Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus Wireless / Apple AirPods (3rd generation)

Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus Wireless: ACCENTUM Plus Wireless around-ear wireless headphones; black (700176) and white (700177). The cheaper ACCENTUM Wireless and the higher-end MOMENTUM 4 are separate models.

Apple AirPods (3rd generation): AirPods (3rd generation) launched in 2021 with the MagSafe Charging Case; from 2022 a version with the Lightning Charging Case was also sold. The earbuds are the same with either case. AirPods 4, AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro are separate models.

Specification	Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus Wireless	Apple AirPods (3rd generation)
Release year	2024	2021
Type	Headband, around-the-ear (circum-aural) wireless headphones; fold flat Sennheiser promises a light, ergonomic fit with a soft silicone inner headband and cushioned earcups; folded flat it measures about 16.5 × 19.5 × 4.8 cm. Sennheiser	—
Driver	37 mm dynamic; 10 Hz–22 kHz; 106 dB SPL; THD below 0.3% Sennheiser says the driver is mounted at an angle. Impedance is 560 ohms in active mode and 95 ohms in passive (wired, powered off) mode. Sennheiser	—
Noise cancelling	Hybrid adaptive ANC; Transparency mode; automatic anti-wind mode Hybrid ANC measures noise with microphones both outside and inside the earcup; the adaptive version changes the cancellation strength automatically with ambient noise. Transparency mode lets outside sound in with a touch. Sennheiser	—
Bluetooth and codecs	Bluetooth 5.2, class 1; SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP aptX Adaptive is a Qualcomm codec that adjusts bitrate to link quality on compatible devices. Sennheiser	—
Battery	800 mAh lithium-ion; up to 50 hours with ANC on; full charge about 3.5 hours; 5 hours from 10 minutes Sennheiser measured the 50 hours with an iPhone at medium volume; charging is via USB-C at 5 V, up to 700 mA. Sennheiser	Up to 6 hours of listening per charge (5 hours with Personalised Spatial Audio on); up to 30 hours with the case; 5 minutes in the case ≈ 1 hour of listening Apple
Controls and sensors	Touchpad on the right earcup; dedicated pairing button; Smart Pause when removed Tap plays or pauses, sliding up and down sets volume, and swiping sideways skips tracks or answers calls. Sennheiser	—
Microphones	Two MEMS microphones with beamforming for noise reduction; 50 Hz–8 kHz Sennheiser	—
App	Sennheiser Smart Control (iOS and Android); 5-band equaliser, presets, Sound Personalization Sound Personalization adjusts the sound to the user with a listening test developed with the Fraunhofer Institute. Sennheiser	—
In the box	Headphones, USB-C charging cable, carry case, auxiliary (3.5 mm) audio cable, quick guide Sennheiser	—
Weight	227 g Sennheiser	—
Design and fit	—	Open-fit in-ear design without silicone tips; short stem Because the earbud does not seal the canal, ambient sound is heard; fit depends on ear shape and there are no interchangeable tips. Apple
Audio technology	—	Custom high-excursion Apple driver; custom high dynamic range amplifier; Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ Adaptive EQ measures what is heard in the ear with the inward-facing microphone and adjusts the tuning to the fit in real time. Head tracking anchors sound to the Apple device’s screen. There is no active noise cancellation or transparency mode. Apple
Chip and connectivity	—	H1 headphone chip; Bluetooth 5.0 Automatic device switching, “Hey Siri” and one-tap pairing work with Apple devices. Apple
Sensors and microphones	—	Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone, skin-detect sensor, motion and speech-detecting accelerometers, force sensor The skin-detect sensor pauses playback when an earbud is removed. Apple
Controls	—	Press the stem once to play/pause or answer a call; twice to skip forward or end a call; three times to skip back; press and hold for Siri There is no on-bud volume control. Apple
Charging case	—	MagSafe Charging Case (MagSafe, Qi and Lightning) or Lightning Charging Case The included cable is Lightning to USB-C; there is no adapter. Apple
Sweat and water resistance	—	IPX4: earbuds and charging case IPX4 protects against splashes; it is not for submersion. Apple
Size and weight	—	Earbud (each): 30.79 × 18.26 × 19.21 mm, 4.28 g; case: 46.40 × 54.40 × 21.38 mm, 37.91 g Apple