Accidental Tech Podcast

657: Ears Are Weird

September 16, 2025

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  • Apple's new iPhone 17 Pro models will require a new 40-watt charger supporting the USB PD 3.2 AVS protocol for optimal fast charging, as existing chargers may not deliver the same speed. 
  • The design of the iPhone Air places its main computing components within the camera plateau to maximize battery space in the main body, a design choice that may lead to thermal throttling. 
  • The A19 and A19 Pro chips are distinct designs, not simply binned versions of each other, allowing for cost and energy savings in the non-Pro models by omitting features found in the Pro variants. 
  • The iPhone Air's extreme thinness leads to significant compromises, including a single, inferior speaker, lack of LiDAR, and USB 2.0 speeds, making it a niche product with questionable mass appeal despite its unique design. 
  • Apple's marketing for the Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 appears to inflate battery life improvements by altering testing methodologies, such as including sleep tracking, rather than offering substantial hardware advancements. 
  • The introduction of a PWM (pulse width modulation) toggle in iOS 26 for iPhone 17 models addresses user sensitivity to screen flickering, a feature that acknowledges a growing concern about display technology's impact on eye strain. 
  • The AirPods Pro 3 feature a 2x noise cancellation improvement, validated by the IEC 60268-24 standard, and a new U2 chip for ultra-wideband technology. 
  • The AirPods Pro 3 case is slightly larger than previous models, potentially due to increased battery capacity, and the earbuds themselves are designed to fit more securely in a wider range of ear shapes. 
  • Live translation on AirPods Pro 3 runs on the iPhone and supports offline use, but is blocked for EU users due to regulatory concerns like the AI Act and GDPR. 

