What you need to know
- Apple reportedly plans to bring a new version of its AirPods Pro without noise-canceling to market next year.
- This rumor could very well refer to a regular model of AirPods.
A new report says Apple is developing a pair of 'AirPods Pro lite' headphones without noise-canceling for release next year.
Apple will launch a Lite version of its Airpods Pro wireless earphones without noise-canceling feature in the first half of 2021, TheElec has learned.A South Korean material supplier is currently developing a system-in-package (SiP) with Airpods' H1 chip.The SiP used for H1 chip in the regular Airpods Pro was round shaped like a mouse. The SiP for the H1 chip in the Lite version will be a simple square shape. The supplier will go through Apple's quality review within the year and begin mass production next year.
The report said AirPods Pro lite could be 20% cheaper than regular AirPods Pro, so around the $200 mark.
The report said these were supposed to be launched in October of last year, but Apple canceled them as AirPods Pro sold much better than expected. The report now says Apple will revive the design in order to increase AirPods sales next year. The report reiterates these will be the same shape and fit as AirPods Pro, but will not feature active noise cancellation.
Apply supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously reported Apple will release new AirPods with a Pro design in 2021, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously stated that AirPods Pro 'lite' simply means regular AirPods:
This “AirPods Pro Lite” rumor is odd. A simple passing mention in a Digitimes story gaining traction. AirPods Pro Lite = regular AirPods of course. Next rumor: iPhone 12 Pro Lite.This “AirPods Pro Lite” rumor is odd. A simple passing mention in a Digitimes story gaining traction. AirPods Pro Lite = regular AirPods of course. Next rumor: iPhone 12 Pro Lite.— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) February 12, 2020February 12, 2020
It could well be that these rumored AirPods are actually Apple's regular AirPods, redesigned to look like AirPods Pro, rather than a dumbed-down version of the current Pro version.
