Apple wireless headphones could soon be with us, fresh leak suggests

Apple wireless headphones could soon be with us, fresh leak suggests
(Image credit: Beats)

Apple is preparing to launch a pair of over-ear headphones early this year, according to well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo has a respectable track record when it comes to such predictions regarding upcoming Apple products and their release dates. His leaked notes proved correct on the 2019 release date of the latest Apple AirPods Pro, for example, as well as the new 16-inch MacBook Pro

Although Kuo didn't provide details about the headphones, his latest memo (initially circulated by 9to5Mac) claims they would be Bluetooth-enabled and could launch in the first half of 2020.

This isn't the first time Apple over-ear headphones have been teased. We first reported on this way back in 2018, noting a rumoured 2019 release date and even a patent filed by the company.

A set of over-ear wireless headphones from Apple itself, rather than its Beats subsidiary (pictured), would undoubtedly be a welcome addition to its audio product line-up, alongside its HomePod smart speaker and of course the popular AirPods. The new cans could well compete with the likes of the class-leading Sony WH-1000XM3 and excellent Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless headphones, too.

Other than a pair of over-ear headphones, Kuo also predicts that Apple is planning to launch a cheaper, 4.7in iPhone, a refreshed iPad Pro, and a Tile-like accessory.

As always, such leaks can be treated with both intrigue and a dollop of skepticism in equal measure – but when we know more, so shall you. 

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Becky has been a full-time staff writer at What Hi-Fi? since March 2019. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, she freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 20-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance is of course tethered to a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo, This is Cabaret and The Stage. When not writing, she dances, spins in the air, drinks coffee, watches football or surfs in Cornwall with her other half – a football writer whose talent knows no bounds.