Apple has plans to launch two version of the AirPods Pro 3 during 2025 and 2026, claims a Weibo leaker.
On Sunday, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple will debut the AirPods Pro 3 this year. They could debut as soon as Tuesday at Apple’s “Awe Dropping” event.
Kuo added that Apple has plans to unveil a successor to this year’s model AirPods Pro during 2026. It should be noted that Apple traditionally waits around three years between major updates to AirPods hardware, although the current AirPods Pro 2 debuted in September 2022 and received an update in September 2023 that included a USB-C charging case.
Kuo said the 2026 AirPods Pro will boast a “more significant” hardware upgrade, which will be at least one tiny infrared camera. He previously said that the infrared camera component would be similar to the iPhone’s Face ID receiver and would provide an enhanced spatial audio experience with Apple’s Vision Pro headset.
“For example, when a user is watching a video with Vision Pro and wearing this new AirPods, if users turn their heads to look in a specific direction, the sound source in that direction can be emphasized to enhance the spatial audio/computing experience,” wrote Kuo.
Now, Chinese leaker “Instant Digital” (via MacRumors) says the 2026 AirPods Pro will be a high-end variant of the AirPods Pro 3 that will be unveiled this year, possibly as early as Tuesday’s “Awe Dropping” event. This suggests that both AirPods Pro 3 models will eventually be on sale alongside each other. Apple similarly offers two version of its AirPods 4 at $129 and $179 price points. The higher-priced version offers Active Noise Cancellation.
Apple is expected to unveil the AirPods Pro during Tuesday’s iPhone 17 event. They will likely feature the same heart monitoring feature that Apple debuted on the Powerbeats Pro 2 earlier this year. They are also expected to have a smaller charging case, improved sound and active noise cancellation.
