Upcoming USB-C AirPods Pro Not Expected to Include Any Other Hardware Changes - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Upcoming USB-C AirPods Pro Not Expected to Include Any Other Hardware Changes

Apple plans to update AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case during its "Wonderlust" iPhone 15 event on Tuesday, September 12, but no other hardware changes to the earbuds are expected, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.

Apple AirPods Pro 2nd gen hero 220907 big
Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says he believes Apple will eventually add USB-C ports to all AirPods in its lineup, but he suggests that AirPods Pro will be the first model to receive the updated charging case.

Gurman previously reported that Apple will announce updated AirPods with a USB-C charging case alongside new iPhone 15 models, all of which are expected to transition away from Lightning to USB-C, but it wasn't clear if he was referring to the standard AirPods and/or the AirPods Pro.

New AirPods Pro features are still expected to arrive with the release of iOS 17, but they will be software-based. In addition, new hearing aid capabilities are expected over the next year or so. Gurman said he also expects price cuts to eventually come to the lower-end AirPods models when USB-C spreads to the rest of the lineup.

Related Roundup: AirPods Pro 3
Buyer's Guide: AirPods Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple to Release These 20 New Products Across Rest of 2026 and 2027

Sunday June 21, 2026 7:42 am PDT by
Apple's annual WWDC developers conference is in the rearview mirror, but there is still a lot to look forward to over the next year and beyond. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman listed around 20 products that he expects Apple to release across the remainder of 2026 and 2027. Now that the more intelligent and personal version of Siri has finally arrived in beta, a...
Apple M5 Pro M5 Max chips

Apple's OLED 'MacBook Ultra' Will Stick With M5 Pro and M5 Max Chips

Friday June 26, 2026 8:35 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming high-end MacBook model featuring an OLED touchscreen display will use the company's current M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The new, top-of-the-line device will launch "between late this year and early next year," Gurman said, adopting the existing high-end Apple silicon chips rather than next-generation M6 versions. Like the MacBook Pro, the...
Apple Logo Cash Feature Blue

Apple Stock Hits Record Territory as Traders Sour on AI Spending

Monday July 13, 2026 5:09 am PDT by
Apple shares have rallied 15 percent since their worst day on the stock market in more than a year, adding almost $600 billion in value since June 25 and returning the stock to record territory (via Bloomberg). The rebound comes as investors grow uneasy about the mind-boggling sums of cash continually being poured into the AI data center buildout, despite there being no obvious indicator for ...

Top Rated Comments

Unami Avatar
37 months ago
No other changes, not even a price hike? c‘mon apple, I know you can do it.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
37 months ago

Nobody wants an extra USB-C cable for 1 device (AirPods) if the rest of their Apple devices are still lightning charging. It can become such a hassle to deal with.
Which is why Apple should have switched a long time ago and not just switch some devices and not others.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shinyleaf Avatar
37 months ago
I’ve wonder: what about Mac accessories? The Magic Mouse, trackpad, and keyboard all still use lightning connectors. It makes even less sense on the Mac and just odd they haven’t updated them yet.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
37 months ago

I'm happy with this news. I recently got the AirPods Pro 2 for my birthday, fortunately with lightning connector. I'm happy I don't need to have both lightning and USB-C connectors in every spot where I don't want to charge my devices. In due time, when I upgrade to an iPhone with USB-C, I'll have to bite the bullet.
Totally get this. Now imagine this. We, who bought more products from Apple than just AirPods and iPhone, for instance we have Macbook and iPad as well, we have to deal with USB-C and lightning weird mix for few years now.

Excited to finally see USB-C in iPhone and airpods.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Herrpod Avatar
37 months ago
Lazy AF, but expected.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
37 months ago
Ffs update all the models and not just the pros
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)