AirPods Pro rumored to get better Digital ANC in next update
Apple's next generation of AirPods Pro is rumored to get a big boost with a new digital active noise cancellation system, which may improve on the existing offering.
AirPods Pro 2
Apple's special event on September 9 is likely to have a number of launches alongside the iPhone 16. One chief candidate for an update are the AirPods lines, and the AirPods Pro could get a few small upgrades.
According to serial leaker Kosutami in an X post on Tuesday, new AirPods Pro are on the way with an update to the active noise cancellation feature. It will have a "Digital ANC that [is] much better than [the] previous version," they wrote in the post.
It is unclear exactly what is meant by the digital ANC change, aside from it being an improvement. This likely refers to inbound processing hardware changes.
When asked when the earphone update will take place, they added it will be "soon," without any real extrapolation. This could mean anything from September's event to a much more distant launch time.
Kosutami is a very regular Apple leaker, with a decent track record on their claims. Previous hits include an image of USB-C on an iPhone before the introduction of the iPhone 15, as well as the end of Apple's FineWoven accessory production.
Rumors about Apple's AirPods Pro updates have previously discussed the possibility of a hearing aid mode, building upon existing features such as Conversation Boost and Listen Live. A new design and chip running the earphones has also been proposed.
While a fall launch is entirely possible, rumors have offered that a 2025 release may happen instead.
There have also been speculation that there could be bigger changes in 2026, by adding radar cameras to help adjust audio in real time while wearing the Apple Vision Pro.
Rumor Score: Possible
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Them offer it at a later date. on the Airpods pro 3.
Make the debut on an expensive product first, and them people will consider the new Airpods Pro a steal.
I'm told that I sound much better when I use my the microphones in my Studio Display than when I use my AirPods. It's mostly fine for me to use the Studio Display, but sometimes I need to use the AirPods, and it would be nice if people could hear me better.
After all the reviews and gushing about it I was disappointed to find they let in most high notes, so things like my gym, lawnmower, vacuum, or snow thrower remain not just very loud but by removing mostly low pitches they often get even more shrill and annoying. And yes, I have passed the fit test, tried every tip (both silicon and idea wise), and tried the foam tips which only help very slightly at the expense of instrument separation. You lose the highest tones in your hearing first most often, so I wonder if the people gushing about its ANC performance just have degraded hearing, not in an insulting way but I think that's genuinely an explanation.
I find the current resurgence in vinyl purchases pretty funny, except that it's one of the greatest scams ever in audio. The theory goes that analog vinyl sounds better than digital, and that's an opinion I can respect, even though I have a few asterisks attached to it. But for the sake of argument, let's say it's true. The funny/total scam part is that supposedly "analog" vinyl, mostly without exception, is now being pressed from digital master tapes. And any album recorded this century and somewhat earlier was almost certainly recorded digitally, too. So if you believe that something in music gets lost when it gets converted to ones and zeros, converting a digital recording or digital master tape back to analogue for a vinyl pressing doesn't magically restore whatever you believe was lost. It's gone forever because it was never there in the master tape. You are listening to digital. it's really no different from listening to a CD, where the ones and zeros on the CD are converted back to a fully analog signal that drives your speakers. Even "classic rock" albums originally recorded on analog tape, when released now on vinyl, are almost certainly being pressed from digital masters because the analog masters are either missing, worn out or too fragile to be used. Yes, there are specialty boutique companies claiming to press vinyl from "the original analog master tapes," which would give you a true analog listening experience. But Mobile Fidelity--arguably the most famous of those companies--was caught up in a scandal where that claim wasn't always true.