AirPods 2: To Wait or Not to Wait?

Rumors are in the air with regard to the next model of AirPods. They are being called AirPods 2, and they will probably be released in the first half of 2019, perhaps as early as March. The AirPods 2 are expected to be an incremental upgrade to the existing AirPods, maintaining the current design. There are also rumors of a completely redesigned version of AirPods that will be released in 2020.

As always, the question is, should you wait for the new AirPods or should you buy the current model? As we all know, there’s no right answer to this question. We’ll share everything we know so that you can decide what’s best for you.

If you want to know why you should use AirPods for working out, take a look at our post – Why Use AirPods for Working Out.

New Apple Patent: Earbuds Configured with One or More Biometric Sensors

In December of 2018, Apple was granted a patent entitled Earbuds with a compliant member. This follows a patent that was granted in December 2017, entitled Earbuds with biometric sensors. These patents confirm Apple’s commitment to health and fitness. We are anxiously waiting to see what biometric sensors will be included in future AirPods.

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, told TIME (in December, 2018) that “Apple’s largest contribution to mankind will be in improving people’s health and well-being”.

What Are the Latest Rumors?

According to Digitimes, “Apple is set to release AirPods 2 sometime in the first half of 2019, and the new wireless earbuds with discrete designs to carry health monitoring functions are expected to receive enthusiastic market responses”. Apple has not confirmed any technical details about the rumored AirPods 2, nor the release date.

Improved Connectivity

The AirPods 2 may use the newer W2 chip rather than the W1 chip that is used in the current AirPods. This will improve the audio quality and allow you to be more than 30 feet from your iPhone when using your AirPods.

Siri Activation

The AirPods 2 may add support for Siri Activation by saying Hey Siri. Currently, Siri is activated on the AirPods by double tapping on one of the AirPods. This will make it more convenient to use Siri.

Water Resistance

The AirPods 2 may provide some form of water resistance. This will protect them from sweat when working out as well as rain.

Fitness Tracking

As per the patents mentioned above, the AirPods 2 may have some kind of biometric sensors that can potentially provide health and fitness measurements.

Noise Reduction

The new AirPods 2 may have some form of noise reduction built in. This will provide better audio quality when listening to music as well as better sound quality for phone calls.

Wireless Charging

There has been talk of wireless charging for AirPods for quite a while now. This might apply to the AirPods 2 or it may be for a Wireless Charging Case that would work with existing AirPods and also with the AirPods 2. It was thought that the Wireless Charging Case would be released with the AirPower wireless charger that was announced long ago. We have heard a lot about both of these products but we still don’t know when they will arrive. Perhaps it will be when the AirPods 2 are released.

The Envelope Please

So, is it worth it to wait to purchase the soon-to-be-released AirPods 2?

If you really need to buy Airpods, then don’t wait. You’ll start to enjoy them as soon as you get them. If you really want the AirPods 2, you’ll definitely be able to find someone who would love to have your AirPods when you get the new ones.

If you don’t need them immediately, it might be worthwhile waiting until the end of March to see if there’s more information available, or if they are announced. It’s possible that the Airpods 2 will be more expensive than the current AirPods. In that case, you may choose to stick with the current AirPods and not spend the extra money. It’s also possible that after the AirPods 2 are announced, the price on the current AirPods will be reduced.

Whatever you decide, you won’t be disappointed!

Let us know in the comments below what you’re planning to do.