Consumer Electronics, Gadgets & Accessories

Soundpeats Air 3 in test: Inexpensive in-ears with Qualcomm aptX Adaptive

The Soundpeats Air 3 True Wireless in-ear headphones promise rich sound, good battery life and support for the Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Bluetooth audio codec for less than 50 Euros. Our test clarifies whether the purchase is actually worth it.

Technical data

Bluetooth version 5.2
Maximum operating range 10m (without obstacle)
Battery life Up to 5hrs, 22hrs total with charging case; (varies depending on volume level and audio content)
Charging time around 2 hrs. (for charging case + headphones via USB-C)
Size charging case (W x H x D) 40 x 40 x 20 mm
Weight 3g (earbuds + charging case); 5g per earbud
Speaker type 14.2mm driver (dynamic)
Bluetooth codecs SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive
Price € 50.39 *

Scope of delivery of the Soundpeats Air 3

The black Soundpeats Air 3 come in a small cardboard box including outer packaging, which offers just enough space for the in-ear headphones including charging case and a 20 cm short USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable. A quick-start guide can be found underneath the charging case, which completes the scope of delivery.

Soundpeats Air 3

Design and workmanship

Right from the first glance, the extremely compact charging case of the Soundpeats Air 3 catches the eye. It comes with dimensions of 40 mm x 40 mm x 20 mm (height x width x depth) and thus fits easily even in small jacket pockets.

It is completely finished in matte black, with only a glossy painted ring below the lid catching the eye as a detail. Underneath the ring is a status LED that informs about the charging status or pairing process. This is triggered via the physical button, which is positioned below the LED. The manufacturer has installed the USB-C input for charging on the bottom of the charging case, and the manufacturer’s name is printed on the top.

Opening the case reveals the in-ears, which are inserted at a slanted angle and hold securely thanks to magnetic contacts. The headphones themselves are relatively reminiscent of Apple’s Airpods in terms of design. The Soundpeats Air 3 also rely on a simple exterior including an approximately 20 mm long earpiece that protrudes from the ear.

The headphones are also completely finished in matte black, with the manufacturer’s logo on the outside set off in silver. Otherwise, the design is very classic and uninspired. However, the Soundpeats Air 3 are semi-in-ear headphones. Accordingly, there are no silicone attachments at all, while the earphones sit in front of the ear canal.

The workmanship of the Soundpeats Air 3

In terms of build quality, there’s not much to complain about with the Soundpeats Air 3. Although the price turns out to be quite affordable, all parts look quite high-quality and do not offer any sharp edges or unclean details.

Only the lid of the charging case turns out to be a bit too slippery. Thus, it is not possible to pick up the case when it is opened because the lid immediately closes again. It is also impractical that the bottom of the case is rounded – this makes it impossible to place the Soundpeats Air 3 charging case on a surface.

The earphones themselves are also quite well-made. There is nothing to complain about here. The weight is also pleasant: The charging case and its contents only weigh around 33 grams, while the individual earbuds weigh around 5 grams. Very pleasant.

Another positive feature is that the Air 3 are splash-proof according to IPX5 and can therefore also be used for sports – at least in theory, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Soundpeats Air 3

Comfort

On the other hand, points are deducted with regard to wearing comfort. Due to the semi-in-ear design, the Soundpeats Air 3 are not inserted into the ear but merely sit in front of the ear canal. Accordingly, the fit is rather suboptimal. You should avoid fast movements as much as possible, otherwise the buds will slip out.

Even when moving the head a bit faster, you have the feeling that you will lose the Air 3 immediately. Of course, this is mainly due to the design, but I simply do not like it personally. Especially since the in-ears move back and forth in the ear with rich bass even during loud music.

At least – and this is a positive surprise, considering the price – the Soundpeats Air 3 offer automatic wear detection, which actually works extremely well in practice. Most of the time, at least.

Soundpeats Air 3 Wearing Comfort

If you remove one of the earphones from the ear canal, playback is paused. If you put them back in, it continues. The use of a single earphone, however, is unfortunately not possible, even if the technical requirements would actually be given.

Features and battery life

In this area, the Soundpeats Air 3 offer a few goodies. This includes, for example, Bluetooth connectivity with version 5.2, which ensures a stable connection – even at a distance of around 10 meters from the audio source.

