AirPods Pro 2: What to expect from Apple's next top end wireless earbuds

The AirPods Pro 2 are the fabled follow up to Apple’s first-generation ANC-packing true wireless earbuds.

If you’re not a tech-head this probably doesn’t mean much, but this makes them a key release in most tech fans’ 2020 calendars.

This is because the first-gen Apple AirPods Pro are one of, if not, the best known true wireless earbuds on the market, and for a good reason.

Though they’re pretty darned expensive, they offer a wealth of great features, including ANC (active noise cancellation), rock-solid connectivity and decent audio quality – so it’s no surprise tech fans across the globe are keen to hear more about what Apple has planned with its next-generation Apple AirPods Pro 2.

But the huge hype around the AirPods Pro 2 is a double-edged sword. Tech fan’s frenzy to learn more about the AirPods Pro 2 has led to a flood of conflicting “leaks” about the earbuds.

These have included everything from rumblings Apple’s actually planning to release its own set of over-ears, to fresh reports the AirPod Pro 2 will have wellness and health tracking features. We’d take the latter with a particular grain of salt. The move would make sense given Apple’s focus on wellness services with its other wearables, but the Digitimes source has an at best spotty track record with its leaks.

Here to make sure you stay on top of all the semi-credible AirPods Pro 2 news, we’ve created this guide, which details all the latest leaks and rumours about the second generation earbuds including their forecast price, release date and features.

If you’re after something a little cheaper, you should also check out our Apple AirPods 3 guide. It details all the current information and rumours on the fabled follow up to Apple’s cheaper AirPods 2 true-wireless earbuds.

Related: AirPods 3 – What we know about Apple’s next true wireless earbuds

How much will the AirPods Pro 2 cost?

The AirPods Pro are the most expensive pair of AirPods and you can bet that the Pro 2 will incur a similar cost.

Considering how well the AirPods Pro appear to be selling, there’s no real need to reduce the price. If it is true that there’s an AirPods Pro Lite, that’ll likely occupy a cheaper price point. £249 sounds like its right on the money for the next AirPods Pro.

Related: Best headphone deals

When will the AirPods Pro 2 be released?

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst based in Taiwan, the next-gen AirPods Pro will go into production in the latter half of 2021, with a release date sometime in 2022.

There have been rumbles of an AirPods Pro Lite, which is thought to be a cheaper version of the Pro earbuds. Kuo scoffed at this and the thought of a new AirPods model arriving in 2020, believing they would more likely be a new Beats headphones.

Speculation has continued to rise that Apple is set to release a pair of AirPods sooner rather than later. Professional Apple botherer Jon Prosser has been leading the charge in this respect.

 

Heads up: There’s still an iMac and AirPods ready to ship. (Not sure which AirPods yet, only know codename)

Theoretically, since they’re ready, they could drop at any time.

I’ll let you know if/when I hear a date.

Let’s see if Apple can keep it a secret from me

— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) May 6, 2020

Could it be the Lite model that Prosser is referring to, or are these actually a new pair of Beats headphones?

Whatever the case, we can safely rule out the AirPods X over-ears, which are believed to still be coming in late 2020.

Related: Best wireless headphones

AirPods Pro 2 design

The AirPods Pro had a much better design than the standard AirPods. They were more comfortable, noise isolation was better, which made them more suited for different activities. According to Ming-Chi Kuo (him again), the design for the AirPods Pro 2 is expected to be the same, with the internal chip design getting an update.

That’s not to say that improvements couldn’t be though. We’d like to see a change to the capacitive stem, which is fiddly and not the most responsive.

Apple’s reluctance to offer the buds in anything other than glossy white means they easily attract dirt. Another colourway would be nice if only for some more variety/personalisation in terms of colours.

Related: AirPods Studio − Everything we know about the rumoured over-ears

AirPods Pro 2 features

The first-generation AirPods Pro offered ANC, Transparency Mode, IPX4 resistance and Qi wireless charging.

Improvements could still be made in our estimation. Battery life was on the low side with 4.5 hours of juice. That’s fewer than Sony, Sennheiser, 1MORE or even Cleer Audio. A battery of life of around 7-8 hours per charge would at least give people peace of mind that it could last a few days before a re-charge is needed.

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