Recently, as Apple’s second autumn conference was officially held, after two years, Apple’s third-generation AirPods true wireless headsets finally officially unveiled. After the release of Apple AirPods 3, I love audio network reported in detail the optimization and upgrade of the appearance of this product, new function applications, etc. through a number of special topics. This time, the dismantling report is here, let us see what changes have been made to the internal structure of this product~
According to the official information, the Apple AirPods 3 true wireless earphones are equipped with Apple’s customized high-amplitude drive unit and high dynamic range amplifier, H1 chip, and skin recognition sensor, motion acceleration, voice acceleration, force sensor, and In order to provide high-quality audio effects, dynamic head tracking spatial audio, pressure control, in-ear detection and other functions. And equipped with MagSafe charging box, support magnetic wireless charging function. Let’s take a look at the “true colors” of these hardware configurations~
1. Apple AirPods 3 true wireless headphones out of the box
The Apple AirPods 3 packaging box still continues the minimalist style of previous generations. The overall design is very simple, and only the rendering of the appearance of the headset is shown on the front.
The back of the box shows the appearance of the MagSafe charging box, as well as part of the product design, production and Apple information.
The words “AirPods MagSafe Charging Case” are printed on the top.
The bottom label introduces part of the product’s functional parameter information, which is compatible with iOS devices installed with the latest version of the software,iPadOS device, Apple Watch or Mac. It can be used with MagSafe and Qi certified chargers.
Commodity name: wireless headset; model: A2564, A2565; product name: headset box mobile power; model: A2566, input: 5V⎓1A, output: 5V⎓1A, manufacturer: this product is authorized to produce and reseller by Apple in the United States : Apple Computer Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., and product serial numbers, barcodes, etc.
The items in the box include earphones, charging cable, product manual, operation guide and warranty card.
The standard charging cable uses a USB Type-C to Lightning interface.
The Apple AirPods 3 MagSafe charging box has a rounded square design. The front opening is designed with chamfered corners for easy opening, and there is a battery indicator in the middle.
A metal hinge is used on the back of the headset, and a pairing button is below it. The middle silk screen message is “Designed by California Apple Inc., assembled in Vietnam”.
The bottom of the charging box uses the Lightning interface for input power.
The earphone is placed vertically in the charging box, and the earphone head protrudes from the cockpit for easy removal.
A look at the overall appearance of Apple’s AirPods 3 true wireless headsets.
Information printed on the inside of the charging box cover, “Model: A2566, Apple Inc., charging box, mobile power bank, made in Vietnam”; rated capacity: 345mAh/1.327Wh, input: 5V⎓1A, output: 5V⎓1A.
The metal shrapnel used for charging the earphones in the charging box is located at the bottom of the cockpit of the charging box.
The overall appearance of AirPods 3 earphones is at a glance. It adopts a handle-shaped semi-in-ear design. The earphone handle design is shorter and the headphone head is round and full.
The appearance of the inside of the AirPods 3 headset is displayed.
Due to the cancellation of the optical distance sensor, there is only a circular tuning hole inside, which is used to ensure the air circulation inside the sound cavity and enhance the bass effect.
The appearance of the AirPods 3 earphones is displayed.
A close-up of the microphone opening on the back, designed with a microphone acoustic grille that is in the same arc as the body curve to reduce the impact of wind noise.
The appearance of the top of the headset is displayed.
A close-up of the oval pressure relief hole on the top, which is also protected by a metal mesh cover to maintain air circulation in the cavity and balance the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the earphone.
A close-up of the metal tail plug that charges the earphones, a total of two segments, connected to the positive and negative poles in the charging box.
Another section of the tail plug has a hole in the middle for the call microphone to pick up the sound.
A close-up of the pressure-sensitive button on the earphone handle, and a plane that is different from the curve of the body is set to facilitate blind operation.
The silkscreen information on the bottom of the headset, the right ear CMIIT ID: 2021DJ11322, model: A2565, Vietnam; the left ear CMIIT ID: 2021DJ11325, model: A2564, Vietnam.
A close-up of the sound mouth of the earphone, protected by a double-layer protective net inside, with larger holes on the surface, and finer holes on the second layer to prevent foreign objects from entering the sound cavity. Adopting a slanted design, matching the ear curve of the body and the auricle, the sound mouth is facing the ear canal when wearing, which can better receive audio information.
According to the actual measurement of Myai Audio Network, the weight of the Apple AirPods 3 true wireless headset is about 46.6g.
The MagSafe charging case weighs about 37.9g.
The weight of the two headphones is about 8.6g.
I love audio network used the ChargerLAB POWER-Z KM001C portable power tester to perform a wired charging test on Apple AirPods 3 true wireless headphones. The charging power is about 1.60W.
I love audio network uses ChargerLAB POWER-Z KM001C portable power tester to perform wireless charging test on Apple AirPods 3 true wireless earphones. The charging power is about 2.90W.
