What will the AirPods Pro 4 have?
Last updated
If you own AirPods Pro 2 or Pro 3 in one of the five provinces, you get a hearing test and a free hearing aid once iOS 27.2 is out. Ontario is still waiting on a law change.
Read the storyIf you own AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4 or AirPods Max 2, you can now tune the sound yourself and the setting travels with the earbuds. AirPods Pro 2 get the update but not the EQ, and you can't force the install.
Read the storyA treadmill test on the iOS 27 beta came back with the numbers a watch would give. The earbuds have to be in, and their heart-rate permission has to be on.
Read the storyRumors
See everything we're expectingThey are there for sensing, not for taking photos.
Strong evidence points this way.
It isn't official yet and may change.
87% track record
Similar reports have held up 87% of the time in our historical data.
Based on how reporting on wireless earbuds has held up, across 84 settled reports.
This does not mean this claim has a 87% chance of happening.
How the reporting has spread
This started with independent reporting and was later carried by other outlets. Repeats don’t count as new independent sources.
Outlets
5
How strongly each outlet put it
Gurman groups them with the glasses and the pendant, all relying on visual context.
A credible source reported this.
It isn't confirmed yet and may change.
64% track record
Similar reports have held up 64% of the time in our historical data.
Based on how reporting on wireless earbuds has held up, across 84 settled reports.
This does not mean this claim has a 64% chance of happening.
How the reporting has spread
This started with independent reporting and was later carried by other outlets. Repeats don’t count as new independent sources.
Independent sources
Outlets
3
How strongly each outlet put it
Reported gesture controls remain unconfirmed.
A credible source reported this.
It isn't confirmed yet and may change.
69% track record
Similar reports have held up 69% of the time in our historical data.
Based on how reporting on wireless earbuds has held up, across 84 settled reports.
This does not mean this claim has a 69% chance of happening.
How the reporting has spread
This started with independent reporting and was later carried by other outlets. Repeats don’t count as new independent sources.
Outlets
5
How strongly each outlet put it
Comparison
Compare earbudsPrice
$249
What it costs to buy. None of these need a subscription.
Weight
5.6g
Grams in your ears. Lower is lighter.
Battery life
~8 hrs
How long it lasts on its own, away from a charger.
AirPods Pro 3$249
AirPods 4$129
Pixel Buds Pro 2$229
Galaxy Buds 4 Pro$249.99Current list prices.
One earbud, not the pair, and not the case.
Hours on one charge with noise cancelling on, where that figure is officially stated; otherwise the official headline figure. Prices are each product's lowest version. Battery life varies with use, settings and firmware.
Expected release date
An average of 1076 days between updates.An average of 1076 days between updates.
| Generation | On sale | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| AirPods Pro (1st generation) | Oct 30, 2019 | first |
| AirPods Pro (2nd generation) | Sep 23, 2022 | 1059 days |
| AirPods Pro 3 | Sep 19, 2025 | 1092 days |
| AirPods Pro 4 (expected) | Late 2027 | expected |
Quick answers
All FAQsGurman reports Apple is developing an H3 chip for better sound and lower latency.
A credible source reported this.
It isn't confirmed yet and may change.
64% track record
Similar reports have held up 64% of the time in our historical data.
Based on how reporting on wireless earbuds has held up, across 84 settled reports.
This does not mean this claim has a 64% chance of happening.
How the reporting has spread
This started with independent reporting and was later carried by other outlets. Repeats don’t count as new independent sources.
Outlets
3
How strongly each outlet put it
They are there for sensing, not for taking photos.
Strong evidence points this way.
It isn't official yet and may change.
87% track record
Similar reports have held up 87% of the time in our historical data.
Based on how reporting on wireless earbuds has held up, across 84 settled reports.
This does not mean this claim has a 87% chance of happening.
How the reporting has spread
This started with independent reporting and was later carried by other outlets. Repeats don’t count as new independent sources.
Outlets
5
How strongly each outlet put it
Each earbud shoots synced RGB stills up to a megapixel. The code has no video path.
A credible source reported this.
It isn't confirmed yet and may change.
87% track record
Similar reports have held up 87% of the time in our historical data.
Based on how reporting on wireless earbuds has held up, across 84 settled reports.
This does not mean this claim has a 87% chance of happening.
How the reporting has spread
This started with independent reporting and was later carried by other outlets. Repeats don’t count as new independent sources.
Outlets
6
How strongly each outlet put it
Cameras identify which screen you are watching and lock spatial audio to it.
A credible source reported this.
It isn't confirmed yet and may change.
87% track record
Similar reports have held up 87% of the time in our historical data.
Based on how reporting on wireless earbuds has held up, across 84 settled reports.
This does not mean this claim has a 87% chance of happening.
How the reporting has spread
This started with independent reporting and was later carried by other outlets. Repeats don’t count as new independent sources.
