With the launch of AirPods Pro 3 last month, one detail about them surprised many people – they still utilized the H2 chip from 2022. This meant that most of AirPods Pro 3‘s upgrades came from better hardware, whether that be larger batteries or foam-infused ear tips, rather than Apple silicon magic. Despite that, Apple is hard at work on future AirPods silicon.
H3 chip
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in this week’s Power On newsletter, Apple is working on an H3 chip for future pairs of AirPods, though an exact timeline isn’t provided:
With the AirPods Pro 3 out the door, Apple has already turned its development attention to another new version of its high-end in-ear buds. The company’s silicon group is working on an H3 chip designed for less lag time and better audio quality.
Apple is expected to launch a version of AirPods Pro 3 with IR cameras sometime next year. It’s possible we’ll see the H3 chip debut there, as the company may need that additional processing power for its new features related to the IR cameras.
It seems rather unlikely that AirPods Pro with IR would include a higher-end chip despite still falling under the “AirPods Pro 3” umbrella, but who knows. Only time will tell.
AirPods 5
Outside of the H3 chip, Apple is also working on a new version of its entry level AirPods. Apple launched AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation last year.
Gurman reports that both tiers will see an update, though he doesn’t anticipate the heart-rate monitor from AirPods Pro 3 to make its way down. He does mention that Apple is looking to add more health features to AirPods over time, including a temperature reader, though it’s unclear if this is related to the launch of AirPods 5.
No timeline is provided for the launch of AirPods 5, though it seems like a rather modest update over the current generation pair. Maybe it’ll utilize the new H3 chip.
AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 w/ ANC are currently sale for record lows, coming in at $89 and $119 respectively. Now’s a great time to buy if you aren’t worried about having a proper seal for noise cancellation.
My favorite Apple accessory recommendations:
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