Apple has constantly updated its AirPods lineup since it debuted the TWS earbuds for the first time and the lineup may see an addition of a new set of earbuds called AirPods Lite, that will sit below the regular version of AirPods and the AirPods Pro. Here’s what we know about the upcoming TWS earbuds from the Californian smartphone maker.
In an investor note sent on Monday, analyst Jeff Pu claimed that Apple will release new a lower-cost version of AirPods called “AirPods Lite” sometime during the second half of 2024. Pu says that the AirPods production will see an increase later this year, “thanks to the launch of a low-cost model.” He also mentions that that the AirPods volume will dip by 4% year-over-year in 2024 to 55 million units because of “muted demand for existing models.” The report further added that Apple will also launch new AirPods Max model later in the year.
Aside from the existence of AirPods Lite, Pu didn’t share any other information about the upcoming TWS earbuds. Analyst Ming-chi Kuo has also mentioned in the past that a low-cost version of AirPods will be released in 2024 and could be priced at $99 (approx Rs 8,253).
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For perspective, the regular AirPods (3rd Gen) sell for Rs 19,900 in India while the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) sell for Rs 24,900 in the country. Considering it’s a lite model, we expect Apple to cut down some of the features from these TWS earbuds in comparison to the other two models.
Back in December last year, a report suggesting two AirPods 4th Gen models are in works surfaced online. It came from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, a reliable source for insider information on Apple products.
Per that report, Apple will offer two new 4th gen non-Pro AirPods models that will have updated designs, redesigned cases and USB-C charging. The upper-end version of the two models will include active noise cancellation, a feature it would borrow from the AirPods Pro. This could mean that Apple may not offer ANC support in the AirPods Lite, if it’s the same AirPods 4th Gen lower-end model Gurman talked about in his report.