AirPods Pro 2 alleged first images just surfaced

AirPods Pro 2 alleged outset images but surfaced

(Prototype credit: MacRumors)

Could this be our beginning look at AirPods Pro 2? MacRumors has published images that purport to testify the 2nd generation of Apple's premium wireless earbuds, with a familiar looking design for the buds themselves, just some interesting twists for the charging case.

But the site is quite articulate that they come from a source "without an established runway record" with accuracy that can't exist verified. Given the AirPods Pro 2 are now tipped for a release in Q3 2022, maybe these images are somewhat accurate.

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Leaks from unexpected sources have come good in the past — most recently with the introduction of a notch on the 2021 MacBook Pros. All the same, you should probably care for these images as concept art rather than a guarantee of what's to come, especially as the presence of stems on the buds directly contradicts what Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said we should expect.

That study was from a year ago, of grade, and it'due south possible Apple has had a change of heart. In any case, MacRumors' source — who goes by the name of "Xerxes" and claims the images come from an "Apple internal source" — is adamant that the stems are here to stay.

Indeed, the only existent change for the buds themselves is the absence of an optical sensor. Given AirPods 3 switched from optical to peel-notice sensors, it's possible that AirPods Pro 2 will follow the same design road.

The main modify comes with the charging case: twin speaker holes, and the introduction of a metal loop for attaching a strap.

AirPods Pro 2 — (Prototype credit: MacRumors)

According to MacRumors' source, the addition of speaker holes isn't for tinnily listening to music and podcasts from the example itself, but considering Apple will be expanding its "Find My" characteristic to the example and buds independently of each other. The speakers are purely to play a audio to help you detect that missing case down the side of the burrow — so why 2 are needed is a bit of a mystery, unless it's more for symmetry than functionality.

The loop for attaching a strap is arguably more controversial. Apple hasn't seen the need to add a strap to AirPods before, and while it wouldn't exactly be unwelcome, it does make the instance design look a touch more busy, disrupting the minimalist aesthetic.

Still, with both these design changes making the AirPods Pro 2 case that flake harder to lose, it's possible that Apple is just responding to feedback from buyers. Tracking lost items has been something of a focus for the company since the introduction of AirTags earlier this yr, and this may only exist some other pace down that path.

So, treat these images with a caste of skepticism, but information technology will be a while before their accuracy is revealed. AirPods Pro ii is likely to be a 2022 product, especially as Apple has only just released the third-generation of its standard AirPods.

And when the earbuds arrive nosotros promise they have some of the upgrades we want to run across for the AirPods Pro 2.

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Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in betwixt. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are constitute all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When non weighing upwards the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his e'er-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.