Apple could be looking at expanding its AirPods lineup by releasing a budget-friendly ‘AirPods Lite’. This report comes from Haitong Intl Tech Research analyst Jeff Pu who claims the company is working on a cheaper version of AirPods to compete with low-priced truly wireless headphones that are available in the market.
Analyst Pu has not revealed any specific features of the so-called AirPods Lite noting that the biggest selling point of this new model will be its low price. The new headphones will sit right below AirPods 3 (priced at $169) and replace the AirPods 2, which Apple sells at $129.
If Apple ends up releasing an AirPods Lite it is unlikely that it will be packed with any new features. Some of the premium AirPods features like personalized spatial audio, sweat and water resistance, adaptive EQ, U1 chip for precision finding etc could also be missing from this new model.
Apple’s plans of releasing a cheaper AirPods model could have been influenced by the expected drop in demand for truly wireless headphones in 2023. Pu claims that AirPods shipments could drop from 73 million units in 2022 to 63 million in 2023. One of the reasons for this could be because of the ‘soft AirPods 3 demand’.
Apple could be looking to boost up sales with the release of AirPods Lite in 2023, especially when it is not expected to release a successor to AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2 this year. (via 9to5Mac)
