DigiTimes: Apple Considering Bundling AirPods With 2020 iPhones

Apple is considering bundling AirPods with new iPhone models in 2020, according to hit-or-miss Taiwanese publication DigiTimes.

iphone 11 pro box with airpods
The report claims "smartphone vendors including Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi are looking to bundle their new models with TWS earbuds next year," citing unnamed industry sources. "TWS" or "truly wireless stereo" earphones include the likes of AirPods and Samsung's Galaxy Buds.

We're pretty skeptical about this report due to the price of AirPods, which start at $159. It's hard to imagine Apple including such a costly accessory in the box with new iPhones next year without raising the price of the iPhones overall… not to mention that DigiTimes doesn't have a stellar track record with Apple rumors either.

AirPods are also tremendously popular by all indications, so it is hard to see why Apple would give them away for free when millions of customers are clearly happy to fork over a few hundred dollars for them already. In fact, the new AirPods Pro are in such high demand that Apple is reportedly doubling production.

Apple has included basic, wired EarPods with a Lightning connector in the box with iPhones for several years. Those earphones likely cost Apple very little to manufacture, retailing for just $29 on its website.

While this rumor seems questionable for now, it is certainly possible that Apple simply feels it is time to include something more modern than EarPods with its iPhones. AirPods are already said to be the world's best selling truly wireless earphones, and bundling them with iPhones would only extend that lead.

If it were to happen, we would imagine AirPods would only be bundled with higher-end iPhone 12 Pro models. We're still a little under ten months away from those devices, so we'll see if this rumor gains any traction as time goes on.

Related Roundup: AirPods 4
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Buy Now)
Related Forums: AirPods, iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue

Epic Games Wins Major Victory as Apple is Ordered to Comply With App Store Anti-Steering Injunction [Updated]

Wednesday April 30, 2025 4:01 pm PDT by
In a victory for Epic Games, Apple was today found to be in violation of a 2021 injunction that required it to allow developers to direct customers to third-party purchase options on the web using in-app links. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has been handling the Apple vs. Epic Games dispute for the last five years, said that Apple is in "willful violation" of the injunction she issued to ...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Submits iOS App Update With Out-of-App Purchase Options

Thursday May 1, 2025 3:37 pm PDT by
Spotify today submitted an app update to Apple that will include information on Spotify plan costs and options to subscribe through weblinks without using the in-app purchase system. Spotify will not need to pay a fee to Apple when customers subscribe to the service using alternate payment methods in the Spotify app. In a blog post announcing the changes, Spotify said that yesterday's ruling ...
iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iOS 19

Apple Already Testing iOS 19.4 After Delaying Personalized Siri Features

Thursday May 1, 2025 9:03 am PDT by
A subset of Apple's software engineers started internal development of iOS 19.4 last month, according to the MacRumors visitor logs. iOS 19.4 is expected to be released in March or April next year, so the software update is still nearly a year away. However, Apple develops both "Fall" and "Spring" versions of iOS each year, with our website's analytics logs indicating that both iOS 19.0 and...
fortnite apple featured

Epic Games Offers Apple 'Peace Proposal' to Return Fortnite to the App Store Worldwide

Wednesday April 30, 2025 5:12 pm PDT by
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney today said that Fortnite will return to the U.S. App Store next week, and he offered a "peace proposal" with a pledge to bring Fortnite back to iOS worldwide if Apple follows certain steps. "Epic puts forth a peace proposal: If Apple extends the court's friction-free, Apple-tax-free framework worldwide, we'll return Fortnite to the App Store worldwide and drop...
nest thermostat

Google Announces End Date for Original Nest Thermostat Support

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:08 am PDT by
Google has announced that first- and second-generation Nest Learning Thermostats will lose support in October 2025, disabling their connected features (via ArsTechnica). After October 25, 2025, these devices will no longer receive software updates or connect to Google's cloud services. Users won't be able to control them via the Google Home app or voice assistants, though basic temperature...

Top Rated Comments

itsmilo Avatar
71 months ago
Others might, I don’t think Apple will. Just look how long it took Apple to include a better charger
Score: 45 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HiVolt Avatar
71 months ago
I hope not. That would really increase the price of the already crazy priced iPhones.

What I hope they would do, is a bundle discount when purchasing an iPhone with AirPods or AirPods Pro.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
71 months ago

Good! I hope they do! In my opinion, Apple should have included them with the iPhone the whole time. If you’re going to remove the headphone jack from your product then you ought to include the proper wireless alternative in the box, not those useless lighting headphones.
How are Bluetooth earphones any more “proper” a replacement for the headphone jack earphones than lightning earphones?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
71 months ago

according to hit-or-miss Taiwanese publication DigiTimes ('https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20191129PD203.html').
That’s a polite way of putting it!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
71 months ago
If you’re going to remove the headphone jack from your product then you ought to include the proper wireless alternative in the box
Except, Apple did provide an alternative, they provided the lightning adapter for those who still wanted to use their wired headphones. (If I want a pair of Bluetooth headphones, I would rather have my own choice of what I want that fits me in terms of style/function.)

not those useless lighting headphones.
I train in the gym five days a week, I’d say at least 80% of headphones I see in the gym are the lightning earbuds, so clearly they’re _not_ useless if consumers are using them.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mazz0 Avatar
71 months ago
I agree bundling wires headphones seems archaic, but the solution isn’t to bundle wireless ones, it’s to bundle none. People can buy some as and when they’re needed. Bundling then with every phone is wasteful.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)