AirPods Pro 3 will ship to users this Friday, September 19.And while they should prove a fantastic upgrade for everyone (read our full review here), it seems one new feature will be exclusive to iPhone 17 and iPhone Air owners.Improved Precision Finding is exclusive to iPhone 17 and Air Do you ever lose your AirPods? Apple knows a lot of people do, so it’s upgraded the AirPods Pro 3 charging case to make it easier to find.
From Apple’s website: The new Ultra Wideband technology is Apple’s U2 chip.The chip has been included in iPhones since the iPhone 15 (though under the branding ‘second-generation Ultra Wideband chip’).AirPods Pro 2’s case only includes the U1.
Users might expect AirPods Pro 3’s U2 to offer improved Precision Finding from any iPhone, or at least those with a U2 chip like iPhone 15.But that’s not what Apple’s site says.Footnote 12 on the AirPods Pro page offers a qualifier for the 1.5x improved Precision Finding distance: It seems an iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max, or iPhone Air is required to unlock the new Precision Finding gains in AirPods Pro 3.
Is there still some improvement with older iPhone models, but perhaps it’s not as significant? Maybe.But all Apple has shared publicly to this point is that the new and improved Precision Finding will perform best when using a brand new iPhone 17 or Air.We’ll have to wait and see what users with older iPhones discover after this Friday’s launch.
How much does the upgraded Precision Finding in AirPods Pro 3 matter to you? Let us know in the comments.Best iPhone accessories AirPods Pro 3 MagSafe Car Mount for iPhone HomeKit smart plug 4-pack 10-year AirTag battery case 2-pack 100W USB-C fast charging power adapter You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day.Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop.
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