AirPods Studio will blow away Bose with these killer features

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AirPods Studio will get ear and neck detection to challenge rival headphones from Bose and Sony

AirPods Studio concept
(Image credit: Curved)

Apple’s AirPods Studio over-ear headphones are set to offer a lot more than noise cancellation. According to a new report, you can expect neck and ear detection, as well as other special features that could put the likes of Bose and Sony on notice.

The report comes from 9to5Mac, which cites multiple sources in laying out all the ways the AirPods Studio will stand out from other devices in Apple's quest to offer the best noise cancelling headphones.

So what's the neck detection? The tech will be used to work out when the AirPods Studios have been taken off so whatever’s being played through them will then be automatically paused. 

And if the headphones have been taken off momentarily and left to rest on the wearer’s neck, the detection system will notice this and will also pause the audio feed rather than automatically shut the headphones off. This means once the person puts the AirPods Studio back on, they can immediately carry on with what they are listening to rather than restart the music. 

The AirPods Studio will also reportedly offer left and right ear detection, which means you probably won't have to worry about putting the headphones on the wrong way. The AirPods Studio will detect which way they are sitting on a person’s head and route audio channels to the correct ears regardless. 

Unlike the AirPods Pro, the AirPods Studio may offer custom equalizer settings when paired with an iOS device or MacBook. You'll have the option of low, medium and high frequency adjustments. 

Previously, Bloomberg reported that Apple’s new headphones will feature swappable ear pads, allowing owners to “customize their headphones like they do with Apple Watch.” 

All of these features could help the AirPods Studio stand apart from other over-ear headphones. And when Apple is looking to enter an area with the likes of the excellent Bose 700 headphones and Sony WH-1000XM3 and Microsoft's new Surface Headphones, it will need to have some tricks up its sleeve with the AirPods Studio. 

The AirPods Studio may be released on or before June 22, which is when Apple will kick off its virtual WWDC 2020 event. The starting price is expected to be $349, which is $50 less than the list price for the Bose 700. 

Roland Moore-Colyer
Roland Moore-Colyer

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.