AirPods Pro—what will the next Pro in-ears look like?
Apple
The next AirPods Pro in-ear headphones are expected to launch later this year, probably in the Fall. There have already been rumors of upgrades to the design, for instance. There are now new revelations of what might be coming and the latest report comes from the super-reliable Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo from TFI Securities.
First, Kuo claims that there will be AirTag capabilities in the case for AirPods Pro 2. So, it’ll be easier to find your AirPods in their case wherever you left them. Right now, you can use the AirPods app to make the earbuds sound an alert, but this would mean the case would be able to make a noise to let you know where it is. After all, this makes sense as I usually put my earbuds back in the case.
Second, Kuo reiterates there’s a new design for the next AirPods Pro. We’ve heard reports of this before and it’s possible that the next earbuds will look more like the Beats Fit Pro, the recently released in-ears from Apple’s sister brand, Beats.
These have no stalk, unlike AirPods, but a raised wingtip to hold the earbud in place in the ear.
But the big new claim from Kuo relates to the audio capabilities of the AirPods Pro 2. Just as the latest AirPods offer better sound quality than the previous version, the next AirPods Pro will offer something no Apple headphones have had yet: Lossless.
Kuo says that there will be “Support for Apple Lossless (ALAC) format”. This is intriguing, coming so soon after an interview with Apple’s VP of Acoustics, Gary Geaves, that it wanted greater bandwidth than Bluetooth could manage. It looks like this problem may be on the way to being solved. Certainly, Lossless isn’t possible just over Bluetooth.
In which case, with great noise-cancelling and features like Spatial Audio with Dynamic Head Tracking, Conversation Boost and more, the addition of support for Lossless could make for a winning formula.
Kuo’s other comment of interest refers to the extra features AirPods Pro 2 might offer. It’s already been rumored that Apple will add health management functions to the AirPods Pro. New sensors will aim to track your fitness as well as play music.
All of which adds up to an exciting launch when the AirPods Pro 2 arrive, expected this Fall.
