Apple AirPods 3 release date: Mass production reportedly starts next month

Apple AirPods | Photo credit: ready made (@readymade) / Pexels

Thursday, July 22, 2021 9:14 AM UTC

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Refresh models of various Apple devices are expected to launch later this year. These products, including the AirPods 3, are reported to enter mass production next month.

AirPods 3 release date

Apple is expected to go back to its pre-pandemic cycle for its products yet to be released this year, and a report from Nikkei Asia indicated that the AirPods 3 is one of the devices entering production sometime in August. Aside from the new generation of Apple’s entry-level true wireless earbuds, the assembly of new MacBook Pros and the 2021 iPhones are also reported to begin next month.

The production of AirPods 3 in August suggests that the wireless earbuds could be announced and enter the market as early as September. The 2021 iPhones are also expected to launch in the same month, which would be less than a year from the announcement of its predecessors. It can be recalled that the iPhone 12 series saw a slightly different release timeline in 2020 amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There have been varying reports about the AirPods 3 release window over the last year, but if the production is set for next month, it is very likely for the new earbuds to go on sale before the year ends. Meanwhile, recent reports on the AirPods Pro 2 tell a different story. Both products were initially expected to launch within 2021, but a more recent prediction from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicates that the next Pro model may not arrive until 2022.

AirPods 3 design, features

Information from various supply chain sources has suggested that Apple is adopting the system-in-package module for the AirPods 3. Multiple renders and live photos of supposed early versions of AirPods 3 have also leaked, suggesting that the upcoming earbuds will have shorter stems and a wider charging case similar to the first AirPods Pro.

The AirPods 3 is not expected to offer active noise cancellation, which would be interesting since Apple released the cheaper Beats Studio Buds last month that has this functionality. Upgrades on the chip and battery are still unclear, but the AirPods 3 should at least match the current-gen model’s specifications that include 5-hour listening time on a single charge.

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