AirPods Pro with fitness-tracking coming in 2022, new third-gen AirPods coming soon

Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has reported Apple is readying new third-generation AirPods expected to launch before the year’s end, with updated AirPods Pro expected in 2022 with fitness-tracking features.

In an article published today, Gurman says the new AirPods Pro will have updated motion sensors with a focus on fitness tracking as rumored. Apple is also said to have prototyped a smaller design for the earbuds that removes the stems, similar to Apple’s soon-to-be-announced “Beats Studio Buds.”

Gurman claims Apple had previously aimed to release the new AirPods Pro as early as this year, marking the first change to the earbuds following their launch in October 2019.

The ‌AirPods Pro‌ coming next year will be the first change to that product since October 2019 and will include updated motion sensors with a focus on fitness tracking, the people said, asking not to be named because the plans are private.

Several leakers have shared images claiming to show the new AirPods 3, which are expected to look similar to the current AirPods Pro, including a smaller wireless charging case.

The report claims Apple has only recently caught up with demand for its high-end $549 AirPods Max, and the company is not currently working on a second generation of the AirPods Max, though it has discussed launching additional color variations in the future.