Photos Depict Alleged AirPods Pro 2 With Same Design, Case With 'Find My' Speaker Holes and Strap Attachment

Apple is developing second-generation AirPods Pro to follow the AirPods 3, with the new earbuds set to come out in 2022. We've heard little about the next-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌ so far, but a rumor from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested they could be stemless.

airpods pro 2 2
MacRumors has now received alleged images of the second-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌ that contradict the stemless design rumors, but they're from a source ("Xerxes") without an established track record and we can't verify their accuracy. The person who provided the images to us said that they come from an "Apple internal source," and the person declined to provide additional information.

The ‌AirPods Pro‌ in the photos features the same design as the original ‌AirPods Pro‌, with the exception of a missing optical sensor toward the underside of each earbud. Apple has moved from optical sensors to a skin-detect sensor in the ‌AirPods 3‌, so it's possible the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 will follow suit in that regard.

airpods pro 2 1
Beyond the earbuds themselves, there are more obvious differences in the case. There are speaker holes at the bottom, which is an unusual choice for an AirPods casing design. The source who provided the images says that these speaker holes are being introduced because in iOS 16, Apple will be adding a new feature where "Find My will be available for the case and buds separately." The speaker holes will let the case play a sound to allow it to be located.

The case also depicts a metal loop at the side, which is meant to be for attaching a strap, but Apple has not used this design for any of its other AirPod models and it is unclear why it would be added in this instance. That said, it does not seem out of the realm of possibility that Apple would add a strap.

airpods pro 2 3
On the topic of a stemless design, the source says that the rumors are incorrect, and that Apple will not be eliminating the stem from the next-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌.

MacRumors is a rumors site, as the name suggests, so we thought we'd share these images with our readers even though we cannot verify that these are an accurate representation of the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 at this point. Keep in mind that these features have not been confirmed by a source with a known track record for accuracy, and the information should be viewed with some skepticism at this point in time.

As mentioned above, Bloomberg's ‌Mark Gurman‌, who often provides an accurate assessment of Apple's plans, has said that Apple is aiming to make the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 more compact by eliminating the short stem that sticks out from the bottom. Apple has tested a more rounded shape, but getting the hardware of the ‌AirPods Pro‌ into a chassis that's reduced in size has proven difficult, so the plan could be scrapped.

We've heard no other rumors of new features or changes to the case design of the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 at this time. It is perhaps worth noting that the first refresh to the original AirPods, the AirPods 2, also did not feature a new design, instead focusing on a wireless charging addition for the case and other internal improvements. The ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 are expected to launch at some point in 2022, but there's no word on when as of yet.

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

Top Rated Comments

cameronp16 Avatar
31 months ago
The strap will be an additional $59 and we are going to love it!
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neuropsychguy Avatar
31 months ago

Or a U2 chip?

Oh, wait, I'll pass...
You get that U2 chip whether or not you want it.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
31 months ago
It'd be hilarious if instead of the generic lanyard hole, they resurrected the loop from the 5th gen iPod touch.



Attachment Image
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
31 months ago
2 speakers? "find me" in stereo? :p
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CaptMarvel Avatar
31 months ago

2 speakers? "find me" in stereo? :p
Spatial audio bro!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
UltimateSyn Avatar
31 months ago

2 speakers? "find me" in stereo? :p
80% more bass ?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...