AirPods Are Getting Some Exciting New Updates This Fall.
Apple’s most basic AirPods still use the old Lightning port for charging, even after the company finally switched the AirPods Pro to a USB-C port in 2023. Leaks say that two new AirPods models will arrive this fall.
These models will be separate from the AirPods Pro, which will likely be redesigned next year . According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman , Apple will release two different models of this fourth-generation AirPods series. Their updates will be both inside and outside. Both models will feature a USB-C port for charging, but the reporter says they will also get a new design, although he didn’t give any significant details about what it will look like.
Each model will have a different price, with the low-end model focusing on basic wireless functionality. The more expensive version will include active noise cancellation, usually reserved for the Pro model, but spatial audio can be included on both models. The new AirPods will also feature the H2 chip from the current AirPods Pro.
A lower-end model will likely see Apple finally ditch the second-generation AirPods, which were released back in 2019 and currently retail for $129. The third generation AirPods, Apple’s latest base model of AirPods, cost $179.
Another Apple leader with a long track record, Ming-Chi Kuo, has previously said that the company may integrate camera sensors into future AirPods to improve spatial computing and mid-air gestures, although Gourmet’s update doesn’t mention them. Gurman also previously reported that Apple would likely release a new AirPods Max model with USB-C and new color options later this year, but again, his latest newsletter didn’t talk about other updates or when we’ll we can see a new model.