With Apple's third-generation AirPods believed to be arriving alongside the iPhone 13, which is just a few weeks away, we have compiled all of the coherent rumors from our news coverage to build a full picture of the features and upgrades coming to the company's next-generation wireless earbuds.
AirPods 3 clones in a clear case, reportedly showing the next-generation design.
It is worth noting that the rumors below are aggregated from our coverage from a wide range of sources, including leakers, analysts, and publications. The reliability of each source varies, so some of the rumored features may be taken with a pinch of salt.
Nevertheless, the overall view of the third-generation AirPods rumors gives a good idea of many of the upcoming upgrades and what users can largely expect from the true wireless earbuds when they are officially revealed in the near future.
AirPods Pro-like design with shorter stems and a larger in-ear shell.
No replaceable ear tips, according to images of early Chinese counterfeits that show no sign of silicone tips nor any space for them within the charging case. Bloomberg's Mark Gurmaninitially claimed last year that the third-generation AirPods would feature replaceable ear tips like AirPods Pro, but this is now questionable in light of the design of the counterfeits and other purported supply-chain renders.
Next-generation wireless chip, replacing the Apple H1 headphone chip. It is the same chip expected to come to the second-generation AirPods Pro, will feature a smaller System-in-Package and could offer improved efficiency, longer range, and better performance.
Force sensor controls on the stems like the AirPods Pro, replacing the tap-based controls of the first and second-generation AirPods.
Pressure relief system with vents brought over from the AirPods Pro, designed to equalize pressure within the ear to relieve discomfort when using the AirPods for a long period of time.
Charging case with Qi wireless chargingas standard, with no need to upgrade to a higher-spec charging case.
It would also not be unreasonable to expect the next-generation AirPods to feature improved sound quality and better battery life, but there have been no rumors about these aspects thus far.
The entry-level AirPods are expected to continue to forgo higher-end features such as Active Noise Cancelation and Transparency to remain clearly differentiated from the AirPods Pro. This may also explain the continued absence of in-ear silicone tips.
Apple's second-generation AirPods launched in March 2019, making them almost two and a half years old. If these new features do come to the third-generation AirPods, the new model could shape up to be a worthwhile upgrade for many users. 52audio believes that the new AirPods will be priced at $150.
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec).
The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year.
The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps.
More features and changes will follow in future ...
Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by Juli Clover
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models.
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We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below.
MacBook Pro
M5...
Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump.
First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...
Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions.
iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet.
The update will likely be released by the end of next week.
Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips.
The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models.
In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB.
Like...
Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year.
Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
Am I the only one who likes the tapping for control? Especially in winter when I can put my hat over my ears and still control them even wearing gloves.
I never understood the complaints that it’s painful pressing them into your ear, they take really light taps.
Shorter stems and no in-ear tips are perfect for me. My ears have always liked the feel of the "standard" Apple earbuds rather that in-ear ones.
I expect a small price hike, but my wallet is ready. My Gen 1 AirPods are getting long in the teeth and the battery life barely lasts an hour of listening to music now.
I look more forward to this update than the phone. Its time to upgrade my AirPods. And I'm so glad they're not copying the rubber tips of the pro gosh those old rumours were hurting my soul, cant stand rubber tips on headphones.
Am I the only one who likes the tapping for control? Especially in winter when I can put my hat over my ears and still control them even wearing gloves.
I never understood the complaints that it’s painful pressing them into your ear, they take really light taps.
Nope, you're not alone. The squeeze controls of the Pros are my only real gripe with them. They never work for me. I'll squeeze and the only result is pulling the F'ers out of my ear. Trying to skip track while jogging has resulted in the thing falling out of my ear instead because surprise surprise: delicately manipulating a tiny stem with a thumb and forefinger while bouncing around = failure. This is why I ultimately kept my Gen 2 standard Pods for the gym and jogging trail. Tap controls are the better solution, and I cannot for the life of me understand why Apple was so dead set on moving away from them.
