Just a few weeks after launching the highly lauded AirPods Pro 3, we’re now getting word that Apple is already working on the next generation of its popular wireless earbuds. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the next iteration of AirPods Pro will be powered by the next-gen H3 chip, providing users with crisper sound quality and lower latency. Lower latency would be particularly useful for the new Live Translation feature Apple introduced last month. It’s also plausible that the H3 chip will deliver improved noise cancellation capabilities. Recall that the H2 chip on AirPods Pro 2 canceled twice as much noise as the H1 chip on the original AirPods Pro.
At this point, it remains unclear if the new features Gurman references will be part of an official AirPods Pro 4 launch or if Apple will simply update the AirPods Pro 3 with a mild refresh. Either way, it’s clear that Apple has no plans to rest on its laurels and will continue iterating to ensure that AirPods Pro remains a best-in-class product.
Regular AirPods are also poised for an upgrade
Beyond the AirPods Pro, Apple is also said to be working on the vanilla AirPods 5. Apple introduced the AirPods 4 in 2024, so an upgrade to its entry-level AirPods line will presumably ship before we see the AirPods Pro 4. The wait-time between successive AirPods models is historically between two and four years, which is to say AirPods 5 might not arrive until 2026 at the absolute earliest. Feature-wise, Apple’s plans for AirPods 5 remain unclear. According to Gurman, Apple is working hard to add additional health features and sensors to the entirety of its AirPods line, including a temperature reader. Apple’s larger vision, however, is to bolster the device’s AI capabilities — an endeavor that might include “embedding cameras in the device.”
It’s worth noting that we’ve seen rumblings regarding Apple adding cameras to the AirPods line for some time now. How this might impact the user experience remains unclear, but it will supposedly be used in conjunction with Apple Intelligence features. Unsurprisingly, the heart rate sensor Apple introduced with this year’s AirPods Pro 3 will likely remain exclusive to the AirPods Pro line. This certainly makes sense given that Apple aims to maintain clear differentiation between its entry-level AirPods and the AirPods Pro.
