Recommended reading

New report says AirPods Pro 3 won't launch this year, and that a real AirPods Max upgrade is finally on the way

News
By published

Ear we go, ear we go, ear we go

Close-up of woman using AirPods Pro 2
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Framesira)
  • AirPods Pro 3 said to get a 2026 launch, with infrared cameras
  • That's later than the expected 2025 launch
  • Lighter AirPods Max 2 claimed for 2027

Could the camera-equipped AirPods Pro be coming sooner than predicted? One reliable industry expert says they'll be here in 2026, not 2027 as previously tipped – and that means the AirPods Pro 3 will arrive later than expected, given the seeming recent hint of their existence in Apple's code.

The industry expert in question is Ming-Chi Kuo, who has an enviable track record of accurate Apple predictions. And according to Kuo, the cameras in AirPods will be infrared and they will go into production somewhere in 2026.

As Kuo posted on X, that means AirPods "may not see significant updates until 2026". And if you're waiting for a new model of AirPods Max, you'll have to wait even longer.

What do we know about the next AirPods Pro and AirPods Max?

Just two days ago, the Apple extended rumorverse was getting very excited about the AirPods Pro 3: one X user posted a screenshot of Apple code in "a recent software release from Apple" that apparently had its text changed from the current "AirPods Pro 2nd Generation" to "AirPods Pro 2 or later".

Some reports suggested that that meant the AirPods Pro 3 launch was imminent, possibly at next month's WWDC – thought that was always unlikely. Cooler heads pointed out that it could just mean future-proofing code. And if Kuo's predictions are correct, that appears to be what's happening here.

Kuo also says that a significant redesign of the AirPods Max is coming, most likely in 2027. Details are sketchy right now but Kuo did say that a "lighter version" was planned for mass production in 2027; the current model weighs in at a pretty hefty 386g / 13.6oz compared to 250g / 8.96oz for the newly released Sony WH-1000XM6.

That's not a big deal for sofa-based sounds, but my AirPods Max definitely start to feel heavy when I'm wearing them outside.

It'll have been a hell of a wait by the time this true successor to AirPods Max arrives – the originals launched in December 2020.

You might also like

See more Earbuds and Airpods News
TOPICS
Carrie Marshall
Carrie Marshall

Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than twenty books. Her latest, a love letter to music titled Small Town Joy, is on sale now. She is the singer in spectacularly obscure Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.