What you need to know
- Apple is rumored to have AirPods Pro 2 in the works for a Q4 2022 launch.
- Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the new AirPods Pro will support wireless audio.
- A new charging case is expected to come with a speaker for improved Find My location finding.
Apple's rumored AirPods Pro refresh will bring with it support for lossless audio as well as a new charging case that will support improved Find My functionality by making a sound when being located according to a new analyst research note.
In a note seen by iMore, Ming-Chi Kuo says that the updated AirPods Pro will feature support for Apple's lossless streaming format, dubbed ALAC. That would mark the first time that the format has gone wireless and will marry well with Apple Music's own lossless capabilities. Currently, the Bluetooth connection used by AirPods Pro isn't of sufficient bandwidth for lossless audio, suggesting that Apple will use a new type of connection type.
Alongside talk of the potential for new health features, Kuo also points to a redesigned charging case that will bring improved /Find My functionality. Specifically, it's thought that the charging case will gain a speaker for audible alerts when being located.
The same report puts all of this into a time window of the fourth quarter of 2022, meaning we'll be waiting a number of months before we can see whether this report is accurate.
If Apple does indeed manage to make lossless audio work with AirPods Pro, it's a safe bet that some sort of AirPods Max refresh will also be in the cards before the end of 2022, cementing their place as the best iPhone headphones you can buy.