Second, Apple AirPods 3 true wireless headset disassembly
Through the unpacking part, we learned about the appearance design of Apple AirPods 3 in detail, and learned some of the internal structure through the opening position. Let’s enter the disassembly part to take a detailed look at the internal structure configuration information~
Disassembly of MagSafe charging case
Pry open the headset cockpit.
The cockpit is divided into upper and lower structures, which are fixed by fitting buckles and a large amount of glue.
A close-up of the structure of the earphone compartment of the charging box.
Due to the high strength of the glue, the black plastic middle frame caused by disassembly is broken.
A close-up of the connection structure of the headset cockpit, which is fixed by glue.
A close-up of the structure after the headset cockpit is connected.
A close-up of the magnet group at the bottom of the cockpit, which is used to absorb the earphones and the charging box cover. It is attracted by magnetic force to make it difficult to close automatically when the cover is opened, and it is fixed and stable when the cover is closed.
Overview of the internal circuit structure of the charging box.
Take out the headset cockpit, and connect the metal shrapnel for charging the headset to the motherboard through a cable. It can be seen that the internal space of the charging compartment is still very abundant, and this part of the remaining space is enough to increase at least double the battery capacity.
A close-up of one side of the headset cockpit structure, silk-screened QR code information.
A close-up of the other side of the headphone cockpit structure, and the cable is fixed by heat fusion with a plastic column.
The middle frame is fixed with glue, and the main components in the charging box are taken out.
A close-up of the indicator light guide column on the charging box shell.
A large-area graphene heat dissipation sticker is also attached to the inside of the housing.
The metal decorative ring of the charging hole is filled and sealed with dust-proof and water-repellent foam glue around it. The screw hole for fixing the charging socket is also made of metal and injection molding to ensure the durability of plugging and unplugging.
A close-up of the function button opening. Around it is the wireless charging coil, which is fixed with high-strength glue.
Two square magnets are fixed on the inside of the shell by glue for magnetic attraction charging function.
Magnet close-up.
A close-up of the outer side of the paired button keycap.
A close-up of the inside of the keycap of the paired button.
The side of the key cap is provided with a sealing rubber ring for dust and water resistance.
List of main circuits in the charging box.
The components are connected by BTB connectors, and the connectors are reinforced with a lot of glue. Two types of glue are used. The surface layer is made of a bit harder material, and the inner part is filled with similar soft silicone.
The Lightning wired input interface cable is also connected to the motherboard through the BTB and reinforced with glue.
Open all the BTB connectors and disassemble the main components in the charging box at a glance. Structural components are relatively complex.
The front view of the cockpit structure that charges the headset.
A look at the back of the cockpit structure that charges the headset.
The front view of the Lightning charging interface circuit.
A look at the back of the Lightning charging interface circuit.
An LED indicator is shielded by a metal cover to prevent light leakage.
The product model engraved on the female socket of the Lightning charging interface: FLK120115YPL689AJ.
A close-up of the inside of the Lightning interface, surrounded by dustproof and waterproof foam.
I love audio network speculates that this component is used to detect the opening and closing state of the charging box. It looks like a MEMS silicon microphone, and the component information is unknown.
A close-up of the front of the bracket of the fixed component in the charging box.
A close-up of the back of the bracket of the fixed component in the charging box.
The silk screen information on the lithium battery in the charging box, battery model: A2516, rated capacity: 345mAh/1.327Wh, nominal voltage: 3.85V, charging limit voltage: 4.45V, made in China, from Huizhou Desai Battery Co., Ltd.
A close-up of the silkscreen information on the back of the battery.
A close-up of the front side of the protective plate of the integrated lithium battery.
A close-up of the back of the protective plate of the lithium battery integrated package, and the positive and negative nickel sheets are spot welded on the contacts.
The main board and the wireless charging receiver coil are at a glance.
The main board and the back of the wireless charging receiver coil are at a glance.
A close-up of the wireless charging receiving coil, which is fixed on the magnetic barrier sticker.
A close-up of the jog button on the motherboard for Bluetooth pairing.
Protection device from Bourns.
Wireless charging resonant NPO capacitor close-up.
BROADCOM Broadcom 59356A2KUBG wireless charging management IC.
A list of the circuits on the mainboard side of the charging box.
A list of the circuits on the other side of the charging box motherboard. The entire board of the main board of the charging box of this generation is not covered with waterproof glue.
Silkscreen T5HN IC.
Silkscreen T4 IC.
Silkscreen 6Y2 IC.
The IC of silk screen E+11.
Silk screen C1 4Y6 IC.
The IC of silk screen 8K16F3.
ST STMicroelectronics STM32L496WGY6P ultra-low power Arm Cortex-M4 32-bit MCU+FPU.
ST STMicroelectronics L496WGY6P detailed data map.
The IC of the silk screen 3441.
The IC of the silk screen T5LL.
Apple customized silk screen 343S00517 IC.
