We're strongly expecting AirPods 4 to be unveiled at Apple's September 9th 2024 event alongside the iPhone 16 – and the new AirPods will supposedly come in two versions, including one that takes a lot of the features of the AirPods Pro 2.
But perhaps they won't have all the limelight to themselves: leaker Kosutami (who MacRumors notes has a good recent record) says that the AirPods Pro 3 will have "much better" active noise cancellation than the current version, and and will come "soon".
Considering that AirPods Pro 2 still rank among the best noise cancelling earbuds when it comes to sheer noise-blocking power, another leap forward could be… kind of bonkers, actually. I already had to do some retraining of my brain to get used to just how well the current AirPods Pro 2 silences low-frequency sounds, and they haven't been massively bettered by rivals in the two years since their launch.
Which is one of several reasons why I'm skeptical that "soon" means "at the event next month." Other reports have said AirPods Pro 3 are set for a 2025 release, and that tracks given that the original AirPods Pro were replaced after three years and the the current ones have only been around for two – and the current model got upgraded to include USB-C only last year.
However, there are also possible indicators that a new model is coming, and a few reasons why it could be logical to launch them now.
The two reasons Apple might launch AirPods Pro 3 now
The reasons Apple's wouldn't launch AirPods Pro 3 now are simple: the current model is too new and too popular still, and it would take the edge off the launch of the more affordable model.
But there are two things that make me think it could actually go ahead (on top of the fact that I predicted Apple wouldn't announce the USB-C AirPods Pro 2 in September last year and I was dead wrong, so I am sensibly questioning my instincts).
First is that AirPods Pro 2 have been hitting record-low prices – the USB-C model was selling for even cheaper than the Lightning model ever did over Prime Day, as was the AirPods 3 model that we're certain is being replaced, and I suspect that we'll see the same record-low AirPods prices over Labor Day.
It has the vibe of a stock clear-out ahead of the new model, and it'll definitely be hard for the new mid-range AirPods 4 model to sell well if everyone thinks that the AirPods Pro 2 will drop to a similar kind of price on Black Friday. So it would make sense that Apple is preparing to replace them all and to have a whole new pricing plan.
The second reason is around making the AirPods Pro stand out further from the regular model, and about making sure that AirPods Max 2 (also expected soon) feel high-end enough. Let's assume that Apple is planning to put the H2 chip that powers AirPods Pro 2 into AirPods 4, unlocking features such as Adaptive Transparency.
Presumably, an AirPods Max 2 that launches at the same time would also launch with the H2 chip. But we all think that AirPods Pro 3 are coming this time next year at the latest, which will surely have a more powerful H3 chip, and so AirPods Max will feel out of date alarmingly quickly when they should be Apple's flagship headphones for features given their price. The previous AirPods Max are nearly four years old, after all – can the new model really be in a position where they feel old fashioned after only one year at most?
So it may make sense to launch AirPods Pro 3 with a new H3 chip at the same time as everything else, to give us a clear hierarchy for the best AirPods: cheaper and mid-range AirPods 4 with the H2; then AirPods Pro 3 with the H3; and AirPods Max 2 with H3.
But this is all just me ranting at clouds about what seems like it should make sense. Apple has made plenty of surprising decisions about AirPods in the past that haven't stopped them from being the best-selling model among the best wireless earbuds on the planet. Why mess with a winning formula now.
If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on AirPods Pro 3 not appearing at the next event. I think they'll be a 2025 release. But I'd have lost that money on the same bet last year, and as mentioned above, there are good reasons to think Apple will do it. We'll find out soon.
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