Even though they aren’t officially real, a lot depends on the Apple AirPods Pro 2. That’s because there are a lot of great wireless earbuds with good sound and noise cancellation on the market.
The next-generation “pro” earbuds will come after the AirPods 3, and they should also improve on the current AirPods Pro. We hope that the AirPods Pro 2 will have some of the improvements we want and become some of the best wireless earbuds you can buy soon. At least one editor at Tom’s Guide is more excited about the AirPods Pro 2 than the iPhone 14.
The Google Pixel Buds Pro and Samsung’s new noise-cancelling true wireless earbud flagship are also putting more pressure on Apple. Our full review of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2 shows that the tech competitor has made big performance improvements and features with its latest earbuds. Apple will have to make big improvements when it announces the AirPods Pro 2, which is widely expected to happen at the rumoured Apple Event early next month.
But we have a strong feeling that the new AirPods Pro 2 will come out within the next month or two. It’s still not clear if Apple will show off the AirPods Pro 2 in September or at a different, unannounced event sometime in October. The date of the reveal is still up in the air.
What about these Apple AirPods makes them different from other headphones? Here’s everything we know about the AirPods Pro 2, like when they might come out, how much they might cost, what their technical specs are, and more.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 latest news
- A document found in the Bluetooth SIG products database suggests that Apple will soon add support for Bluetooth 5.2 and LE Audio to the AirPods Pro 2.
- Mark Gurman of Bloomberg says that Apple will hold an event on September 7 to introduce the iPhone 14.
- Mark Gurman said that the AirPods Pro 2 would not have sensors for temperature or heart rate, which may make some people unhappy.
- A supposed leak has shown that the AirPods Pro 2 will have several new features. One of these is adaptive active noise reduction.
- A new source says that the design of the AirPods Pro 2 might not get rid of the stems after all. Instead, it might look a lot like the design of the current model.
AirPods Pro 2 release date expected
The iPhone 14 is expected to come out on September 16, 2022, according to the latest rumor. This could mean that Apple will also release the AirPods Pro 2 at the same time as several other products.
Apple’s next-generation “pro” AirPods could steal the show because they feature the “largest advance” in years for wireless earbuds: cutting-edge technology that cancels out background noise.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that mass production of the AirPods Pro 2 will start in the second half of the year. If this prediction turns out to be true, it would back up the idea that the next-generation AirPods will come out in the fall.
What we want from the Apple AirPods Pro 2
Even though the AirPods Pro 2 won’t be out for a while, it’s not a bad idea to start making a list of features you’d like to see in the product in the meantime. Some suggestions have come from ideas that can be found on the internet, but we don’t think Apple will ever use them because the company rarely listens to customer feedback. Well, why not? You never know. Check out some of the things we hope the AirPods Pro 2 will offer.
Adjustable active noise cancellation: Apple says that the AirPods Pro’s noise cancellation changes 220 times per second. There’s a lot of moving around and drinking going on right there. It would be very helpful if the AirPods Pro 2 had an adjustable ANC feature. This would let customers change the ANC levels by hand and save battery life when set below the maximum level.
Sounds that can be changed and have a high resolution Some of the best wireless earbuds come with a companion app that lets the user create their sound profile by manually changing the frequency levels with an equalizer. The name for this kind of sound is “high-resolution sound.”
It’s one of the most important selling points for models like the Sony WF-1000XM4 and the Jabra Elite Active 75t that compete with it. It’s not necessary to have support for aptX HD or even LDAC if you want to listen to high-resolution audio files, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. This is especially true when you consider that low-cost and less well-known models, like the Edifier NeoBuds Pro, do support LDAC.
The “Digital Crown” on the AirPods Max is like the “Digital Crown” on the Apple Watch, which is a popular way to control the watch. This function is used to give precise control over the volume, manage playback, and turn on Siri. It would be cool if the AirPods Pro had something like this in their design, maybe at the bottom of each stem.
Extra accessories: If the AirPods Pro taught us anything, it’s that the ear tips make all the difference when it comes to getting the perfect fit. Apple still sells the first-generation Pro as a sporty model, so adding wingtips and ear hooks to the AirPods 2 would convince Apple fans that the AirPods 2 were made with fitness in mind.
