Report: Apple will announce AirPods Pro with noise canceling this month

Apple may have announced three new iPhones last month, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the company is done for the year. A report from China Economic Daily suggests Apple plans to announce a ‘Pro’ version of its ubiquitous AirPods soon. Like, before the end of October soon.

The most notable rumored update to the AirPods Pro is the inclusion of noise canceling. That would be a big boon to everyone who appreciates the reliability of Apple’s buds, but wants something that can actually block out sound too. This seems further corroborated by the design leaks we’ve seen so far, which appear to show the AirPods Pro with a silicone tip to create a proper seal with your ear.

The AirPods Pro are expected to retail around $260, which seems a fair price for noise-canceling earbuds, at least taking the Apple tax into account. Sony’s 1000XM3, for instance, retail for $230.

Whether or not this particular timing pans out, it seems likely the AirPods Pro are a real product. Earlier in October, an image in the iOS 13.2 beta seemed to depict the new AirPods Pro.

References in the OS suggested the noise-canceling feature could be turned on and off. I expect the headphones to have an ambient awareness mode, as that’s one of the reasons some users like the original AirPods over competitors in the first place.

That image matched prior leaks of a supposed ‘AirPods 3’ casing that hit the web in September.

Apple is widely rumored to host another hardware event this month, which is where it would likely announce the new AirPods. Remember, the company announced the new Mac Pro back in June, saying it would arrive in the fall; I expect the company wants that launch to happen with some fanfare, so another hardware event seems likely. The company is also expected to update the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro at the event.