Apple's next wireless earbuds will look a lot like the Beats Powerbeats Pro

2comments

While it's certainly too soon for Apple to unveil yet another version of its market-leading AirPods after launching one Pro model just three months back and a marginal upgrade of the company's original true wireless earbuds less than a year ago, the tech giant might be preparing to add a new member to a different family of premium audio products.

We're talking about the popular Beats Powerbeats lineup of fitness-friendly wireless headphones, which Apple expanded with a Pro variant several months before releasing the AirPods Pro last year. Obviously, that means it's also too early for a Powerbeats Pro 2 announcement, but we can't say the same about the non-Pro Powerbeats4.

 

These bad boys have been a long time coming, following in the footsteps of the $200 Beats Powerbeats3 unveiled all the way back in 2016. While we don't know a great deal about the features of these no doubt impending wireless earphones, the folks over at MacRumors discovered a few icons in Apple's latest iOS update that seem to coincide with what we expect from the Beats Powerbeats4 in terms of design.

Namely, we see an earbud very similar to the Powerbeats Pro depicted here that just so happens to come with a cord attached to the bottom of its sporty earhook. Don't worry, that doesn't mean these are traditionally wired headphones you're looking at here, but much like the Powerbeats3, the Powerbeats4 probably won't be "true wireless" earphones either. Instead, a presumably flexible cable will once again be in charge of keeping the earbuds together at all times while their actual connection with your iPhone or Android handset will be made using no wires whatsoever.


As you can see in the image above showing the presumed Powerbeats4 flanked by the Powerbeats Pro on the left and Powerbeats3 on the right, the hot new wireless earphones will be fairly easy to distinguish from their non-Pro forerunners. All in all, we expect these babies to be marketed as a slightly cheaper alternative to the $250 Powerbeats Pro with similarly impressive battery life and "modern" features like Hey Siri support and Apple H1 power in tow.

There are no words on a release schedule yet, but knowing Apple, there's a very good chance the Beats Powerbeats4 will see daylight at around the same time as the budget-friendly iPhone 9 this spring.

Recommended Stories

Loading Comments...
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless