Development of a second generation of AirPods 2 has been rumored for a while now alongside the recently released AirPods 3. The AirPods Pro have been rumored to launch sometime next year.
A new image shared by Macrumors which was sent to them by a source with no track record claims that the images of the units they shared are the second generation AirPods Pro.
The design looks very similar to the first generation AirPods Pro but the charging case now has speaker grills on the bottom right next to the lightning port. Apparently these speakers are for Find My detection which can give out a sound so people will know where to find them. There’s also a metal loop on the side of the case which allows people to attach a strap or lanyard to the AirPods Pro case. This hasn’t been done with any AirPods model before so it’s unclear if Apple will ever take this approach.
There aren’t any design changes with the AirPods itself. It still has the same stems and the same rubber ear tips.
Previous rumors from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggested that the new AirPods Pro 2 will be getting a new design with no stems and a design similar to the Galaxy Buds, Echo Buds, and Pixel Buds. There were rumors that Apple had a hard time getting all the components they needed to fit into the new small round chassis, so there is a possibility that the design changes were scrapped.
AirPods Pro did receive an update last week which included the new MagSafe charging case which new models now ship with.
The second generation AirPods Pro are expected to launch sometime in 2022. It‘s still unclear if the design will remain the same or if we will get a new design.
