Report suggests AirPods might come free with 2020 iPhones

Apple’s AirPods quickly became one of the most recognizable headphones in the world and the success of the recently released AirPods Pro shows that people still want to buy them. But that might not be necessary soon.

Reports coming from DigiTimes via MacRumors state that Apple is planning a major change for next year’s iPhones. And we don’t mean the rumored new design. According to unidentified sources, Apple is planning to put AirPods in the boxes of next year’s iPhones. Although it wasn’t mentioned by the sources, it’s safe to assume that only the Pro iPhone models will get the wireless earbuds and not the cheaper variant.

Too good to be true?

We’re taking these reports with a grain of salt, however. Apple has been notoriously stingy with the accessories it bundles with iPhones. This year Apple users got a fast charger with their $1,000 new smartphones for the first time ever and non-Pro users are still stuck with the criminally slow 5W charger. And when it comes to headphones, the company has been using the same cheap Lighting adapter headphones for years now, regardless of the iPhone model. This means there are three options:

Option 1: The report isn’t true. Everything remains the same.

Option 3: The report is true but Apple will raise prices for its Pro models. This is something we can see happening. Apple bundles the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max with AirPods in the box but the base price is $100 more, for example. Technically, that means customers are saving $60, but at the same time, they’re paying $100 more than they would have otherwise if they already own a pair of AirPods. Of course, having an extra pair is not such a bad thing, you can always give them to someone else.

Overall, options 2 and 3 are realistic because we’ve already seen something similar in the industry. When releasing the Galaxy Note 10, Samsung bundled it with its own wireless earphones, the Galaxy Buds. While that was a temporary promotion, both Samsung and Apple can afford such a combo full-time if they want to.

For Apple, the move would make sense if it wants to further diversify its Pro models from the non-Pro. Currently, the differences between the two aren’t that significant and people often choose the cheaper option for obvious reasons. A pair of wireless earbuds alongside the other “pro” goodies Apple has in store for next year could significantly sweeten the deal and make more people reach deeper into their pockets for a high-end iPhone. That will be especially true if at the same time the prices go up a notch.