New AirPods are finally coming, and could borrow a huge Pro feature

AirPods 2 earbuds
AirPods 2 earbuds (Image credit: iMore)

If you've been looking for a reason to upgrade your AirPods, Apple hasn't really given you any for a while.

The current lineup has the base-level AirPods which are almost five years old, while the AirPods Max (as much as I adore them) are from late 2020. Thankfully, Apple could finally be gearing up to introduce new models to its earbud lineup.

That's courtesy of the Power On newsletter from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who says that while "the mid-tier model has fallen far behind the capabilities of the Pro version", change is on the horizon.

Non-Pro AirPods with ANC?

"Fortunately, an [AirPods] overhaul remains on track. The new models will both look similar, but the mid-tier one will get active noise cancellation for the first time," Gurman says about this year's lineup of AirPods.

"Everything appears to still be a go for this fall, with a third-generation version of the AirPods Pro not coming until later."

So, if you're looking to grab some noise-canceling earbuds without splashing the cash on the (admittedly excellent) AirPods Pro Second Generation, you might be able to save some cash later this year.

For more on AirPods, be sure to check out why my colleague Joe is ditching Apple's audio brand entirely and reaching for a pair of Beats instead.

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Lloyd Coombes
Contributor

Lloyd Coombes is a freelance writer with a specialism in Apple tech. From his first, hand-me-down iMac, he’s been working with Apple products for over a decade, and while he loves his iPhone and Mac, the iPad will always have his heart for reasons he still can’t quite fathom. Since moving from blogging to writing professionally, Lloyd’s work can be found at TechRadar, Macworld, TechAdvisor and plenty more. He’s also the Editor in Chief at GGRecon.com, and on the rare occasion he’s not writing you’ll find him spending time with his son, or working hard at the gym (while wearing an Apple Watch, naturally). You can find him on Twitter @lloydcoombes.