The SoundPEATS Air3 is, right now, the best alternative to Apple’s AirPods. They are small and light; their box is the smallest on the market, so it is very comfortable to transport, the sound quality is good, they hands-free too, and they have a game mode. The headphones have a slightly less rich sound than the AirPods (not everyone can tell), but they cost 4 times less. Right now, they are the best option if you are looking for semi-in-ear headphones.
The SoundPEATS Air3 are the successors of the legendary SoundPEATS TrueAir2 and TrueAir2 +; however, they have many significant new features.
| PROS | CONS |
| Good sound quality | Reduced Battery Life |
| aptX Adaptive and game mode | No custom EQ settings |
| Good value for money | |
| Excellent hands-free for the price |
Specification
| SoundPEATS Air3 Wireless Earbuds | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE |
| Brand | SoundPEATS |
| Released | July 7, 2020 |
| Model | Air3 |
| Weight | 1.16 ounces |
| Dimension | 1.94 x 0.88 x 1.87 inches |
| Type | Earbuds |
| Colors | Black |
| Driver | 14.2mm driver |
| ANC | No |
| Foldable Design | No |
| Microphone | Yes |
| Impedance | 16 Ω |
| Music Controls | Yes |
| Frequency Response | 20 Hz – 20 kHz |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Codec | AptX, AptX-adaptive, SBC |
| Battery Life | Up to 17.5 hours |
| App | No |
| Connector Type | USB-C |
| Compatibility | – |
Design
The most obvious is the size reduction. The case has undergone a significant redesign and, although it was one of the smallest on the market before, it is now tiny. It’s probably the smallest we have seen in a TWS headset. Being so compact and having rounded corners, it is very comfortable to carry in your pocket. It can even be carried in the pocket of skinny jeans.
Now the cover is on the top, but SoundPEATS has achieved a diagonal design that is still very comfortable removing and inserting headphones in their holes. In addition, the cover has a well-managed mechanism that keeps the body in position and prevents it from closing while we take the headphones. Another detail to point out is the slight indentation that the box has just in the lid, making it possible to open the lid with just one hand. They are small details, but they help a lot in terms of usability.
The headphones weigh about 4 grams, while the box with the headphones inside weighs 32 grams. They are very light. Most similar TWS earphones weigh more than 50 grams with the package. The downside is that the quality sensation of the box, without being bad, is not very good either. Maybe it’s because of the lightweight or the matte plastic, but it doesn’t convey much of a sense of quality. The box is very well designed so that it is comfortable to use even with one hand.
On the front of the box, we have a led that indicates the charge level of the box and a small button that is used to check the charge level, pair the headphones or reset them.
The headphones themselves have also reduced their size and weight, although much less than the box. Now they are about 4 millimeters shorter (33 mm in total), so they are much more discreet when wearing them. In addition, the sideburns do not rub against the ears or the face. They have also changed the weight distribution a bit and now seem to fit better, resting well on the bottom of the ear.
The reduced temple makes them more discreet when it comes to wearing them and, also, more comfortable.
Connectivity
The headset features Bluetooth 5.2, and Qualcomm chip supports QCC3040 Codecs SBC, aptX, and aptX Adaptive. Not many headphones in this price range have aptX Adaptive, so this is a vital point to keep in mind.
The connection is stable, and we have not had problems with micro-cuts in average distances. The range is a bit lower than average. Still, the scope is more than enough. Of course, we can use both headphones or just one automatically.
In terms of latency, YouTube or Netflix videos are viewed with perfect synchronization between audio and video on both iPhone and Android. There is a bit of a delay in games in normal mode, but we can activate the gaming mode that reduces latency by making the image and sound completely synchronized. And they are perfect for playing any video game, including action and shooters.
Audio Quality
The headphones are fitted with very generous 14.2mm diameter dynamic drivers.
A not being in-ear, frequencies bass have both body and depth, but they have enough punch. The punches that set the song’s rhythm are strong and have a good run (they go down quite a bit).
The media are not compromised and have, in turn, a lot of strength and clarity. The voices are direct and have a good amount of detail. Instrument separation is decent; even for the price, it’s pretty good.
