As the dust settles on a very successful AirPods Pro 3 launch, Apple already seems to be looking to upgrade the whole family with a new chip. In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Marc Gurman reports that Apple is working on the H3 chip, the successor to the H2 chip that powers its current AirPods models.
The H3 was pegged for launch with the AirPods Pro 3, but to everyone's surprise, they're powered by the tried and true H2 chip from the previous model. So why are the AirPods of the future likely to need this new chip?
Two words: Apple Intelligence.
Standalone intelligent earbuds
With the AirPods Pro 3, Apple gave us Live Translation. It's a clever system, letting you chat with people speaking other languages while your buds translate what they're saying.
Except the buds aren't doing it — your phone is. The AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods 4 simply aren't clever enough to do the AI work on their own. If Apple wants buds that can process AI requests without relying on a separate device, it's going to need a new chip.
So, in comes the H3. According to Gurman, Apple is currently working on the H3 chip for a future pair of AirPods Pro 3. Alongside potential AI upgrades, the new chip should also offer better audio quality and improve audio lag.
Apple is also reportedly working on a new pair of budget buds in the AirPods 5, the sequel to (as you might have guessed) the AirPods 4. It would be strange to see those launch alongside the H3 chip, something generally reserved for the Pro buds, but we've been surprised before.
Gurman doesn't think we're going to see the heart rate sensors of the AirPods Pro 3 on board, but we might get other health features, "including a temperature reader."
He does, however, think that we might see camera modules in the buds. Those will aid their AI powers in some way, apparently — although we'll have to wait to see them first. And, as always, we're not really sure when that's going to be.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
More from Tom's Guide
- I ditched my Marshall over-ear headphones for these Beyerdynamic on-ear ones for a week — here’s what happened
- I took the iPhone 17 Pro vs Galaxy S25 Ultra to the beach for a video camera shootout — here’s the winner
- I thought wireless CarPlay and Android Auto were a must have but I was wrong — here's why
