Could Next Year’s AirPods Pro Come in Two Sizes?

Although Apple has basically taken a “one-size-fits-all” approach to its entire AirPods lineup, that could change with next year’s AirPods Pro, if a new set of leaked images is to be believed.

To be fair, the AirPods are unique in Apple’s product lineup when it comes to offering only a single size option; just about everything else from the iPhone to the Apple Watch offers customers a choice of their preferred sizes, and while this arguably may not be as important for earphones and headphones, there are enough variations in head and ear sizes that it makes sense that Apple could be considering expanding the options.

While the AirPods Pro already include three different sizes of ear tips, which means that they should be able to fit most people, current rumours suggest that Apple is looking for ways to redesign the next-generation AirPods Pro, hoping to remove the stems and make them even more compact, in which case smaller versions would definitely be more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing for those with smaller ears.

This latest insight into what Apple could be up to with next year’s AirPods Pro comes from Twitter leaker Mr-white (@laobaiTD), who shared images alleged to be of internal hardware for the second-generation AirPods Pro.

While the images clearly show the components in two different sizes, also including the current AirPods Pro internals for comparison, this doesn’t necessarily confirm that Apple is actually planning to release two different sizes. According to an earlier report from Bloomberg, Apple has been struggling to shrink the AirPods Pro down to a smaller size, so these components could simply be prototypes designed to attempt even smaller sizes.

The leaker also makes mention of a “W2 chip” for the new AirPods Pro, which some rumours have suggested that Apple is working on, however the nomenclature doesn’t really line up, since all of Apple’s latest AirPods, and even some of the newest Beats headphones, all feature the newer “H1” chip, so it seems unlikely Apple would go back to the “W” designation.

Keep in mind that Apple is also simultaneously working on third-generation AirPods, which are expected to feature an “AirPods Pro Lite” style — the design of the AirPods Pro without some of the advanced features like active noise cancellation. So it’s possible that one of the images that Mr-white got their hands on represents these AirPods, and not another variation of the AirPods Pro.

Still, with reliable reports suggesting that Apple wants its next AirPods Pro to look more like Samsung’s Galaxy Buds, there could still be something to this rumour, but for now we’d say to take it with a pretty healthy dose of salt.

Further, according to MacRumors, Mr-white has a somewhat mixed track record, having shared a few accurate details in the past that all seem to stem from leaked component images, but it’s not always possible to draw accurate conclusions from these types of photos.

We’re also not quite sure yet when we’ll see the next-generations of Apple’s AirPods and AirPods Pro, although several reports have been pointing to a spring release for the third-generation AirPods, with the second-gen AirPods Pro landing later in the year — a timeline that makes some sense considering the 2019 release dates of the prior models.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]