According to a recent report by 9to5Mac, it appears that Apple is working on a new and improved version of their popular earbuds, the Beats Studio Buds. The upgraded version is speculated to be called the Beats Studio Buds+, and references to this device were found in the iOS 16.4 release candidate, which was released earlier today.
Based on the information available, it appears that the Beats Studio Buds+ will maintain a similar design to their predecessor, the Beats Studio Buds, which was introduced in 2021. Although there have been rumors suggesting that the new earbuds may be upgraded to include an H1 or W1 chip.
It has also been reported that the Beats Studio Buds+ will instead feature the Beats chip, rather than upgrading to the H1/W1. This means that while there may be some improvements to the earbuds, it is unlikely that they will have the same level of integration with Apple devices as products featuring the H1 or W1 chips.
According to code discovered in iOS 16.4 RC, it appears that the upcoming Beats Studio Buds+ will support various features that are also available on AirPods and other Beats wireless earbuds that utilize an Apple chip. These features include audio sharing, automatic device switching, and the ability to activate Siri using the phrase “Hey Siri.”
It’s worth noting that the original Studio Buds do not currently offer these capabilities, as they lack the necessary wireless chip from Apple. However, with the introduction of the new Studio Buds+, it seems that these popular features will now be available to a wider range of users.
Reports suggest that Apple is currently working on enhancing the Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency features of the upcoming Beats Studio Buds+. These improvements are expected to be incorporated into the final version of the earbuds, which are still in development and have not yet been released to the public. It remains to be seen how these enhancements will compare to the existing noise-canceling and transparency features found in other Apple-owned earbuds like AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.
Can also confirm they’re called Beats Studio Buds+
— iSoftware Updates (@iSWUpdates) March 21, 2023
The upcoming Beats earbuds, codenamed 8214, are also expected to come with a variety of features. Along with media controls for basic playback functions like play and pause, the earbuds will reportedly allow users to press and hold to switch between noise-canceling modes.
In addition, 9to5Mac has obtained images of the new earbuds, which reveal a sleek black design with gold accents. Based on the images, it appears that the new Beats earbuds will closely resemble the design of the original Beats Studio Buds. However, it’s important to note that these images may not be the final version of the earbuds and are subject to change.
Introduced in 2021, the original Beats Studio Buds were marketed as an affordable alternative to Apple’s AirPods. Priced at $150, they provided a more budget-friendly option for those who wanted premium wireless earbuds with features like Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency.
It’s expected that the new model, the Beats Studio Buds+, will be similarly priced to the original version, given that it’s positioned as an upgrade rather than a replacement.
Source: 9to5Mac