Don't expect AirPods Pro 2 at the iPhone 14 launch event

Opinion
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last updated

It's possible! But not likely

AirPods Pro worn by a woman who's holding the stem to control them
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

With the iPhone 14 launch event on September 7 fast approaching, naturally we're all wondering what else is likely to appear on the virtual stage. The Apple Watch Series 8 seems like a given, and there will probably be at least one other Apple Watch model.

But what about AirPods Pro 2? At this point, they're one of the longest-running rumored Apple products, with the earliest reports claiming that they'd appear in 2021. Then it was said they were being mass produced earlier in 2022 ready for an end-of-2022 launch.

And so now the end of 2022 is approaching and there's an Apple Event, so we should expect them to appear alongside the new iPhones, right?

Not so fast. I don't think the new AirPods Pro will appear at this particular event – I think we'll be waiting until October.

Over the last decade, Apple has almost always held two events towards the end of the year (and even did three during pandemic-challenged 2020), and an October event is where you tend to get iPads, Macs and AirPods announced.

The original AirPods Pro were announced in an October event back in 2019. AirPods 3 were announced at the October event in 2021. AirPods Max actually weren't announced at any event, but were instead announced in a surprise press release in December 2020 – but this still fits the later-in-the-year-than-September timeline. And also, that was a weird year.

There are exceptions to this rule. AirPods 2 were announced in March 2019. And most significantly, the original AirPods were announced in September 2016, alongside the iPhone 7.

But that was when Apple was announcing a whole new class of product – it hasn't announced any updated or new versions of them in September. Compare that the Apple Watch, which has always been announced alongside the iPhone (with the exception of… yes, 2020).

So despite how hotly anticipated AirPods Pro 2 are, I think you're going to need to hold your headphone horses… for another 5-6 weeks. 

In the mean time, you can always read up on one of AirPods Pro 2's most anticipated features: how Apple could add hi-res audio to AirPods Pro 2 over Bluetooth.

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Matt Bolton
Matt Bolton
Managing Editor, Entertainment

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Entertainment, meaning he's in charge of persuading our team of writers and reviewers to watch the latest TV shows and movies on gorgeous TVs and listen to fantastic speakers and headphones. It's a tough task, as you can imagine. Matt has over a decade of experience in tech publishing, and previously ran the TV & audio coverage for our colleagues at T3.com, and before that he edited T3 magazine. During his career, he's also contributed to places as varied as Creative Bloq, PC Gamer, PetsRadar, MacLife, and Edge. TV and movie nerdism is his speciality, and he goes to the cinema three times a week. He's always happy to explain the virtues of Dolby Vision over a drink, but he might need to use props, like he's explaining the offside rule.