Better battery life: Right now, we can think of at least ten other wireless ANC earbuds that can play music for longer than the AirPods Pro. It just so happens that the Sony WF-1000XM4 (8 hours) and the Master & Dynamic MW08 are two of the most formidable competitors to the AirPods Pro (10 hours) (10 hours). If Apple was able to increase the battery life of the AirPods from 3 to 6 hours, there’s no reason they couldn’t do the same with the AirPods Pro 2.
Performance that doesn’t depend on the platform underneath it: With the Beats Studio Buds, Apple showed that it can make a set of wireless earbuds that work with both iOS and macOS devices as well as Android smartphones. This was made possible by a processor that was made just for the Studio Buds, but we don’t know how it works. Considering how many people use Android, it seems like a no-brainer that Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 should work just as well on all supported operating systems.
The idea site Tech Blood gave this information and made a picture of the AirPods Pro 2 with a Retina HD Display right on the front of the charging case. If you open a new tab in your browser, you can find this information. In a nutshell, the case can act as a compass, let you control what’s playing, and lock your AirPods to an iPhone. The screen would also be able to show the time, how many calls are coming in, and how much power is left. We’ll be happy to take it!
Support for charging by induction in reverse The iPhone 12 could be used to charge Apple’s MagSafe battery packs by inductive charging in the opposite direction. Now that the AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro (2021 edition) comes with MagSafe charging cases, it’s time for Apple to do a Samsung and let customers charge their wireless earbuds on their new iPhones.
Higher IPX rating: At an IPX4 level, the AirPods Pro has been tested and proven to be resistant to water and sweat. In the meantime, competing products like the OnePlus Buds Pro (IP55) and the Bowers & Wilkins PI5 (IP54) protect against more environmental dangers. Even the just-rumoured OnePlus Buds Z are said to have IP55 protection against water and dust. The same thing should happen with the AirPods Pro 2.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 possible price
At the time they came out, the original AirPods Pro was the most expensive pair of wireless earbuds, with a suggested retail price of $249. Apple is unlikely to lower the price of the AirPods since they are still selling well and there are already a lot of deals on them. In these tough economic times, it’s great that Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 3 and Bowers & Wilkins’ Px7 S2 headphones came out this year with lower prices or the same prices as their predecessors.
The Twitter leaker @LeakApplePro thinks that the price of the AirPods Pro 2 will be the same as the price of the first version. This supports our theory.
If big changes are made, Apple may feel obligated to raise the price by $25 or $50. Overall, though, it looks like the news that Apple would keep the price of the AirPods Pro 2 at $249 is true. Even more so if Apple decides to lower the price of the first AirPods Pro to make up for the price difference.
Apple has taken this approach with the AirPods 3. They cost $179, which is a small increase from the previous model’s price of $159, but this time they come with a wireless charging case, which used to cost an extra $40 if you bought it separately.
Apple has also lowered the price of the AirPods 2 to $129, so it seems likely that it will do the same with the Pro line. By keeping the price of the new model close to that of the old one, the price of the old model will go down. Apple has lowered the price of the AirPods 2 as well. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks that Apple will stop making the AirPods Pro when it releases the AirPods Pro 2, but all of this information shows that he is wrong.
There have also been rumours that Apple may make an AirPods Pro model for people who don’t have a lot of money. This version would be called AirPods Pro Lite, and it would cost $199 when it went on sale at a date that hasn’t been set yet. Because the Lite edition is less expensive, likely, it won’t have all of the high-end features that come with the full version.
Check out our page about Apple Store coupons to find out about the latest discounts and deals.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 charging case and battery
As of right now, we don’t know how long the battery life of the AirPods Pro 2 will be. All we have to go on are rumours and the fact that the battery life of the first generation of AirPods wasn’t very good.
The AirPods 3 are rated to last 5 hours on a single charge, while the AirPods Pro is rated to last 4.5 hours (6 hours). There’s no reason to think it will change in any way. Depending on the specs, playtimes might even get shorter. However, LeaksApplePro says that the model will have “improved battery life,” whatever that might mean. You can also expect that the wireless charging case will not change in any way after twenty-four hours of play.
iOS 14 did add new settings, like notifications and Optimized Battery Charging, to help manage the battery better. The last one is a feature that learns your charging habits and only charges the battery to 100% when it’s needed. This keeps the battery from getting old too quickly.
