2 W2 Chip with Better Battery Life
The first AirPods had W1 chips, but there’s also a W2 chip, introduced for the Apple Watch Series 3. It would be very strange if Apple decided to release a new version of the AirPods without upgrading to the W2 chip. There’s also a very good reason to consider making this change: One of the best benefits of the W2 is that it is much more efficient than the W1. That means less power is used, which could lead to the AirPods getting a significant bump in battery life, which would give everyone a good reason to upgrade.
Before you ask – yes, there is also a W3 chip from the latest Apple Watch. However, the W2 chip seems more likely to hit the spot between better performance and a livable price range.