apple has reserved both for the pricier AirPods Pro, and there’s a key reason why. The third-gen AirPods allow some outside sound in by design as they don’t completely seal off your ear canal. This would make an ANC setup difficult and means the AirPods are “transparent” by default. Much like the design, if you consider the features of the new AirPods as the middle ground between the base model and the Pro version, a lot of these decisions make sense.

Call quality

Billy Steele/Engadget

As ever, Apple is hyping the voice quality on its latest AirPods. The company says new acoustic mesh covers for inset microphones help reduce wind noise. These earbuds also support the AAC-ELD codec, which Apple says enables “full-HD voice quality” to keep you sounding crisp and clear on FaceTime calls. What’s more, the AirPods support spatial audio in Group FaceTime calls to further simulate the feeling of being in the same room. Basically, the sound from the person who is talking comes from the direction they’re positioned on your screen. It’s not like speaking IRL, but it is an improvement. It makes calls more immersive, plus you can get an even better sense of directional audio when your device is in landscape mode.

Indeed, FaceTime calls are crisp and clear with the new AirPods. Phone calls are improved as well but not to the same degree. Voice quality is here better than most earbuds I’ve tested, but not by a ton. True to Apple’s claims, these AirPods do a decent job blocking background noise and focusing on your voice. It’s great when you’re talking, but the clamor resumes when you’re not speaking. Depending on how loud the noise is, it might be distracting for the person on the other end. There are improvements in regards to voice, but you’ll notice them most in FaceTime.

Battery life

Billy Steele/Engadget

To accompany the redesign, Apple also increased battery life on the new AirPods. The company says you can expect up to six hours on the earbuds themselves and up to 30 hours total when you factor in the case. I actually managed just over seven hours during my tests, and that’s with fixed spatial audio on (but without dynamic head tracking). Since the second-gen version was rated at five hours, over seven is a significant upgrade for those who use headphones throughout their work day.

If you find yourself in a pinch, the new AirPods have the same quick-charge feature as the AirPods Pro: five minutes in the case gives you about an hour of use. Where the original AirPods Pro case supported wireless charging, now both it and the case for AirPods is equipped with MagSafe. The MagSafe case still works with Qi-certified pads, but Apple will sell you a magnetic charger for a better experience. Just remember: the second-gen model that Apple kept around for $129 doesn’t support wireless charging at all.

The competition

Billy Steele/Engadget

There’s never been a doubt that AirPods are built for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Nearly every feature is meant to enhance or extend the tools available on those devices, including giving you the ability to access Siri and other things without reaching for an iPhone. By adding the third-gen AirPods in the middle of its lineup, Apple has replaced the 2019 model with a wireless charging case. That leaves its roster with the original design (second-generation) at $129, this model at $179 and the AirPods Pro at $249. The company now has a trio of options akin to what Samsung has offered for a while now: a range of choices with varied options and prices.

At this point, the only options that come close to the deep iOS integration AirPods offer are products like the Powerbeats Pro. A few models in the Beats lineup offer handy features like fast pairing and hands-free Siri since they’re powered by Apple’s H1 chip. The more affordable Studio Buds ($150) don’t have that component, but they still offer the ability to wake the assistant without reaching for your phone. The Beats Fit Pro leaked earlier this month and initial reports indicate they too will carry Apple’s powerful earbud tech, but we don’t know about price just yet. There are plenty of options that sound great and have handy features in their own right, but nothing without the H1 chip syncs as well with Apple’s devices.

If you want active noise cancellation or ambient sound in some tiny earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 2 are a solid bet. Unfortunately, Samsung scaled back its iOS integration a few models ago, but these still work well with iPhone and the like. If ANC, spatial audio or hands-free Siri aren’t things you need, Jabra’s Elite 3 earbuds are the best value right now. They’re tiny and comfy, but the sound is impressive and the battery life is good. Plus, they’re only $80.

Wrap-up

No modest update this time around. Apple totally overhauled AirPods for the third-generation version with the biggest changes coming in the design and audio quality. The company also expanded availability of key features like spatial audio and Adaptive EQ to a more affordable set of earbuds while keeping all of the convenience of AirPods intact. These earbuds still aren’t for everyone, but what they offer the Apple faithful can’t be found elsewhere and the company will do well to keep it that way.

Apple revealed an all-new set of AirPods today, but the current model isn't going away just yet. The company also announced that it's cutting the price on the 2019 model from $159 to $129. That price includes the wireless charging case that works with Qi-certified accessories. 

Either way, you can expect to pay less for the previous-gen version. That could still be a smart purchase if you can live without features like Spatial Audio and Adaptive EQ, among other things. The 2019 model does still offer hands-free Siri, which is quite handy in its own right. For comparison, the second-generation model is currently $119 on Amazon, or $160 with wireless charging case. 

Follow all of the news from Apple’s Mac event right here.

There's no denying the popularity of Apple's AirPods, but the regular model is well overdue for a refresh. Announced in the spring of 2019, the second version of the company's iconic true wireless earbuds included improvements like faster pairing, hands-free Siri and wireless charging. When some companies are cranking out multiple models a year, Apple hasn't needed to do that, hence the two-year gap between new products. Today, the company finally debuted the third-generation AirPods with a updated design, Spatial Audio, Adaptive EQ and one-touch setup. 

Developing...

Follow all of the news from Apple’s Mac event right here.

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