AirPods Pro have switched to shipping with Apple’s MagSafe charging case in the box

Apple is now selling AirPods Pro with its new MagSafe wireless charging case in the box instead of the previous non-MagSafe one, with the earbuds price unchanged at $249 a pop.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • AirPods Pro now ship with Apple’s new MagSafe charging case in the box
  • The old AirPods Pro charging case is no longer available to purchase
  • The new MagSafe charging case works with Qi chargers like the old one
  • Qi doesn’t support magnetic alignment and faster MagSafe charging

A still from Apple's video advertisement promoting the AirPods Pro earbuds

AirPods Pro now ship with the new MagSafe charging case

Apple has quietly made the change to its online store, noting that the existing $249 AirPods Pro now ship with the new MagSafe wireless charging case instead of the old one. Going forward, new AirPods Pro purchases will ship with a MagSafe charger thrown into the box.

From the official AirPods Pro description pulled from the online Apple store:

AirPods Pro with the MagSafe Charging Case deliver more than 24 hours of battery life. When it’s time to charge, just set the case down on your MagSafe charger, or a wireless charging mat, and let it charge. And when you’re away from a wireless charger, you can use the Lightning port to charge.

The refreshed AirPod lineup now looks as follows:

  • AirPods 2 with a wired charging case: $129
  • AirPods 3 with a MagSafe charging case: $179
  • AirPods Pro with a MagSafe charging case: $249
  • AirPod Max with a wireless charging case: $549

Does the regular AirPods Pro wireless charging case support MagSafe?

In a word, yes.

MagSafe is a wireless charging standard developed by Apple and based on the industry-standard called Qi. Any non-MagSafe device that supports the Qi protocol, like your typical Android phone, can be safely recharged using a MagSafe charger at standard Qi speeds. In that scenario, you lose MagSafe benefits like faster charging and magnetic alignment.

A closeup of a young male's face wearing AirPods Pro in their ears

So to answer your question, yes you can recharge the standard (non-MagSafe) charging case that came with your AirPods Pro via a MagSafe charger. The case will be recharging at standard Qi speeds, and it won’t automatically snap in place because it doesn’t have magnets, but at least it’ll work. Read: Tips for using your AirPods Pro like a pro

For the sake of clarity and completeness, we should point out that the non-MagSafe wireless charging case is compatible with the first and second-generation AirPods. The MagSafe charger was introduced alongside the newly-introduced AirPods 3 model so it goes without saying that those earbuds ship with this new MagSafe charger in the box.

Apple has also discounted the second-generation AirPods now that AirPods 3 are available, bringing the price down to $129 from $159. At the same time, the first and second-generation AirPods are no longer available to purchase bundled with a wireless charging case.

As mentioned earlier, Apple’s regular wireless charging case for the first and second-generation AirPods remains available as a standalone item for $79 a pop. Apple currently does not offer the new MagSafe wireless charging case separately.