Kuo: AirPods Pro With USB-C Charging Case to Launch Later This Year

Friday March 24, 2023 6:01 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple plans to release second-generation AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case later this year, with mass shipments expected to begin in the second to third quarter, according to information shared today by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

airpods pro 2
The second-generation AirPods Pro launched in September 2022 with a Lightning charging case. The updated version of the second-generation AirPods Pro would have a USB-C charging case instead, but it's unclear if any other hardware changes are planned. Kuo believes references to new AirPods discovered in the iOS 16.4 Release Candidate earlier this week are related to the USB-C version of the AirPods Pro.

Around two years after the original AirPods Pro launched, Apple started selling the headphones with a MagSafe-compatible charging case, so there is precedent for a mid-cycle charging case update. Unfortunately, the MagSafe case was not sold on a standalone basis, and it's unclear if the USB-C case will be sold separately.

The current version of the AirPods Pro charging case features a built-in speaker that can play a sound when the case is misplaced, an opening to attach a lanyard, a U1 chip for Find My support, and newly added compatibility with the Apple Watch charger.

All four iPhone 15 models coming later this year are expected to be equipped with a USB-C port, so it makes sense for the AirPods Pro charging case to switch to USB-C as well. Apple already switched the Apple TV's Siri Remote from Lightning to USB-C last year and other accessories like the MagSafe Battery Pack are rumored to follow eventually.

Kuo added that Apple currently has no plans to release USB-C charging cases for the second-generation or third-generation AirPods. This suggests the standard AirPods may not have a USB-C charging case until a fourth-generation pair are released. Apple released the third-generation AirPods in October 2021.

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro 3

Tag: Ming-Chi Kuo

Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Buy Now)

Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by Joe Rossignol

Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...

• 148 comments

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol

Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover

In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...

• 154 comments

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol

While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

• 37 comments

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by Hartley Charlton

The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...

• 107 comments

Top Rated Comments

letsGoOn2

38 months ago

People feel their Magical and Amazing Apple products are less "special" if they use the same charging/data port that everyone else gets to use. Lightning is technically inferior in every possible way, but it's unique, and that's absolutely an emotional draw to a certain subset of the population. But we can't blame people—Apple has shaped it that way.

We don't get a standard connector, we get Apple's proprietary connector that Apple then abandons at some point in the future in order to churn adoption of some other "magical" advancement—Apple had to think fast due to the EU forcing their hand, so the rumors say we're getting spurious MFI USB-C cables. Those new to the ecosystem, or only iOS owners, won't realize that Apple has been pulling this nonsense since the 680x0 Mac days—never missing an opportunity to squeeze profit from users through proprietary connectors or, even worse, non-standard signaling across otherwise standards-compliant connectivity, then marketing that difference as a benefit. It is a marketing conceit wrapped in technological hand-waving designed to increase high-margin ancillary purchases and it's utterly shameless.

The side effect of the cognitive dissonance of people having to abandon this shaping suddenly, as in the case of Lightning versus USB-C, is strenuously telling us how they "...only use wireless charging anyway." Super looking forward to that for the next year.

I personally think the lightning connector was necessary when it was introduced some 11 years ago now. It replaced the apple 30-pin connector, which was big and hard to fit on smaller devices.

The USB connector at the time lighting was introduced was USB-A, which was also fairly large and somewhat fussy in that it had to be inserted in the correct orientation. USB went on to add "mini" and "micro" connectors, but they were still single-orientation connectors that were prone to wear and damage, and the sheer number of similar, incompatible connectors was confusing. If USB-C existed back then it would have made sense for Apple to adopt it, but I think Apple did well to avoid USB in that era.

The lighting connector is easy to plug in even when you aren't looking at it, and other than occasional debris accumulation in the port the connector has been fairly reliable for a decade or so. USB-C has reached parity with lighting in terms of size, ease of use, and durability, and so I think the time is right for Apple to finally adopt the universal standard.

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

bLackjackj

38 months ago

How about black Apple??? ...just give me black and I'll buy! I cannot believe its 2023 and only available in 1 colour.

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

iamgalt

38 months ago

How about black Apple??? ...just give me black and I'll buy! I cannot believe its 2023 and only available in 1 colour.

Apple offers AirPods in your favorite color. As long as your favorite color is white.

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

tuckerjj

38 months ago

And this is why I didn’t buy the new AirPods Pro yet - it was clear that these were coming sooner rather than later.

Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

msackey

38 months ago

It's sad that Apple gave in on this without a fight. Makes you wonder what other government demands they will kowtow to.

Interesting thought. But what is there to fight? Is USB C worse than Lightning? I can't think of any significant disadvantages going from Lightning to USB C. More and more devices use USB C which means it's easier to find a cable and also power adapter that allows for USB C cables.

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)