Are these the Apple headphones to finally beat the Sony WH-1000XM3?
Mystery symbols appear in iOS 14
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The first pair of over-earApple headphoneshave been revealed, after9to5Macreportedly discovered icons representing the rumored cans iniOS 14code.
Two icons – one light, one dark – depict a pair ofover-ear headphoneswith padding on the earcups and headband, and appear to show two different color options for the headphones (likely space gray and the same white as theAirPods).
These new headphones – which some are calling theApple AirPods X– could prove to be a new rival for thebest headphones of 2020, theSony WH-1000XM3. Only if the firstAppleheadphones come with premium features like stellar noise cancelation and unbeatable audio quality, that is.
According to 9to5Mac, “these glyphs are used in iOS 14 to represent the unreleased headphones throughout theoperating systemincluding Apple’s battery and charging status widget” – just like the icons you’ll find in iOS 13 to represent theAirPodsand theAirPods Proon the volume bar.
If Apple is intending the new headphones to become part of the AirPods family, they could come with some of the true wireless earbuds' best features, like the H1 chip that allows for the ‘Hey Siri’ and speedy Bluetooth pairing.
We still don’t know what the headphones will be called, but current predictions include theApple AirPods Xand the Apple StudioPods.
iOS 14 is expected to launch sometime between September and November 2020, which suggests that Apple’s over-ear headphones could be released at the same time.
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However,a reportby respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who correctly predicted the release of the upgradedApple AirPodsand theAirPods Proin 2019, claims that thewireless headphoneswill launch earlier in the year, alongside a number of new products.
That would mean that – were the new Apple AirPods over-headphones to be launched alongside theiPhone 9in March at the expected spring event -–this appearance in iOS 14 will also be found in future versions ofiOS 13, so the release date is pretty broad.
In any case, the discovery of these iOS 14 glyphs adds credence to claims that we’ll be seeing the first pair of Apple over-ear headphones in 2020 – and they’re the clearest image so far of how the headphones might look. Check out the glyphs for yourself below:
Mounting rumors
Despite no official confirmation from Apple of the existence of the over-ear headphones, rumors have been mounting since the start of this year.
Most recently, an inventory listing from US store Target, may have revealed the price of the hotly-anticipated cans.
YouTuber Jon Prosser postedan imageto Twitter, which appeared to show the upcoming over-ear headphones in Target’s system, mysteriously listed as “Apple AirPods (X Generation)”.
The product in the image appears to cost $399, which works out at around £300 / AU$600 – if these are the rumored Apple StudioPods, then the brand is aiming for the higher end of the price scale, surpassing the cost of competitors like theSony WH-1000XM3and theBose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.
We’ve been hearing rumors for a lot longer than that, though. In June 2018,Bloomberg reportedthat Apple was planning “studio-quality over-ears headphones” that will “use Apple branding and be a higher end alternative to the company’s Beats line”.
Speaking to people close to the matter, Bloomberg reported that Apple originally intended to “introduce the headphones by the end of 2018, but has faced development challenges”, and was instead targeting a 2019 launch. Of course, they never materialized, making a 2020 release date all the more credible.
Olivia was previously TechRadar’s Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she’s a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She’s previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.
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