Outlets
2
How strongly each outlet put it
Gurman groups them with the glasses and the pendant, all relying on visual context.
A credible source reported this.
It isn't confirmed yet and may change.
64% track record
Similar reports have held up 64% of the time in our historical data.
Based on how reporting on wireless earbuds has held up, across 84 settled reports.
This does not mean this claim has a 64% chance of happening.
How the reporting has spread
This started with independent reporting and was later carried by other outlets. Repeats don’t count as new independent sources.
Independent sources
Outlets
3
How strongly each outlet put it
Reported gesture controls remain unconfirmed.
A credible source reported this.
It isn't confirmed yet and may change.
69% track record
Similar reports have held up 69% of the time in our historical data.
Based on how reporting on wireless earbuds has held up, across 84 settled reports.
This does not mean this claim has a 69% chance of happening.
How the reporting has spread
This started with independent reporting and was later carried by other outlets. Repeats don’t count as new independent sources.
Outlets
5
How strongly each outlet put it
A pre-release string tells you to put the buds back in the case to finish it.
A credible source reported this.
It isn't confirmed yet and may change.
87% track record
Similar reports have held up 87% of the time in our historical data.
Based on how reporting on wireless earbuds has held up, across 84 settled reports.
This does not mean this claim has a 87% chance of happening.
How the reporting has spread
This started with independent reporting and was later carried by other outlets. Repeats don’t count as new independent sources.
Outlets
1
How strongly each outlet put it
It is Gurman's latest window, a year later than his earlier reporting.
64% track record
Similar reports have held up 64% of the time in our historical data.
Based on how reporting on wireless earbuds has held up, across 84 settled reports.
This does not mean this claim has a 64% chance of happening.
How the reporting has spread
This started with independent reporting and was later carried by other outlets. Repeats don’t count as new independent sources.
Independent sources
Outlets
10
How strongly each outlet put it
Two tiers at two prices, the way AirPods 4 is sold today, a tipster says
A credible source reported this.
It isn't confirmed yet and may change.
87% track record
Similar reports have held up 87% of the time in our historical data.
Based on how reporting on wireless earbuds has held up, across 84 settled reports.
This does not mean this claim has a 87% chance of happening.
How the reporting has spread
This started with independent reporting and was later carried by other outlets. Repeats don’t count as new independent sources.
Outlets
1
How strongly each outlet put it
Reveal to on sale
The gap has ranged from 2 days (AirPods Pro (1st generation)) to 16 days (AirPods Pro (2nd generation)).
Do new AirPods Pro turn up at Apple's September event?
Readers got this one wrong — 1 vote
Expected price: about $249
Our estimateThis is our figure, not AirPods's. We base it on what the last models cost. It can change.
Frequently asked questions
If you own AirPods Pro 2 or Pro 3 in one of the five provinces, you get a hearing test and a free hearing aid once iOS 27.2 is out. Ontario is still waiting on a law change.
If you own AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4 or AirPods Max 2, you can now tune the sound yourself and the setting travels with the earbuds. AirPods Pro 2 get the update but not the EQ, and you can't force the install.
A treadmill test on the iOS 27 beta came back with the numbers a watch would give. The earbuds have to be in, and their heart-rate permission has to be on.
Apple assembles its shipping code by merging branches, and one of the branches it merged this time was never meant to leave the building.
Gurman says a second AirPods project called B790 is further along than the camera model B798. He did not say what makes them different.
Tap your iPhone to the machine and AirPods Pro 3 supply the pulse. Without the earbuds in, the workout does not start at all.
A hidden codename gives it away.
Apple didn’t announce new AirPods at WWDC but they may have revealed their future.
Apple's three rumored Ultra products this year are a foldable iPhone, a touchscreen MacBook, and AirPods with infrared cameras. Only the earbuds change their category.
16% of people who pass a clinical hearing test still rate their hearing as fair or poor. AirPods catch what the booth misses.
Cameras in earbuds first, glasses second. Apple is building the user base before it builds the platform.
AirPods are getting custom EQ in iOS 27, years after every competitor already had it. Three sliders, no saved profiles.
Apple's camera AirPods are apparently done. Siri is the one holding up the line.
Eight months in, AirPods Pro 3 still nail heart rate, posture, and live translation without feeling like a spec sheet wearing earbuds.
JPMorgan inherits Goldman's $350-per-customer credit card portfolio and immediately offers $249 AirPods to make you forget who built it.
Strava now reads your heart rate through AirPods Pro 3, making a $249 earbud the wrist-free alternative to a fitness watch.
AirPods Pro 3 got firmware 8B40. Pro 2 and Max 2 owners got nothing, not even an explanation.
A $4.99 Android app now unlocks AirPods features Apple never intended non-iPhone users to have.
Apple wants AirPods Pro 3 to read your lips so you never have to speak aloud.
