Apple working on Beats Studio Buds Plus, new AirPods: report

Beats could be on the verge of taking the wraps off the newest entrant in the Beats earbud lineup. The American consumer audio products giant is reportedly gearing up to unveil a more advanced version of the Studio Buds. This piece of information has been shared by 9To5Mac.

The report centres on a new version of the popular Beats earbud. Surprisingly, the feature-laden Beats Studio Buds are easy on the pocket even if you are on a tight budget. They have often been ranked as one of the best pocket-friendly noise-cancelling headphones available in the market.

Now, the new version of the Beats Studio Buds dubbed the Beats Studio Buds Plus could offer more features for the same price. However, Apple has neither confirmed nor denied this speculation. Amid the lack of an official confirmation, a source told 9To5Mac that the new Studio Buds Plus model would probably boast additional features.

For instance, the upgraded Studio Buds Plus could support "Hey Siri," audio sharing, as well as automatic device switching. Some Beats wireless earbuds and Apple AirPods currently offer the aforesaid features. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes Apple is planning to bring Apple Watch-like health-tracking features to the future AirPods.

New Beats Studio Buds Plus could be in the offing

Regrettably, the original Studio Buds did not support these features since it does not pack Apple's H1/H2 chip under the hood. Now, 9To5Mac sources suggest the new Beats Studio Buds Plus will not use the H1/H2 chip. Instead, they imply the new audio accessory will come with a custom Beats chip. Nevertheless, the new custom chip will support practical features like Hey Siri.

Notably, the upcoming Beats Studio Buds Plus seems to retain the design of its well-received predecessor. Moreover, folks at Tom's Guide suggest the earbuds will be available for purchase in black, red, and white colour options. The black-tinted Plus variant is expected to feature gold accents to the branding. Furthermore, it is likely to support the press and hold media controls for playing and pausing music.

Aside from this, the new version could allow users to toggle between Transparency and noise-cancelling modes. It will be interesting to see whether the Plus model will replace the original Studio Buds, which carries a price tag of $149. Alternatively, the Studio Buds could continue alongside the Plus variant for a premium price.

Is Apple working on AirPods Pro Lite?

The 9To5Mac report cites a newer version of the Apple AirPods. However, the report does not confirm whether this model is the long-rumoured AirPods Pro Lite or just an upgraded version of the existing AirPods. There is a possibility that Apple could be prepping to unveil a new model that sits between the high-end AirPods Pro and the standard AirPods 3.

While nothing is set in stone yet, another noted analyst Jeff Pu recently indicated that the Airpods Lite could sell for less than $129. Interestingly, the AirPods 2nd generation carries the same price tag. This is also a major sign that the 2nd generation AirPods will be positioned below AirPods Lite. A report by 91mobiles claims Apple could start selling the AirPods 2nd-gen for just $99, provided the AirPods Lite rumours turn out to be true.

Details about the Apple AirPods Lite's specifications, features, and launch timeline are still scarce. Still, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests the American tech firm could start shipping its next-gen AirPods either the second half of 2024 or the first half of 2025. Apple usually announces AirPods in the latter months of the year. So, the new AirPods are more likely to become official in the second half of 2024.

However, this potential release date could be postponed or even canceled due to production issues. In the meantime, the rumour mill will probably continue to churn out speculations surrounding the budget version of Apple's popular AirPods earbuds.