With the next Apple event taking place today (October XNUMX), the star product on everyone's mind is the AirPods XNUMX. Rumors about the successors to Apple's popular true wireless earbuds have been swirling for some time and we've been disappointed by the preceding developments. However, with everything pointing to a launch date of XNUMX, today's Unleashed event is surely our last chance to see the AirPods XNUMX before the end of the year, and recent leaks have all but confirmed that Apple will announce its next wireless headphones today. While we can't say for sure that AirPods XNUMX will be announced today, we're pretty sure Apple is ready to finally upgrade to AirPods XNUMX. After all, with all of the advances in Bluetooth technology, with the high-spatial resolution of audio and streaming that has taken place in recent times, older AirPods are starting to look a bit outdated. Not to mention its divisive design, which we think is due for an AirPods Pro-style update. We'll be tuning in to the event at XNUMXam PDT / XNUMXpm BST (or XNUMXam AEDT on October XNUMXth, depending on your time slot). , and you can follow our live weblog on the Apple event for the latest updates. - but in the meantime, we've put together an AirPods XNUMX wish list with all the new specs we're hoping to see.
(Image credit: LaComparacion)
1. Improved sound
The AirPods (1) may be some of the most popular wireless headphones on the planet, but they don't really offer the best audio performance. Their bouncy presentation works well for casual listening, but the pounding treble and disappointing low frequencies mean they're not the best true wireless earphones for listening to music. Apple has proven that its true wireless earphones can sound great: AirPods Pro are considerably more incredible than their predecessors. And thanks to models like the Cambridge Audio Melomania XNUMX Plus, we know that high-quality sound doesn't have to come at a huge cost, so two entry-level AirPods do. There is no excuse for poor sound. There's no reason Apple can't take inspiration from companies like Cambridge Audio (like Sony, Sennheiser, and Bose) and release two AirPods with more precisely tuned drivers for more powerful and enjoyable bass response. triplets. As with any next-generation pair of headphones or earphones, we're going to be disappointed if Apple hasn't made any changes to the AirPods' audio performance.
We think the AirPods three will be inspired by the AirPods Pro (pictured). (Image credit: LaComparacion)
2. A new design
The original AirPods were released in XNUMX, and although they were updated in XNUMX, the design remains the same: long, protruding shafts and no silicone/memory foam tips. While this design has served Apple well - after all, the AirPods are surely the most easily identifiable true wireless headphones on the market - we think it's time for a change. We'd like to see Apple move away from the one-size-fits-all approach and let people choose from a selection of different ear tips. Aside from making the AirPods more comfortable and secure, the improved sound isolation offered by a good fit should provide more powerful bass response. This is something that has worked really well for AirPods Pro, Apple's wireless noise-canceling headphones. Indeed, we've heard a lot of talk that the AirPods XNUMX will pick up on certain design cues from the AirPods Pro, and that includes smaller descendants. While the long stems of the original AirPods mean they can fit comfortably around touch controls, the AirPods Pro have proven that those controls don't require as much space to get around. On the considerably shorter temples of the AirPods Pro is a capacitive force sensor; tap it and you can turn on noise cancellation or perfect transparency mode, like mute and stop your music.
AirPods Max (pictured) supports Spatial Audio. (Image credit: Apple)
3. Spatial audio with active head tracking
Apple's Spatial Audio technology uses 1, 3, and Dolby Atmos content and applies directional audio filters, putting sound into a XNUMXD sphere and making it more immersive, as if sound is coming at you from everyone and everyone. of the angles. Now, this technology only works with AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, as it relies on their built-in accelerometers and gyroscopes to track the position of your head and ensure sound is coming from the right direction. We'd love to see this feature built into the (presumably) cheaper AirPods XNUMX, especially now that Apple Music users can listen to music tracks in the immersive format. Why not line up the entry-level headphones with the rest of the AirPods family?
(Image credit: Apple)
4. High-resolution and lossless audio support
A less likely (but just as desirable) feature we'd like to see on the AirPods 44,1 is support for Hi-Res Audio codecs. Now that Apple Music offers high-resolution audio at no additional cost to subscribers, we'd love to see Apple upgrade its hardware to be capable of lossless audio, and that could start with the AirPods 3. Currently, all AirPod models only support the AAC codec when connected to an iOS or iPadOS device, while the new lossless Apple Music format is ALAC encoded. In short, without ALAC support built into the earphones, AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max are unable to stream high-resolution audio. To be fair, the bit rate needed to deliver truly lossless audio over Bluetooth has only been available very recently. In September, Qualcomm announced aptX Lossless, a new feature of its Snapdragon Sound technology, which the company claims is capable of delivering 3-bit/3kHz audio over a Bluetooth connection. aptX Lossless is expected to start appearing in new headphones and earphones by the end of the year, and the AirPods 3 may be the first buds to deliver bit-for-bit, mathematically accurate sound over Bluetooth. So why do we think Spatial Audio is less likely? For starters, we expect the AirPods XNUMX to be an entry-level pair of headphones to replace the current AirPods. As the technology is fairly new, true lossless Bluetooth audio will probably be a premium feature for now, perhaps better suited to all future AirPods Max models, which will have the powerful drivers and precision you need. I really appreciate the difference in the sound. quality. Still, there's no reason why lossless hi-res audio support couldn't be implemented in the AirPods XNUMX. All Apple has to do is add support for codecs like aptX. HD and ALAC, and the AirPods XNUMX will have a leg up on many of their lesser performing competitors.
(Image credit: Apple)
5. 5.2 Bluetooth
Speaking of Bluetooth, Apple has updated the AirPods wireless transmission standard to the latest version. Many of the true wireless earphones on the market come with Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, while the 2019 AirPods only support Bluetooth 4.2. This means that current AirPods don't have faster data speeds or more stable pairing, as well as a wireless range of around 780 feet. For comparison, the wireless range of the 2019 AirPods is about 4 times shorter than this, not the end of the world, but it would be great if you could leave your iPhone in your kitchen while you walk in the garden, without fear of losing the Connection.
The Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 (pictured) has a much longer battery life than current AirPods. (Image credit: Avenir)
6. Longer battery life
Last but not least, we expect Apple to have made some big improvements to the AirPods' battery life, which currently sits at a meager 24 hours. Many true wireless earbuds on the market easily exceed this playtime, with models like the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 offering a whopping 80-hour battery life. Of course, we don't expect numbers anywhere near that for the AirPods 30, but we think 20 hours is pretty doable based on the competition. Recent rumors suggest that the AirPods 199 are going to have longer battery life than their predecessors, but the changes will be about the charging case, rather than the heads themselves. In a tweet, trusted leaker Max Weinbach said the charging case would have "199% bigger battery" and support wireless charging as standard. Right now, you have to pay more for AirPods with a wireless charging case, which costs $319 / £159 / AU$159 compared to $249 / £XNUMX / AU$XNUMX for the standard charging case (although these prices they are systematically reduced now that the AirPods (XNUMX) are old enough). While wireless charging at no extra cost sounds enticing, we'll be a bit disappointed if battery life isn't improved onboard the AirPods. Right now, the AirPods XNUMX can handle five hours of playtime before having to rest in their charging case, which isn't much compared to many competing headphones. The best deals on Apple Airpods (XNUMX), Apple AirPods Pro and Apple Airpods Max now