The highs are warm but have a good level of clarity and detail. In general, the sound is characterized by being quite colorful and having a good level of clarity and detail. You can tell that SoundPEATS has made an effort to get good bass in the Air3, something complicated with this semi-in-ear design, but they have not neglected the mids and highs. For this price range, they sound pretty good.
In terms of volume, they are capable of reaching a very high volume. In addition, they preserve the sound quality quite well while we increase the sound. It is when we go above 50% that the high frequencies become brighter.
They have an ambient microphone on the top and a microphone to pick up the voice on the bottom. Thanks to that and cVc 8.0 noise cancellation technology, the SoundPEATS Air3 balances the clarity of your voice with the surrounding noise.
The hands-free of the Air3 is much better than that of the TrueAir2. The voice sounds more accurate and complete, less processed than in the TA2. Plus, it sounds loud and clear enough to hold long phone calls and Teams or Zoom video calls, for example.
Both indoors and outdoors, surrounding noises (voices, cars, etc.), although they can be perceived, are greatly minimized and allow conversations to be carried out without problems in any environment. In general, the quality of the hands-free is excellent.
Comfort
In terms of comfort, these are headphones similar to normal AirPods; therefore, they do not fit inside the ear. They hang on the ear, and that’s it. Their fit is quite good, and they don’t usually move. They have the IPX5 water resistance certificate, so they withstand sweat and rain. In short, they are quite comfortable headphones, and you can use them for several hours without noticing any discomfort.
Remember that this half-in-ears design causes a lot of wind noise to be perceived if we run and, of course, does not block any outside noise.
Remember that this half-in-ears design causes a lot of wind noise to be perceived if we run and, of course, does not block any outside noise.
The touch controls with which we can control:
- Volume up: 1 tap on the right earbud
- Volume down: 1 tap on the left earbud
- Pause or resume: 2 taps on any headset
- Skip to the next song: hold down 1.5 seconds on the right earbud
- Return to the previous song: press and hold the left earbud for 1.5 seconds
- Call the mobile assistant: 3 taps on the right earbud
- Activate gaming mode: 3 taps on the left earbud
You can also control hands-free when we receive a call. With 2 touches, we will accept the incoming call or hang up the active call. If we hold down for 1.5 seconds, we will reject the incoming call, or if we press for 2 seconds while we have an active call, we will skip between calls.
The configuration allows you to control everything and, at the same time, is easy to execute. In addition, the volume up and down is with one-touch because if we accidentally touch it, it will modify the volume a little, but it will not pause the playback as is usual in other models. And yes, with these headphones, you will make some unwanted pulsations because they are sensitive, perhaps too much, but it is not something that bothers me too much.
A detail to see how worked the design of the Air3 is, the charging pins are located on the tip to avoid possible irritation to the skin of nickel.
Both headphones have a proximity sensor that allows us to pause or resume playback automatically when we take off or put the headphones on. The music plays automatically when you take the headphones out of the box and put them on. Of course, it cannot be deactivated, at least for now.
Battery
Of course, you can’t have everything, and being so small and light, the autonomy will be a bit lower than other similar headphones.
The headphones themselves have an internal 30 mAh battery to play music for about 5 hours at medium volume. Not bad for its size and lightness, but there are slightly older headphones that come in at almost 10 o’clock. Even so, 5 hours is usually more than enough.
The box also has a small battery, only 220 mAh, with which we can charge the headphones about 2 and a half times approximately—achieving a total autonomy that touches the 17 and a half hours.
The led on the box indicates the battery level both during use and while charging. During use:
- Green: charge level between 50% and 100%
- Yellow: charge level between 10% and 49%
- Red: charge level less than 10%
During charging:
- Red flashing: charge between 0 and 19%
- Yellow flashing: charge level between 20% and 69%
- Green flashing: charge level between 70% and 99%
- Solid green: 100% charge level
The box charges in an Half An Hour via the USB-C port located at the bottom. It does not have wireless charging.
Conclusion!
The SoundPEATS Air3 is a complete headphone. They have a very compact design and work well. They are aptX Adaptive compatible, have good sound (surprisingly powerful bass), excellent hands-free, and are very comfortable.
From my point of view, they do not have to envy Apple’s AirPods and cost a quarter. If you are looking for semi-in-ear headphones, for 46 USD that Air3 usually costs.