The second silk screen 3441 IC.
Silk screen 18H208 IC.
The IC of silk screen 8L11C6.
NXP NXP 610A3B USB charging IC.
The IC of the silk screen 32An.
AirPods 3 headset disassembly
Enter the earphone part and pry open the earphone cavity along the moulding line.
A look at the internal structure of the back cavity of the earphone.
An overview of the internal structure of the front chamber of the earphone.
Take out the speaker unit in the front chamber.
A close-up of Apple’s customized high-amplitude drive unit.
According to the actual measurement by Woai Audio Network, the size of the moving coil unit is about 11mm.
A close-up of the inside of the headphone mouth.
A skin recognition sensor is fixed on the front wall.
A close-up of the skin recognition sensor for in-ear detection function. Black coating, the inside of the blade is made of metal.
A close-up of the MEMS microphone of LaserDiao S 300 G134, which is used for adaptive equalization function to detect the audio effect of listening content.
An IC with a two-dimensional code screen printed on the cable.
A close-up of the tuning hole of the tone cavity.
Take out the battery unit in the back cavity.
LDS laser bluetooth antenna on the back cavity wall.
Connect the cable and metal contacts of the Bluetooth antenna.
At a glance, the internal disassembly of the headphone head cavity shows that all the components are connected in series to an FPC cable, and then connected to the main board.
A close-up of the female connector on the flat cable connecting the positive and negative poles of the battery.
A lithium battery protection IC with a silk-screened QR code.
The earphone uses a steel shell button battery, model: A2647, rated capacity: 0.133Wh, rated voltage: 3.67V, from VARTA.
Tear off the external label and engrave the battery with a capacity of 0.13Wh on the cell.
Unplug the battery and cable connector.
A close-up of the positive and negative poles of the battery cable.
The VARTA logo and the words “9858” are engraved on the front battery.
Comparison of the size of a steel shell button battery and a dollar coin.
A close-up of the inverted hole structure on the cavity wall.
The LDS laser antenna is printed in the phase hole.
The internal structure of the back cavity of the earphone is at a glance, and a microphone is fixed on the cavity wall by glue.
A close-up of the MEMS microphone of LaserDiao S 300 G134, which is used to pick up external environmental noise during voice calls.
Open the tail plug at the bottom of the earphone, and connect the charging contacts to the inside of the earphone through a cable.
A MEMS microphone is fixed with glue inside the tail plug for voice call pickup.
The call microphone is connected to the motherboard through a flat cable.
Pull out the components in the earphone handle.
The components in the earphone handle are compared with the size of a one-yuan coin.
At a glance at the front of the components in the headphone handle, Apple’s H1 packaging system (System in Package) occupies more than half of the position on the right side of the motherboard.
The side of the components in the earphone handle is at a glance, with a force sensor attached.
The other side of the components in the earphone handle is at a glance.
The bottom of the components in the earphone handle is at a glance, and the large-area LDS laser antenna is printed.
Silk screen LY CFC KF9 IC.
Silk screen DNT IC.
A close-up of the force sensor patch.
Apple H1 packaging system (System in Package).
AirPods 3 headset disassembly front view.
A look at the back of the AirPods 3 headset disassembly.
Apple AirPods 3 true wireless earphones disassembled a family portrait.
3. I love audio network summary
Apple AirPods 3 true wireless earphones are more inclined to the AirPods Pro solution in terms of overall appearance design. The earphones adopt a semi-in-ear design, and the headphone head is relatively thinner, which can better fit the inner auricle, and has a near-feeling comfortable wearing experience. . The earphone mouthpiece has a tilted design and faces the ear canal, which can better receive the audio information output by the earphone.
Although the appearance is similar to the AirPods Pro solution, the internal structure is quite different. The internal structure of AirPods 3 is relatively streamlined, and the modularity is stronger. A large amount of glue is used to fix the entire headset.
The components in the charging box are fixed on the bracket and are connected to the motherboard through the BTB connector. The charging box has a built-in lithium battery with a capacity of 345mAh, from Desai battery. The wireless charging solution uses Broadcom 59356A2KUBG wireless charging management IC, and wired charging uses NXP 610A3B USB charging IC. And STMicroelectronics L496WGY6P ultra-low power MCU+FPU.
In the earphone part, the internal components are connected in series on a cable. Apple’s custom 11mm high-amplitude moving coil unit is used inside; a single headset has 3 MEMS microphones for adaptive equalization, voice calls and other functions; the skin recognition sensor is located at the mouth of the mouth for in-ear detection; built-in VARTA 0.133 Wh steel shell button battery uses a unique connector to connect to the cable.
The internal components of the earphone handle are fixed on the motherboard, using a brand-new Apple H1 packaging system, with a more regular shape and a smaller volume; the force sensor is fixed on the side of the motherboard, using a patch form, which saves internal space; and The area-printed LDS laser antenna improves the stability of the Bluetooth connection.