AirPods Pro with USB-C are supposedly on the way

Apple could soon launch a USB-C version of its second-gen AirPods Pro. That’s according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who believes the company could start shipping the earbuds with a USB-C case during the second and third quarters of this year.

This apparently doesn’t apply to Apple’s standard AirPod models, though, as Kuo notes that the company “currently appears to have no plans for USB-C versions of the AirPods 2 & 3.” Kuo hinted at the change in response to a tweet from Twitter user @aaronp613, who spotted references to a new AirPods model number (A3048), along with a new AirPods case model number (A29680) in iOS 16.4.

Apple launched its second-gen AirPods Pros last September, which comes with a Lightning port and compatibility with MagSafe, Qi, and Apple Watch chargers. The company also introduced a couple of other new features with the case, including a speaker that emits a noise when locating them with the Find My app, as well as a built-in loop where you can attach a lanyard.

That said, it’s still not clear if the updated AirPods Pros will come with any additional changes, or whether Apple will also sell the rumored USB-C case separately. Apple has released updated versions of its AirPods charging cases in the past, such as the MagSafe case option it introduced for the AirPods Pro in 2021, and last year’s Lightning-only charging case for the third-gen AirPods. Apple doesn’t sell either of these cases separately, however.