Allison McDaniel
As Apple's second generation of AirPods Pro, these highly anticipated
earbuds are rumored to come out late 2022. If you're an audiophile and in
the market for a pair of new earbuds, you may want to wait for the AirPods
Pro 2 to be released.
Back in January, 9to5Mac discovered new information on the upcoming AirPods
Pro 2 from a note to investors. In it, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo describes his
take on the upcoming earbuds.
block quote
We expect Apple to launch AirPods Pro 2 in 4Q22 with new selling points,
including a new form factor design, support for Apple Lossless (ALAC)
format, and a charging case that can emit a sound for users to track. We are
optimistic about the demand for AirPods Pro 2 and estimate shipments will
reach 18-20 mn units in 2022.
block quote end
What would this look like? Let's dive in:
Lossless playback
Apple Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo projects the AirPods Pro 2 to features support
for Lossless audio. This would require some internal reworking of the
earbuds in order to work. Lossless audio is already in Apple Music, offering
higher quality audio than before. For many this feature won't be exciting,
but for those looking for the best audio experience out there on AirPods,
it'll be worth waiting for.
New form factor for AirPods Pro 2
There's been multiple speculations on what the new AirPods Pro may look
like. Kuo has noted the new earbuds will take on the look of the Beats Fit
Pro.
Unlike AirPods, the Beats Fit Pro have no stem and feature a wingtip design.
However, a leak from 52audio suggests the AirPods Pro 2 will keep its
similar style but have a redesigned case and there are two holes on the side
of the case.
It's possible its use is to play audio when using Find My to locate a lost
case. We expect the lightning port to remain on the new AirPods Pro as USB-C
is more likely to come in 2023 alongside the launch of the iPhone 15.
Health and fitness sensors
In addition to lossless and a new form factor, Kuo speculates that the
AirPods Pro 2 may include health and fitness sensors. Mark Gurman of
Bloomberg originally believed this as well. However, days ago, Gurman went
back on the belief, stating that we shouldn't expect to see any health
monitoring features on this year's AirPods Pro.
Rumors of AirPods Pro gaining health features swirled last year when Apple
and Cornell University released a study on how AirPods could be a tool to
monitor respiratory rate. The study uses breath audio from the microphones
of AirPods so medical professionals can use this data to assess overall
health and fitness.
While we aren't certain this will come to fruition, this would make for a
major bump in features from the original AirPods Pro.
Other changes to AirPods Pro 2
Confirmed by 9to5Mac sources, the next AirPods Pro are going to have the
next rendition of Apple's H1 chip. It's also been noted that the device
could have support for Bluetooth 5.2. With multiple new features and
upgrades, we expect to see a price increase with the AirPods Pro 2.
Currently, the first generation AirPods Pro sell for $250, but it wouldn't
be impossible for Apple to raise the price on these earbuds.
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