Apple AirPods Pro 3 Just Days Away With Design Upgrades, Report Claims

The next Apple special event is almost upon us. On Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific, the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park will see new products unveiled. Of course, the biggest name on the bill will be iPhone, but recent rumors have suggested that new AirPods could be on their way, too. Here’s what’s been leaked about the look of the earbuds.

A pair of Apple AirPods Pro wireless headphones, taken on November 5, 2019. (Photo by Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Future Publishing via Getty Images

It seems the new release will be Apple AirPods Pro 3 — the timing seems possible as AirPods Pro 2 were announced three years ago, on Sept. 7, 2022. That said, some reports have merely suggested that the new earbuds will arrive this year, so they could come later than Sept. 9’s keynote.

A new report touches on how the design of the next AirPods will differ. For a start, a report from serial leaker Majin Bu asserts, the charging case will be different.

Previously, it had been thought the case would be noticeably different from the current one, perhaps looking more like the AirPods 4 case, which is a different shape.

However, Majin Bu suggests that the new case will “appear almost identical,” with, “no significant changes in the dimensions.”

What will be different — and here it will be more like the AirPods 4 case — is that the physical pairing button on the back of the case will be removed.

“In its place, new touch controls will be introduced on the front of the case, similar to those on the AirPods 4,” the report says.

The capacitive controls will mean “users will be able to perform intuitive gestures, such as tapping to quickly pair the earbuds with an iPhone or other iOS device or to manage basic functions like music playback and volume control,” Majin Bu goes on.

The other element on the case, the lanyard loop, will remain and may work with the new Crossbody Strap reported to be on the way for the iPhone.

The strap may suggest that Sept. 9 is AirPods Pro 3 time as it would make sense for the accessory to be declared compatible for both.

The report makes no mention of how the new AirPods Pro 3 might work differently. Othe recent reports have suggested a new chip which may support heart rate monitoring, already found on Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.