AirPods 3 Release Date, Features: What We Know So Far

(Pictured: SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 07: An attendee wears an Apple AirPods during a launch event on September 7, 2016 in San Francisco, California. Apple Inc. unveiled the latest iterations of its smart phone, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, the Apple Watch Series 2, as well as AirPods, the tech giant's first wireless headphones.) Getty Images/Stephen Lam

A new report confirms an earlier one that said Apple might be planning on releasing two new AirPods models later this year, alongside the currently existing second-generation AirPods released recently.

The International Business Times previously reported that according to two reliable sources, Apple is planning on releasing two different AirPods models later this year. One of them will be an upgrade to the current model available in the market, while the other will be a totally new model with a different form factor.

First, a DigiTimes report citing sources in the supply chain said the Cupertino tech company is planning on releasing a third-gen AirPods model featuring active noise cancellation. This technology, the news outlet’s sources claimed, isn’t new but is difficult to apply in devices since it requires a lot of battery power.

Second, hours after the DigiTimes report, reputed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple will release two new AirPods models between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020. One of these will be an update to the second-gen model currently available in the market, and will have a new feature that remains unknown as of now.

As for the other AirPods model, Kuo didn’t give any details except that it will have a new form factor and will be sold at a higher price.

Confirmation

A new report from DigiTimes seems to confirm these details while adding a little bit of important information about the totally new AirPods model.

Industry sources told the news outlet that printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer Unitech has ramped up its shipments of rigid-flex PCBs used in the second-gen AirPods, and will continue shipping these until early in 2020.

This seems to confirm speculations that Apple is going to sell the recently released second-gen AirPods alongside its updated, third-gen model.

What’s more, it is believed that these rigid-flex PCBs won’t be used in the all-new third-gen AirPods, as the upcoming truly wireless stereo (TWS) headphones are expected to feature a brand-new internal design that makes use of system in package (SiP) technology, the industry sources said.

Stay tuned

All of these details are still rumors at this point, and is thus best taken with a sprinkle of salt. Stay tuned for more details as they come.