A new set of renders claims to showcase the design of the upcoming third-generation AirPods, which could be announced during a rumored Apple event later this month.
The renders were shared by Gizmochina, which claims to have received the renders from a "supplier." The images depict AirPods with a shorter stem, similar to the AirPods Pro, and a smaller charging case. This information lines up with reporting from Bloomberg which states that the design of the new AirPods takes inspiration from the AirPods Pro, although they will lack certain Pro features such as Active Noise Cancellation.
The renders should be taken with a grain of salt. However, the images were shared by the Twitter account @Duanrui1205, which has in the past shared accurate information, possibly adding validity to them. The renders also fall in line with alleged real-life images of the upcoming AirPods, which show them with a smaller stem and replaceable ear tips.
Just this week, Chinese leaker "Kang" reported that Apple is planning to hold its long-awaited spring event on March 23. That event is expected to headline AirTags, new iPad models, and possibly the updated third-generation AirPods. Apple is also working on second-generation AirPods Pro, which are rumored to be more compact by eliminating the stem and adopting an earbud design similar to the Galaxy and Google Buds.
Friday January 9, 2026 8:17 am PST by Tim Hardwick
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Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
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One thing worth...
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Among the proposed additions are a squinting face emoji, left- and right-pointing thumb gestures, a pickle, a lighthouse, a ...
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In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Ben Ray Lujan, and Edward Markey have requested that Apple and Google remove X Corp's X and Grok apps from their app stores over recent incidents of "mass generation of nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children."
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iOS 26 is showing unusually slow adoption among iPhone users months after release, according to third-party analytics.
Usage data published by StatCounter (via Cult of Mac) for January 2026 indicates that only around 15 to 16% of active iPhones worldwide are running any version of iOS 26. The breakdown shows iOS 26.1 accounting for approximately 10.6% of devices, iOS 26.2 for about 4.6%, and ...
I think this actually is the design so without replaceable ear tips. Which also would differentiate them from the Airpods Pro besides no ANC.
The replacable ear tips rumor always was a bit weird to me, would have meant Apple completely vacating the non-invasive buds which they've always had and that a lot of people love.
It sucks the standard version won't come with silicone ear tips. the 1/2 gen made my ear hurt when wearing for a prolonged time, so I went for the pro.
Not all of us like those silicone ear tips so this version is for us, you can have the Pro's.
It sucks the standard version won't come with silicone ear tips. the 1/2 gen made my ear hurt when wearing for a prolonged time, so I went for the pro.
