Details about the AirPods 3 have leaked again, only a few days after Bloomberg reported on production schedules and designs of Apple’s upcoming audio hardware. The AirPods 3 is expected to arrive sometime in 1H 2021 alongside the AirPods Pro 2, with the AirPods Studio, Apple’s upcoming over-ear headphones, due in March 2021.
Now, several photos of the AirPods 3 have appeared online, seemingly confirming Bloomberg’s assertions. It looks like Apple will bring the design of the AirPods Pro to the next AirPods, albeit with silicone tips. The stem from current AirPods remains though, which Bloomberg suggested may be done with away. The website warned that production issues might force Apple to include a stem, which may be why we see one here.
Bloomberg believes that the AirPods 3 will not have active-noise-cancellation (ANC), like the AirPods Pro. However, the company will base the earbuds on a new chipset, differentiating them from the current AirPods. Essentially, the AirPods 3 resemble a scaled-down AirPods Pro, with Apple even bringing along the pressure-sensitive touch areas from its premium earbuds. We expect Apple to keep the AirPods at US$199 with a wireless charging case unless it increases the price of the US$249 AirPods Pro.