Apple may release “AirPods Pro” wireless earphones with active noise cancellation and other improvements near the end of this month, with a price tag of approximately $260.
The suggested price point would represent an increase of $60 over the current model with the wireless charging case. The existing AirPods will likely stick around when the new model becomes available. The story confirms a report by Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes in September that the next AirPods were due to enter production as early as this October.
According to China Economic Daily, AirPods Pro feature active noise cancellation capability which reduces unwanted sound by taking advantage of a second sound specifically created to cancel the first. This feature is also found on the company’s $250 Powerbeats Pro sporty earphones and then new $300 Beats Solo Pro wireless headphones.
The report mentions that the upcoming earphones will have a new design to support noise cancellation, with angled stem and larger air vent. According to 9to5Mac, the AirPods Pro charging case will look “more like the bottom of a sailboat than a tic-tac box.”
This is what AirPods Pro may look like.
We also know that a pair of noise-cancelling AirPods is looming on the horizon because the iOS 13.2 beta includes hidden animation meant to show to the user how to change the AirPods noise cancellation options. Contract manufacturer Inventec has reportedly already partnered with Chinese manufacturer Lixun to undertake the new AirPods orders.
MacRumors has more:
The paper claims the Pro suffix, which Apple recently adopted for its most expensive iPhone 11 models, will help to differentiate the new wireless earbuds from existing AirPods and underscores the marketing rationale justifying the higher $260 price tag.
China Economic Daily separately reported this morning that the next AirPods will take advantage of a metal design to increase heat dissipation. Revered Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously predicted that two new AirPods models would go into mass production by the end of the year, with one of the models sporting a new form-factor design and a higher price.
Bloomberg called for a next-generation AirPods earphones with water resistance (the current second-generation model is sweat resistant), active noise cancellation and other perks as early as 2020. It’s unclear if the Bloomberg report refers to the same AirPods Pro model mentioned in today’s story by China Economic Daily, but we’ll find out soon enough.
Have you expected the next AirPods so early?
Chime in with your thoughts and observations in the comments down below.