AirPods Pro 2 is already a year old and many are waiting for a new generation of Apple’s best wireless headphones. What do we know about what these new AirPods Pro 3 can bring? We will tell you then.
Hint
New design
The AirPods 2 weren’t a major design change from Apple’s first generation of True Wireless earbuds. The changes are barely noticeable in the charging case, which now includes a small metal hook to attach a wrist strap or neck strap. This was something that before we could only achieve using protective cases that included this type of hook, but now we can do it directly with the original case.
In the first version of these new headphones we also have several holes next to the Lightning connector to be able to emit an audible sound when we use the “Find my AirPods” function, thanks to the fact that this new version is integrated with the search for Apple. network, and we can locate them easily with our iPhone, in addition to receiving notifications when we leave them behind. Recently a new update changed the Lightning connector to a USB-C connectorwhich is also not very noticeable aesthetically.
Mark Gurman assured that the new AirPods Pro 3 will feature a major redesign. No further details are given on the changes that can be seen in these new headphones. Presumably, Apple will keep the iconic design with the “stem” that runs down from the earbuds and also serves to house the touch controls and connectors for charging them in the case. They will also be “in-ear” headphones, the kind that are inserted into the ear canal with silicone pads to improve sound insulation from the outside. The case will also have a new design, but we don’t know anything else.
Sound quality
It’s curious that none of Apple’s headphones support “lossless” audio. Even though Apple Music has supported this type of sound for some time, Apple users cannot enjoy it with their headphones. New AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C case supports lossless audio, but only as long as they are used with the Apple Vision Pro, thanks to the H2 chip which has been modified to run at 5GHz (the original H2 runs at 2.4GHz). This could be a first step indicating that Apple’s next headphones will support high-definition audio when used with the iPhone.
New H3 chip
The H2 chip is responsible for the “magic” of AirPods Pro 2. Automatic device switching, adaptive audio, and variable noise cancellation are the most notable features of these earbuds and the H2 chip is responsible for all of this. With the renewed USB-C version, this chip has been improved to support lossless audio with the Vision Pro, and The new generation to be launched this year should bring a new H3 processor faster, more powerful and more efficient.
A new processor means new features, including some related to health monitoring, in addition to greater battery life and, hopefully, better sound quality. It should also improve automatic volume change, conversation detection, and variable noise cancellation based on ambient sound.
Health Monitoring
Apple has already added health-related features to its headphones. At the moment they are limited to hearing health, controlling the volume of the sound we hear and letting us know if it is considered too loud to avoid damaging our hearing. Rumors assure that Apple will continue to influence our hearing with AirPods, with the possibility of using them even to improve hearing deficits. But it will also enter other aspects of our health with the incorporation of a temperature sensor.
The Apple Watch already includes this measurement with the aim of helping to better understand a woman’s reproductive cycle, but in the ear the temperature measurement is much more reliable and could be used not only to know the variations of temperature but also know the real body temperature, making it possible to detect, for example, fever. We will have to see the usefulness of this measure in an accessory that we do not always wear, unlike a watch, but Apple always surprises us with truly imaginative features. There has been a lot of talk about a heart rate sensor, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards at the moment.
Release date
The first generation of AirPods Pro was launched in October 2019, and it took three years to renew them with the AirPods Pro 2, launched in September 2022. A year later, the 2nd generation AirPods Pro with USB-C been launched. Perhaps the arrival of the AirPods Pro 3 will not take place until 2025, although many want Apple to bring forward the launch to 2024, in particular because of the question of lossless audio. If I had to make a bet, By 2024, I expect AirPods Max, and by 2025 AirPods Pro 3.
Table of Contents
