Apple is likely to expand the AirPods Pro line with another model: this year the company may show a «premium» version that will be sold in parallel with the current AirPods Pro 3 and will be more expensive than it.
Apple is likely to expand the AirPods Pro line with another model: this year the company may show a «premium» version that will be sold in parallel with the current AirPods Pro 3 and will be more expensive than it.
According to MacRumors, this is an atypical move for Apple: the company usually makes major hardware updates to the AirPods with a pause of about three years. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote in the fall of 2025 about a «more significant» update in 2026, and Chinese insider Instant Digital clarified that this may not be a new generation, but a separate, more expensive version of the AirPods Pro 3, which will remain on sale along with the regular model.
The main feature of this variant is said to be at least one miniature infrared camera. According to sources, it can help the headphones recognize hand gestures and more accurately adjust spatial sound, in particular in conjunction with the Apple Vision Pro headset. There is also talk that Apple may change the approach to control: some of the usual «squeezes» on the leg can be replaced by gestures.
A separate issue is hardware. MacRumors mentions that the next H3 audio chip is already in development, as previously reported by Bloomberg, while the AirPods Pro 3 is rumored to be based on the H2. This creates space for a more expensive model with a more tangible difference than just a new case or minor tweaks.
The exact timing of the announcement is not mentioned, but Apple usually shows new AirPods in the second half of the year, often during the fall iPhone presentation.
Apple already has a practice of «two versions» in one line, for example, AirPods 4 are sold in two configurations with different prices. Against the background of the fact that Bose, Bang & Olufsen and Bowers & Wilkins are more actively competing in the premium segment, the company can fill the niche between AirPods Pro and AirPods Max without removing the base model from the shelves.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how Apple introduced the new AirPods Pro 3 at the Awe Dropping event — updated premium wireless headphones with active noise cancellation. Here’s what we know about the new product.
