AirPods 3 | 7 New Features and Changes to Expect This Month

Along with the entire iPhone 13 lineup that’s expected to debut at Apple’s California streaming event next week, it looks like there’s a good chance we’ll see Apple actually show off a new version of AirPods for the first time in five years.

While it’s hard to pin down any kind of release cycle for Apple’s earphones, it’s fair to say that they’re due for a refresh. After all, it’s been two years since the second-generation AirPods showed up with “Hey Siri” support and wireless charging, but it’s also been five years since Apple had anything meaningful to say about its headphones at an actual event.

In fact, despite two generations of AirPods, new higher-end AirPods Pro, and the premium AirPods Max over-ear headphones, Apple has never given stage time to any of its headphones beyond the very first AirPods, released in 2016.

That could change this year, however, with rumours suggesting Apple will announce its third-generation AirPods, more colloquially dubbed “AirPods 3”, alongside the iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Series 7 at next week’s event.

Even if that doesn’t happen, however, all signs point to the new AirPods arriving this month. Apple could still choose to slip them out more quietly via a press release, as it’s done with almost all of its other AirPods, but they’re coming either way. Read on for 7 things we’re expecting to see in this year’s new AirPods.