Accessory Maker Releases 'AirPods Pro' Cases Matching Rumored Noise-Cancelling Design

AirPods b298%403xLast month, in the iOS 13.2 beta, MacRumors discovered an icon depicting never-before-seen AirPods with rubber ear tips, lending credence to rumors that Apple is planning to release higher-end AirPods with active noise cancellation and improved water resistance.

The new AirPods are expected to be released in late 2019 or early 2020. Ahead of time, accessory maker ESR has released both a cover and carrying case for the so-called "AirPods Pro", with the product images depicting a wider charging case designed to hold the AirPods with rubber ear tips.

airpods pro cases
The fact that ESR is now shipping perfectly-fitting cases for unreleased AirPods suggests that the accessory maker may have gleaned dimensions and design details from sources within Apple's supply chain. On the other hand, though, this could simply be a marketing stunt based purely on rumors.

The elongated charging case is consistent with the one that surfaced in a potential leak a few months ago:

airpods 3 leak 1
airpods 3 leak
Unsurprisingly, the higher-end AirPods are expected to have a higher price tag than the existing AirPods, which retail for $159 with a wired charging case and $199 with a wireless charging case. Exact pricing remains to be seen.

Apple typically unveils redesigned products during its keynotes, but an October event is looking unlikely this year, so it could announce the new AirPods in a press release like the redesigned Beats Solo Pro. Or, if the new AirPods are a 2020 product, they could be unveiled at Apple's usual March event.

(Thanks, Chris!)

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup

Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Users Report Static Speaker Noise While Charging

Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging. There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...

Top Rated Comments

44267547 Avatar
81 months ago

Never seizes to amaze me that after all these advanced smartphones that we have, the leaked photos are still horribly blurry. ;)
Dude, it’s the blurry photos that’s makes these ‘leaked photos’ more legit . Everyone knows that. ?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
81 months ago
This could be cool - with rubber tips those might actually stay in my ears
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fmcshan Avatar
81 months ago
Finally! Hopefully AirPods Pro launches earlier rather than later. ANC on AirPods has been one of my most wanted features.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sub150 Avatar
81 months ago
Can we get a color other than white? Perhaps black?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smulji Avatar
81 months ago

Guess we're not having an October event (Apple TV+...) so we should see these released ASAP to be in the channel for the big shopping season coming up.

Side effect would seem the location based Wideband Frequency garbage in the 11's seems like its just going to be a no-show (there but only usable with other 11's). Rather disappointing. I wanted my Apple branded tracking Idlee's ('http://chefinyou.com/2009/01/26/idli-recipe/')... Hopefully not moving off to be with the AirPower charging matt.
I'm gonna guess there will be product announcements October 29th along with official release of iOS 13.2 - one day ahead of the October 30th financial conference call.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dominiongamma Avatar
81 months ago

Please make them available in black or Space Gray
Full black would look better. But at this point I’ll take space gray over white any day lol
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)