Apple AirPods Pro 4, AirPods 5 and H3 chip in the works
Following the release of the Apple AirPods Pro 3 last month, Apple is already working on the next AirPods Pro, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. It’s unclear whether the new AirPods Pro will be called AirPods Pro 4 or an updated version of the AirPods Pro 3. Gurman declined to comment, referring to them as a “new version” of the “high-end in-ear headphones.”
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 have been updated a year after their launch with a USB-C charging case and some other tweaks, without changing the name.
Last month, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the Apple AirPods Pro would get “more significant” hardware upgrades next year, including a tiny infrared camera. A tipster on the Chinese platform Weibo subsequently claimed that this would be a premium version of the AirPods Pro 3 and not the AirPods Pro 4. This would be similar to the standard AirPods 4, which are available in two configurations, with and without active noise cancellation.
Apple AirPods Pro 4 with H3 chip
In his Power On newsletter, Gurman said Apple is currently developing its next-generation H3 chip for wireless audio with improved sound quality and lower latency. It would make sense to include this chip in the next AirPods Pro, but Gurman didn’t explicitly mention which AirPods models the chip would be used in or when. According to Gurman, Apple is also developing two versions of the AirPods 5.
The Apple AirPods Pro 3 offer heart rate monitoring during exercise, but Gurman doesn’t expect this feature to be extended to the AirPods 5. However, he did say that Apple is planning several new health features for future AirPods, such as temperature measurement.
Gurman reiterated that Apple is considering equipping at least some AirPods models with cameras. Kuo previously said that AirPods with infrared cameras would support mid-air gestures and offer deeper integration between the headphones and the Vision Pro headset.
The AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4 are equipped with the H2 chip, which debuted in the AirPods Pro 2. The Apple AirPods Max continue to feature the H1 chip. Kuo previously said that a lighter version of the AirPods Max would go into mass production in 2027.
