It's no secret that the long-awaited AirPods Pro 2 Bluetooth headphones will look almost exactly like the current version, but according to a new leak, the charging case may not.
Not only will you get some relatively subtle design updates, but also some amazing new audio features.
According to 52Audio, which appears to be describing a wealth of details from what could be Apple's own internal documents, the AirPods Pro 2 will offer all the features of the current model but, as expected, add more health-related abilities, including Heart rate and temperature sensors. The report offers no new details on how these features might work, though it does touch on what an upgraded H1 chip could be to support these features and many others.
The most interesting rumors revolve around the audio enhancement of the case. That's right, according to 52Audio, the AirPods Pro case has microphones at the bottom, on either side of the Lightning (or USB-C) port. The microphones can be designed to pick up ambient sound and stream it directly to the AirPods Pro 2 earphones for an enhanced listening experience.
There are some other interesting potential changes, though fewer earpieces... err... deafening, like a new speaker hole that works with Apple's Find My to play sound when you try to locate the case. AirPods can already do this.
There's also a new cutout on the side of the case that appears to be designed to support the introduction of an AirPods Pro case cable.
Most of these design changes match up with previous leaks, though the latest rumors offer a bit more context on how the AirPods pro 2 might use these features.
(*2*)Listen to me, maybeOf course, these are just rumours. Apple has yet to confirm the existence of AirPods Pro 2, although it's highly likely that Apple will come up with an update for this extremely popular audio product.
Adding headphone capabilities not only to the AirPods Pros, but also to the case makes a lot of sense. For Apple, wearables are natural health devices. Most of the big Apple Watch updates have revolved around monitoring and motivating health and fitness.
We'd be surprised if the AirPods Pro 2 didn't include heart-rate tracking, as the current model is already sweat resistant and intended to be a companion for walking and working out.
Are we upset because we don't have a new look? Not really, especially if the next generation can make a big difference in the way we listen to the world around us.
While you wait for what Apple brings next, check out this comparison of the best spatial audio devices.