There isn’t much information about the charging case for the AirPods Pro 2 right now, but some rumours have started to spread. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, for example, thinks that the case “can emit a sound for users to track,” which would be helpful if you lost the whole case but less so if you only lost the buds. If you lost the whole case, this would help, but if you only lost the buds, it wouldn’t be as helpful.
Patently Apple found another patent for noise-cancelling headphones that showed a new “bistable hinge” for a future version of the headphones. Someone else saw this patent. This would make a way to close the door that is both stronger and more reliable. It would involve using some kind of part (like a cap) that snaps into place to keep the lid tightly shut. If what has been said is true, then it is almost certain that this version will not be in the box with the first-generation AirPods Pro. On the other hand, Apple might be saving it for a future model that won’t be called the AirPods Pro 2.
Apple has made a new smart cover for its over-ear AirPods Max headphones. When the headphones are taken out of the case, they go into low-power mode. At the moment, it’s not clear if the AirPods Pro 2 will have a hard case option or not.
Since it’s already on the brand-new AirPods 3, Apple will likely put MagSafe charging on the AirPods Pro 2 as well. MacRumors, which will open in a new tab, says that this version will have IPX4 sweat and water resistance, which no AirPods charging case has yet.
Kuo says that Apple won’t get rid of the Lightning connector on its AirPods until after the release of the AirPods Pro 2, which wouldn’t happen until at least 2023. Unfortunately, this means that the analyst also thinks that the AirPods Pro 2 will still use the Lightning connector. This would make it different from rivals like Samsung and Sony, which both use the USB-C standard.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 design
Bloomberg has said in the past that the AirPods Pro 2 may have a whole new design that gets rid of the stems. But MacRumors has heard another rumour that the design of the AirPods Pro 2 will be very similar to the design of the AirPods Pro that is already on the market.
Fairly, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has said that putting noise-cancelling, wireless antennas, and microphones in such a small space “may lead to a less ambitious design when the device is finished.”
Mac Otakara has given us more details about how the AirPods Pro 2 headphones are made (opens in new tab). The website is based in Japan and has links to supply chains and accessory makers in Asia. It says that this model’s charging case will be smaller. The height is 46 millimetres, the width is 54 millimetres, and the thickness is 21 millimetres.
According to rumours, the first photos of the AirPods Pro 2 showed that their design was similar to that of the first generation of AirPods. But the case would be changed in a few other ways, such as by adding holes for speakers on the bottom and a hole for a lanyard.
A later tweet from Mr White (opens in a new tab) suggests that the AirPods Pro 2 may come in two different sizes (opens in a new tab). Since this account doesn’t have the best history, it will be interesting to see if this rumour is true.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 specs and features
People have thought that the AirPods Pro 2 would put a lot more focus on their use in the fitness industry by adding better sensors and functions for tracking activity.
It’s still not clear exactly what these features are, but they may be similar to how the Soul Blade earbuds track pulse rate or how the Amazon Echo Buds 2 can track steps, distance, time, calories, and speed when used in “Workout” mode.
Kevin Lynch, an Apple executive, has said that future versions of AirPods might be able to track your fitness. Lynch didn’t talk about the AirPods Pro 2 or any other model by name, but he did say that there were “all kinds of opportunities” for the AirPods to use sensor fusion. This makes it possible to combine data from two sets of sensors, like those in an iPhone and an Apple Watch, to make tracking more accurate.
Since the current AirPods Pro already have gyroscopes and accelerometers, it’s not hard to see how Apple’s sensor fusion technology could be added to the next generation of AirPods Pro. It would also work well with new features like the walking stability feature that were added in iOS 15.
We don’t know much else about the AirPods Pro 2, but based on past rumours and speculations, it seems likely that the new buds will have a lot of the same features as the old ones.
This includes improvements to the transparency mode to warn users of nearby dangers, voice recognition that can stop playback in certain situations, bone conduction technology, support for third-party app developers, and compatibility with the Apple AirTag to make it easier to find lost AirPods.
Apple has applied for a patent that talks about how future AirPods might be able to figure out who is using them by looking at the shape of their ear canal.
Apple announced several upgrades to its current AirPods models at WWDC 2021. At least some of these upgrades are likely to include the AirPods Pro 2 as standard equipment. The features range from better support for “Find My” to a mode called “Conversation Boost” which is made to help people with mild hearing loss.
