Apple AirPods 2 May Be Released During First Quarter Of 2019

The Apple AirPods are nearly two years old and the Cupertino giant still hasn’t released a new version. However, an analyst strongly believes that Apple will release the AirPods 2 sometime during the first quarter of 2019.

This time frame was reported by TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo via 9To5Mac. Kuo described the AirPods 2 as an “upgraded model with wireless charging support.” He didn’t specify what that exactly means, but it does sound like it’s going to ship with the same wireless charging case that Apple first announced in September 2017 alongside the AirPower wireless charging mat.

Kuo also said that the new case that will ship with the AirPods 2 will come with a new “rigid-flex board” internal component, which he claims will be more expensive to manufacture. The case itself will also get a bit of a redesign with a new hinge. No specifics were given, but it’s expected that it will look different than the current charging case of the original AirPods.

The new design will also mean that the case will have support for higher thermal requirements. The cost of the new hinge component will allegedly increase by around 60 percent. Overall, it does sound like the upgraded version of the AirPods will be more expensive than the current version’s $159 price tag.

Kuo also said that the new pair of AirPods will have upgraded Bluetooth specs, but he didn’t provide any specific information on that. Last month, it was reported that the AirPods 2 received its Bluetooth 5.0 certification from the Bluetooth Special interest Group.

If the new pair of AirPods truly has Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, then this means that it will have dual audio support. This feature will allow users to stream audio from two different devices at once using a single pair of AirPods. Bluetooth 5.0 also includes a longer range and faster data transfer speed, which could improve audio streaming performance. It was also previously rumored that future AirPods would have water resistance and noise cancellation, as pointed out by The Verge.

The analyst also said that Apple will still sell the AirPods wireless charging case as an optional accessory for owners of the original AirPods. If this turns out to be true, then owners of the first-generation wireless earphones won’t have to purchase the new upgraded version just to take advantage of the wireless charging support.

The last thing that the analyst mentioned in his report is that Apple is currently on track to release another pair of AirPods in early 2020 that will have an “all-new design.” Unfortunately, Kuo didn’t provide any details about the next-generation AirPods.