The 2nd gen. AirPods are soon going to celebrate their second anniversary. Apple typically refreshes its products once a year but for the AirPods lineup, the company follows a longer upgrade timeline. Rumors about the AirPods 3 have picked up the pace and their launch is imminent. Below is a roundup of everything that has leaked and been reported about the AirPods 3 so far.

AirPods Pro-like Design

While there have not been any design leaks, it is rumored that the AirPods 3 will have a design language similar to the AirPods Pro. Apple will only be making small tweaks to the design to further improve the in-ear fit. Despite the same design language, the next-gen. AirPods are not going to come with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). This will help Apple keep the price of the wireless earbuds in check and also separate it AirPods Pro.

Apple is also rumored to reduce the size of the stem to make them less prominent. The stem-like design gives the AirPods a unique design but this also means they are not as sleek as other wireless earbuds in the market. The third-gen. AirPods are also expected to feature replaceable silicone ear tips to offer a better fit for different ear sizes.

H2 Chip?

There have not been any leaks on this front but the launch of AirPods 3 also could mark the debut of a new wireless chip from Apple, the H2 presumably. With a new wireless chip, Apple could further reduce latency, improve battery life and connectivity, and even offer new features not yet seen in other earbuds.

Battery Life

There’s no word on battery life but there should be some improvements in this regard as well. Right now, AirPods are rated for 5 hours of battery life on a single charge which can be extended to 24 hours using the bundled case. It is possible that with the AirPods 3 Apple could bump the battery life by about 6 to 8 hours. With the charging case, the battery life is still expected to be about 24 hours.

Price

Apple is not going to offer ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) on the AirPods 3. This means they will be priced cheaper than the AirPods Pro which currently retails for $249. The existing second-gen AirPods are available for $159 with the wired charging case and $199 for the wireless charging case. Apple might not increase the price of AirPods 3 but it could very well remove the wired charging case option thereby indirectly increasing the price in a way.

The second-gen. AirPods are usually discounted by $30-50 on Amazon right now. Do not expect similar discounts on the third-gen. AirPods right from the day it launches. Whenever the initial discounts on the AirPods 3 do pop up, expect them to be around $10-20 and not more than that which would still make it more expensive than the second-gen. AirPods which can be purchased for as low as $109.99.

AirPods 3 Release Date

Apple is rumored to launch the third-gen. AirPods along with its new iPad Pro 2021 lineup and AirTags in March 2021. Reputed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo along with various other sources of Apple leaks have claimed that Apple will release the AirPods 3 in the first half of 2021. The company usually tends to release new products in March and since the AirPods 2 were also released in March 2019, a March 2021 debut for AirPods 3 makes a lot of sense.

Are you looking forward to the release of the AirPods 3? What improvements do you expect them to pack? Drop a comment and let us know!