The selection of Bluetooth codecs is similarly diverse. Besides the classic SBC and AAC codecs, Qualcomm’s high-resolution aptX and aptX Adaptive codec are also supported. Very commendable. In addition, the Air 3 has a low-latency mode with 60 ms delay, which is primarily intended for mobile gaming.

Soundpeats Air 3

The initial setup, including pairing, is also child’s play: simply press and hold the pairing button (as it’s called in the German instructions) for three seconds, and the Air 3s can be found in the smartphone’s Bluetooth menu and connected. By the way, the manufacturer does without a dedicated control app. Settings of the sound, firmware updates or the like are therefore not available.

The battery life of the Soundpeats Air 3

The charging case is equipped with a 220 mAh battery, the Soundpeats Air 3 itself comes to 30 mAh. Thus, we achieve a runtime of around five hours at moderate volume in the battery test. If we turn up the volume to about 80 percent, the TWS earbuds run out of juice after about four hours.

The earphones can be recharged about 2.5 times (17.5 hours) in the charging case, whereby one charging process takes about one and a half hours. So, all in all, we end up with a combined battery life of around 22 hours – unimpressive, but just fine.

Soundpeats Air 3 battery life

Operating the Soundpeats Air 3

The Soundpeats Air 3 are operated exclusively via touch controls. The two outer sides of the ear cups are touch-sensitive. However, the control model is not very intuitive: touching once, twice and three times executes different actions. In addition, there are commands for holding down for 1.5 seconds and 2 seconds.

This takes a bit of getting used to, which would still be okay. Unfortunately, the operation only works conditionally even then. On the one hand, the touch surfaces partly react much too smoothly, which is why the actions that we actually wanted to use are not triggered.

As soon as you want to adjust the in-ears’ fit, which is often the case due to the insecure grip, touch inputs are accidentally executed. That is annoying in the long run. In addition, it often happens that our input is not recognized, especially with gestures that require holding on an ear cup.

Soundpeats Air 3

This is extremely annoying, especially when it comes to telephony: 1.5 seconds left ends a phone call, while 2 seconds leaves us holding a call. How often one accidentally ends the call in the process, we can hardly count.

Audio quality of the Soundpeats Air 3

The Soundpeats Air 3 do not offer active noise cancellation (ANC). Ambient noise is also let through as far as possible, but this is again due to the open design of the semi-in-ears. Thus, those looking for a good seal will not be happy with the Earbuds.

And what about the general audio quality? It is quite good, considering the price. The Soundpeats Air 3 score especially with rich, but not overdriven bass, which is not too prominent.

The mids, on the other hand, are a bit behind, while the trebles are extremely present and spacious. It quickly becomes clear that the sound is primarily designed for fun. The acoustics can definitely score for the price. However, the problems increase at high volumes, because then the trebles and basses distort quite strongly – it quickly becomes unpleasant here.

Soundpeats Air 3

The quality of the built-in microphones is also decent. Background noise is suppressed satisfactorily, and the user’s own voice is reproduced quite dynamically. Not particularly spectacular, but quite usable for the one or other call.

Summary of the Soundpeats Air 3

For the price of around 50 euros, the Soundpeats Air 3 are definitely recommendable. At least if you know what you’re getting into. Build quality and design are on a good level, the battery life is decent and the selection of Bluetooth codecs is surprisingly diverse.

The audio quality is also quite good, but it quickly reaches its limits especially at high volumes. We did not like the wearing comfort in particular, because a secure fit in the ear is simply not given. The touch controls are also unreliable and much too smooth.

All in all, the overall package is good considering the price. However, those who want to or can invest a bit more will be much better served with the EarFun Air Pro 2 (our review).

Soundpeats Air 3 Award

Soundpeats Air 3

Workmanship
Comfort
Sound quality
Recording quality
Features
Value for money

83/100

Considering the price, the workmanship, features and sound of the semi-inserts are good. However, touch operation and wearing comfort could be better.

Simon Lüthje

I am co-founder of this blog and am very interested in everything that has to do with technology, but I also like to play games. I was born in Hamburg, but now I live in Bad Segeberg.

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The Soundpeats Air 3 True Wireless in-ear headphones promise rich sound, good battery life and support for the Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Bluetooth audio codec for less than 50 Euros. Our test clarifies whether the purchase is actually worth it. Technical data Bluetooth version 5.2 Maximum operating range 10m (without obstacle) Battery life Up to 5hrs, … (Weiterlesen...)

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