What you need to know
- Third-generation AirPods will be called AirPods Pro.
- They'll come in up to eight colors, including Black and Midnight Green.
- They may cost around $259 and could be coming as early as next week.
Apple's next generation of AirPods, which many are dubbing "AirPods Pro," could be coming in as many as eight new colors, including White, Black, and Midnight Green. These finishes would match the iPhone 11 Pro models, according to a report from Economic Daily News.
While eight colors seems like a lot, it is not surprising considering the variety of color options that Beats come in, since Apple also owns those.
This report also claims that active noise cancellation and water resistance is coming in the AirPods Pro. This would also be consistent with an icon in iOS 13.2 beta that depicts in-ear AirPods with rubber ear tips.
The Economic Daily News report claims that these AirPods Pro could be officially revealed as early as next week. This would make it arrive in time for this year's holiday shopping season.
Since these AirPods Pro will probably have active noise cancellation and better sound quality, you can expect the price tag to be higher, with prices possibly starting at around $259. This would be $100 more than the current generation of AirPods with wired charging case. But this price is merely an estimate given from the supply chain reports.
Despite this report, it's important to take this all with a grain of salt. Economic Daily News has previously reported that Apple was planning to release AirPods in a black color, but the 2nd-generation AirPods were still only available in white. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg did say that Apple was planning on releasing 2nd-generation AirPods in 2018, but these were delayed. With this in mind, it could be possible that black and other colors were always meant for the 3rd-generation AirPods Pro with noise cancellation and water resistance.
With only a few more days left in October, an event this month is unlikely to happen at this point. With this new report, the AirPods Pro may be just a press release announcement, Apple may hold a never-before-seen November event, or these will be announced in the usual March event in 2020.
Christine Romero-Chan has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade at a variety of websites. She is currently the iMore lead on all things iPhone, and has been using Apple’s smartphone since the original iPhone back in 2007. While her main speciality is the iPhone, she also covers Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac when needed.
When she isn’t writing about Apple, Christine can often be found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as she is a passholder and obsessed with all things Disney, especially Star Wars. Christine also enjoys coffee, food, photography, mechanical keyboards, and spending as much time with her new daughter as possible.
