AirPods: New Pros, 5th Generation, plus new H-Chip
Apple is apparently working on all series of its mobile audio devices. Some of them could hit the market quite quickly.
Person exercising with AirPods Pro 3.
(Image: Apple)
Following the delivery of the AirPods Pro 3, Apple is working on the next generation of its audio devices. This includes a successor to the AirPods 4, a new sound chip, and whether a fourth generation of AirPods Pro will be released concurrently. Furthermore, the AirPods Max 2 appear to be on the list, though when is unclear.
Second Generation of AirPods Pro 3: Temperature Measurement
As the Bloomberg business news agency reported over the weekend, Apple is already working on a new variant of the AirPods Pro. Previously, there were indications that a type of AirPods Pro 3 2G could appear as early as the first quarter of 2026. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, this new version is said to be similar to the current model but will also include an infrared camera for gesture detection for the first time. The control via pressing the “stems” of the AirPods Pro 3 would then possibly be omitted. However, it is unclear whether the cameras will also be suitable for taking pictures.
Bloomberg's report does not provide details on this. Apple already sells two model variants of an AirPods generation with the AirPods 4—with and without active noise cancellation (ANC). Apple is apparently also working on AirPods 5, whose predecessors were released in September 2024. Both the variants with and without ANC are reportedly being updated. Features like the new heart rate sensor in the AirPods Pro 3 are reportedly not landing in the AirPods 5. A temperature measurement is reportedly planned for a later variant of the Pro models.
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H3 Chip and More AI
Apple is also building a new audio chip called H3 with “less latency and better audio quality,” according to Bloomberg. Recently, some users complained about the changed sound profile of the AirPods Pro 3. Furthermore, Apple wants to make its AirPods more and more into AI devices. Currently, you can only summon Siri with the earbuds, which is known to have little to do with current chatbots from Anthropic and Co.
Bloomberg does not mention the AirPods Max 2 in its report. For these, it remains unclear whether and when Apple will make an update. It was recently said that the product line is not in sufficient demand to dedicate enough resources to it. This is rather unfortunate for fans of the devices, some of whom are already seeking alternatives.
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