Update (May 24): In more AirPods Pro 2 news, we're now hearing it could come with a Lightning port charging case rather than USB-C as we hoped.
While the past few Apple events seemingly forgot about the AirPods Pro 2, reasonably reputable leaker LeaksApplePro has claimed they will be revealed on September 13 at a showcase led by the iPhone 14. And the next-gen earbuds could steal the show.
On iDropNews, the leaker claims that the new true wireless earbuds will sport the "biggest innovation" in years — namely, a lossless audio codec that would allow the earbuds to playback music at a higher quality.
Details around the codec are slim — almost non-existent, really — but it does make sense that Apple has something in the works considering the current limitations of the AAC codes Apple's earbuds favor. In short, it’s preventing Apple’s high-end headphones like the Apple AirPods Max from streaming lossless audio and the company needs a solution at the hardware level to change that. (Let's just hope these ones don't cause accidental hearing loss like the AirPods Pro.)
On top of that, LeaksApplePro claims the AirPods Pro 2 will have "a stemless design, and state-of-the-art noise-canceling technology." We've heard the former design rumor before, which could lead to more attractive and compact earbuds. But the news around advanced ANC is new. Such technology has been improving with each generation of cans on our best headphones list, so we'd be curious to see where Apple takes this, but the leaker provided no more details.
The other interesting news to come from the rumor mill is that the AirPods Pro 2 could see an increase in price compared to the original AirPods Pro.
According to iDropNews, the AirPods Pro 2 could cost $299 compared to the original AirPods Pro’s original $249 pricing. Now you can find AirPods Pro for even cheaper than that — typically around $199 at most major electronics retailers — which might make the AirPods Pro 2 a tough sell.
One thing that definitely won’t be changing is the AirPods Pro’s color scheme: it sounds like the AirPods Pro 2 will be available in the same glossy white that its predecessor was in. That’s not such a bad thing honestly, but it can make the AirPods tough to clean. (Here's how to clean your AirPods, in case you're wondering.)
Overall, the AirPods Pro 2 sound pretty appealing, but keep in mind that this is all just rumor and speculation at this point.
We’ll continue to keep our eyes peeled for more leaks and rumors as they spring up. But Apple has its WWDC 2022 event first, which starts on Monday, June 6 and could have some hits at what to expect from the Cupertino company this fall.