Segments

Phone Damage and AppleCare
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Accidentally dropping a phone, even from pocket height onto a concrete driveway, can cause significant damage like a spider crack on the back glass, highlighting the value of AppleCare for mitigating repair costs.
  • Summary: The conversation begins with a discussion about a phone being dropped and damaged, leading into a debate about the usefulness and cost of AppleCare, especially for those who prefer to use their phones caseless.
iPhone 17 Pro Charging Tech
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(00:14:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The iPhone 17 Pro’s faster charging capabilities are enabled by a new USB PD 3.2 AVS protocol, requiring a specific 40-watt Apple charger, as current third-party chargers may offer slower charging speeds.
  • Summary: This segment delves into the technical details of the iPhone 17 Pro’s charging, explaining the new protocol, the need for a specific charger, and the potential limitations of existing chargers.
iPhone 17 Pro Color Choices
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(00:40:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The iPhone 17 Pro’s color palette of deep dark blue, silver, and cosmic orange may be inspired by Tim Cook’s alma mater, Auburn University, given his known affinity for the school and its colors.
  • Summary: The hosts explore the potential origins of the iPhone 17 Pro’s color options, considering various theories including sports teams, movie characters, and a strong connection to Tim Cook’s university.
iPhone Design and Thickness
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(00:28:53)
  • Key Takeaway: Describing iPhone thickness solely by its flat base is misleading, as the prominent camera plateau significantly increases the overall thickness, making wedge-shaped designs a potential consideration for future battery integration.
  • Summary: The discussion critiques the current method of describing iPhone thickness, arguing that the camera bump’s size is often overlooked, and suggests alternative design approaches like a wedge shape to accommodate larger batteries.
iPhone Air Design & Compromises
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(00:48:23)
  • Key Takeaway: The iPhone Air’s pursuit of extreme thinness results in significant functional compromises, including a downgraded speaker system and slower data transfer speeds, positioning it as a design statement rather than a practical flagship.
  • Summary: The discussion focuses on the iPhone Air’s design, highlighting its thinness and the resulting trade-offs. Specific points include the single earpiece speaker, lack of a bottom speaker, and USB 2.0 speeds, contrasting it with the Pro models and questioning its market appeal.
iPhone Air Naming & Speaker Issues
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(00:52:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Lingering references to ‘iPhone 17 Air’ and ‘iPhone 17 Plus’ on Apple’s website suggest last-minute naming changes, while the iPhone Air’s sole reliance on the earpiece speaker for audio output represents a substantial degradation in sound quality and volume.
  • Summary: This segment covers potential last-minute naming changes for the iPhone Air, evidenced by website discrepancies. It then delves into the significant speaker limitations of the iPhone Air, with only the earpiece serving as an audio output, leading to a poor listening experience.
iPhone Air Sales & Market Viability
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(00:57:59)
  • Key Takeaway: Despite its cool aesthetic and unique design, the iPhone Air is unlikely to sell well due to its numerous compromises, such as poor battery life, cameras, and speakers, making it a difficult recommendation for most consumers.
  • Summary: The conversation explores the potential sales performance of the iPhone Air, with speakers expressing doubt about its market success. They discuss who the phone is for, the trade-offs involved, and compare it to previous less successful models like the iPhone Plus.
iPhone Air Screen & USB-C Specs
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(01:22:35)
  • Key Takeaway: All iPhone 17 models, including the Air, now share identical screen specifications beyond size and resolution, but the Air and base 17 are limited to USB 2.0 speeds, a 25-year-old standard, while Pro models receive significantly faster USB 3 speeds.
  • Summary: This segment details the screen specifications across the iPhone 17 lineup, noting that they are now largely consistent. It then highlights the significant disparity in USB transfer speeds, with the Air and base 17 stuck at USB 2.0, while the Pro models benefit from much faster USB 3.
Apple Watch Battery Life & Marketing
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(01:30:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Apple’s claimed battery life improvements for the Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3 are achieved through altered testing methodologies, including sleep tracking, rather than genuine hardware advancements, making the advertised gains misleading.
  • Summary: The discussion scrutinizes Apple’s battery life claims for the new Apple Watch models. It suggests that the advertised increases are due to changes in testing procedures, such as incorporating sleep tracking, rather than significant improvements in battery capacity or efficiency.
Apple Watch Ultra 3 & Battery
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(01:33:10)
  • Key Takeaway: The Apple Watch Ultra 3 offers identical battery life in demanding scenarios to the Ultra 2, with minor improvements in other use cases, suggesting that significant battery advancements are not a priority for this generation.
  • Summary: This segment focuses on the battery life of the Apple Watch Ultra 3, comparing it to the Ultra 2. It notes that in critical demanding situations like outdoor workouts, the battery life remains the same, with only marginal improvements in other areas.
AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancellation
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(01:37:27)
  • Key Takeaway: The ‘2x better noise cancellation’ claim for AirPods Pro 3 is based on the IEC 60268-24 international standard, measuring decibel reduction, which, while not a marketing fabrication, lacks intuitive human perception of the actual improvement.
  • Summary: The discussion clarifies the basis for Apple’s ‘2x better noise cancellation’ claim on the AirPods Pro 3, explaining it’s tied to the IEC 60268-24 standard and decibel measurements, acknowledging that this metric doesn’t directly translate to perceived user experience.
AirPods Pro 3 Features
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(01:37:17)
  • Key Takeaway: AirPods Pro 3 offer improved noise cancellation and a new U2 chip, with a slightly larger case for potentially more battery.
  • Summary: The discussion covers the improved noise cancellation on the AirPods Pro 3, referencing the standard used for measurement, and introduces the new U2 chip. The size of the charging case is also discussed, noting it’s slightly larger than previous models.
Fit and Comfort
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(01:38:53)
  • Key Takeaway: The new AirPods Pro 3 design prioritizes a secure fit, addressing a common issue of earbuds not staying in place.
  • Summary: This segment focuses on the importance of earbuds fitting well and staying in the ear, highlighting that the AirPods Pro 3 have improved in this regard, making them more comfortable and secure for users.
Live Translation Functionality
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(01:40:53)
  • Key Takeaway: AirPods Pro 3 live translation runs on the iPhone, supports offline use after language downloads, but is restricted in the EU due to regulations.
  • Summary: The conversation delves into the live translation feature, clarifying that it operates on the iPhone and can function offline. It also addresses the unavailability of this feature for EU users due to potential conflicts with EU regulations like the AI Act and GDPR.
Settings App Red Badge Issue
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(01:45:43)
  • Key Takeaway: A persistent ‘red dot’ badge on the Settings app icon across Apple devices can be a frustrating bug with no immediate user-fix.
  • Summary: This segment details the common and annoying issue of a red badge appearing on the Settings app icon, which often indicates no clear reason or solution, and how it can spread across multiple Apple devices, sometimes resolving itself over time.