- A new leak says Apple plans to launch the highly anticipated AirPods Pro 2 wireless earphones in April, alongside a third-gen iPhone SE handset.
- The new AirPods Pro will reportedly have a more compact case than before.
- The report makes no mention of iPhone SE 3 specs, but previous rumors claimed Apple would launch a 5.5-inch iPhone SE version this year.
Apple has trained customers to expect brand new products late in the first quarter of the year, or immediately after that. It’s usually in March that the first new Apple products of the year are unveiled, although the pandemic did alter launch events in 2020, including several new Apple products. It’s unclear how the pandemic will evolve by March 2021, now that vaccines are available, but rumors already say Apple is preparing for new product launches. Specifically, the AirPods Pro 2 wireless earphones and another iPhone SE version are expected to launch in April.
The same Japanese blog that brought us iPad, iPad Pro, and iPhone 13 news last week is back with another story based on data from Chinese suppliers. Macotakara has learned that the second-generation AirPods Pro will be launched in April at the same time as the third-generation iPhone SE.
Apple is widely expected to launch new AirPods and AirPods Pro models in the near future. Recent rumors have said that the new Pro version will have a smaller stem, as Apple is looking to offer an even more compact design than before. Macotakara seems to indicate that might happen, as it lists the new wireless charging case’s purported dimensions. The thickness will remain unchanged at 21 mm, but the new case will be 46 mm tall and 54 mm wide. The current AirPods Pro case is 45.2 mm tall and 60.6 mm wide. If the Chinese suppliers have accurate information on hand, then the new AirPods Pro will be slightly more compact than the current model. Other details about the AirPods Pro 2 have not been provided.
Apple is also expected to launch a new version of the AirPods, which will reportedly look like the AirPods Pro, but without the noise cancelation signature feature. The report makes no mention of AirPods 3, however.
As for the third-gen iPhone SE, the report provides no details about the device, other than to say it’s a third-gen iPhone SE version. Apple doesn’t typically refresh its SE phones every year, so a 4.7-inch iPhone SE 3 might not launch this year. However, several rumors said last year that Apple would launch a 5.5-inch iPhone SE version in 2021. It’s unclear what sort of hardware this iPhone SE 3 version would offer. What’s great about the 4.7-inch iPhone SE is that it’s practically a phone as powerful as the iPhone 11 in an iPhone 8 body. Whatever iPhone SE versions might come out this year, it should feature at least the same processor as the iPhone SE, if not the brand new A14 chip that powers the iPhone 12 series.
