Apple isn’t expected to bring other hardware or design changes to the next AirPods Pro besides swapping the Lightning port for a USB-C one.
That’s according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who expects the first USB-C AirPods to be announced next week at Apple’s iPhone 15 event.
While Apple will ditch the Lightning port found on the AirPods charging case for USB-C to comply with the new regulation in the European Union, that’s the only change the company will make to the AirPods lineup this year.
Refreshed AirPods models featuring a redesigned look and enhanced hardware capabilities are not expected to arrive until 2024.
USB-C AirPods won’t have other changes
Having previously learned that Apple will unveil its first USB-C AirPods at the upcoming iPhone 15 “Wonderlust” event on September 12, Gurman wrote in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg that the first AirPods model to get USB-C will be the AirPods Pro. Those could be followed by USB-C variants of the regular AirPods and the flagship $549 AirPods Max over-ear headphones.
Even though AirPods won’t gain any new hardware changes or new looks this year, iOS 17 will give the AirPods Pro some love soon with software improvements like the new Conversation Awareness, Personalized Volume and Adaptive Audio features, as well as the ability to mute and mute yourself on calls.
However, the AirPods Max, Apple’s most expensive headphones, may receive more than just USB-C in the next refresh. The $549 headphones are based on Apple’s outdated headphone chip, which doesn’t support almost any of the new AirPods features in iOS 17. These headphones are ripe for a refresh, and equipping them just with USB-C won’t make much sense, we’re afraid.