When iOS 15 came out in September, it added some new features to the first AirPods Pro, which are likely to be carried over to the second pair. These include Announce Notifications for audible reminders, Conversation Boost to hear voices better during chats, and extended spatial audio support (if needed) for Apple TV and Mac.
You can also expect many features that were first added in iOS 14, such as automatic switching, support for Dolby Atmos, and spatial audio that gives listeners a theatre-like experience. You should also keep an eye on Headphones Accommodation, which lets you change the frequency and amplify the sound, and Hearing Health, which tells users if they’re listening to music too loud.
Apple just bought the streaming service Primephonic, which plays classical music. This should give fans of classical music a more immersive listening experience. No one knows if this will work with spatial sound. What is known is that Apple Music subscribers will be able to access Primephonic content and playlists. They will also be able to browse and search Apple Music better by composer and repertoire.
Also, the sound quality could improve greatly, according to leaker Leaks. apple has said that the AirPods Pro 2 could have the “biggest innovation” in years, which would be a lossless audio codec that would let the earbuds play music in better quality. This is further supported by a filing found in the Bluetooth SIG products database, which could mean big changes for future Apple products. The specification includes support for LE Audio and several improvements to how Bluetooth handles wireless audio streaming, which could be especially helpful for any future AirPods models.
LeaksApplePro also says that the AirPods Pro 2 will have “state-of-the-art noise cancellation technology.” With each new generation of headphones on our best headphones list, ANC technology has gotten better, so we’re interested to see where Apple takes this, but the leaker didn’t give us any more information.
The AirPods Pro 2 might get “self-adaptive” active noise cancellation, according to a recent “leak.” This could be the upgrade that other rumours have talked about. And it looks like new ear tips will help active noise cancellation work better. The first could be a more advanced version of ANC that uses smart processing to better filter out unwanted noise but let in some other sounds, like people’s voices when they are talking to you or emergency sirens. This is just a guess on our part, though.
It’s also possible that Apple changes the adaptive EQ. Add the Ear Tip Fit Test to the list, too. This is a new feature on the AirPods Pro that helps you find the best way to wear them to get the best sound.
Even though the driver side of the AirPods Pro 2 wouldn’t come close to that of the AirPods Max (40mm), Apple could be working its magic to give these next-generation AirPods a custom acoustic design that improves the sound. It’s also possible that Apple makes small changes to the adaptive EQ.
We can also guess that the AirPods Pro 2 will probably be powered by the H1 chip. If so, at least you know what’s coming: better audio latency, battery management (50 per cent more talk time), and connectivity, as well as hands-free “Hey Siri” support and Audio Share, which lets you listen to music on two sets of AirPods or Beats headphones from one audio source.
What’s new or hasn’t been talked about much? Let’s see. One report from DigiTimes (opens in a new tab) says that the AirPods Pro 2 could have biometric sensors. When paired with other parts, this would make it possible to add new health-related features, such as a step counter, motion detection, and heart rate monitoring. We’d also like the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro to be able to measure the temperature of the buds when you pinch them.
This report is also supported by a tweet from LeaksApplePro, which says that Apple will add ambient light sensors to the AirPods Pro 2. Other wireless earbuds, like the original Gear IconX from Samsung, have used the same kind of sensors to track heart rate. But because they use so much power, they seem to have lost popularity in recent years.
But a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a reliable source on Apple tech, says that the AirPods Pro 2 won’t have temperature and heart-rate sensors.
“Over the past few months, there have been rumours that this year’s model will be able to tell the wearer’s heart rate or body temperature,” Gurman said. “I’ve been told that neither of these features is likely to be part of the 2022 update, but both have been looked into by the company and could come someday.”
Then there is this patent that was found by Patently Apple. It shows that Apple is working on a new way to navigate that builds on the force sensor controls of the AirPods Pro. It suggests using capacitive sensors on the device that, when tapped, turn on a mode that lets you make gestures in the air. This would make different things happen, which could probably be set up or changed in the settings.
Another patent application says that future AirPods could have technology that can tell who is using them by the shape of their ear canal. There’s no sign that this will be added to the AirPods Pro 2, but if it did, it would be a cool feature. Also, it would stop someone from using Siri on your AirPods to get information from your phone, which could be a security risk.