According to the allegedly latest leaked pictures, the design of the airpods Pro 2 may be basically the same as the current model, contrary to the rumors of "no handle" design. Last year, macrumors shared a picture that allegedly revealed the second-generation airpods pro - which seemed to show a design with little change. Now, Ian zelbo, the conceptual graphic designer of apple, has carried out a new scaled 3D visualization based on the leaked pictures, which further proves that the second generation airpods Pro will not have the so-called "no handle" design.
It can be seen from the leaked pictures last year that the so-called second-generation airpods Pro earplugs are not equipped with downward infrared sensors to detect when they are in the user's ears, but the latest 3D visual effects show that the new airpods Pro will be equipped with skin detection sensors.
Apple's skin detection sensor made its debut in the third generation airpods, providing a more accurate way to identify whether the earplug is really in the user's ear, not in the pocket or on the table. The sensor works by detecting the moisture content in the wearer's skin, which ensures that it does not mistake other surfaces for flesh.
The current airpods Pro does not install skin detection sensors in each earplug, but uses dual optical sensors to detect whether they are in the user's ear. Although they effectively perform the same function, optical sensors can simply tell whether they are against the surface or covered, rather than against the skin. This means that if you put the airpods Pro earplug in your pocket or on the surface, it may incorrectly resume playback. This is why Apple switched to skin detection sensors for greater accuracy, and only a slightly larger central sensor is required for each earplug.
Zelbo's proportional comparison confirmed that the pictures of the second generation airpods Pro allegedly show that the size and direction of the skin detection sensor are exactly the same as those of the third generation airpods. On the current generation of airpods pro, the main infrared sensor is a part of a slender black rectangle, which also contains a grid of the same shape. It is believed that the incision of the new skin detection sensor on the second-generation airpods Pro is the same as that of the third-generation airpods. It is a shorter, significantly thicker rectangle with a circular grid.
This small but critical detail may indicate that these pictures are more believable than previously thought - making it more likely that the second-generation airpods Pro will have no major styling design. In fact, zelbo's findings show that the design of the new earplug is the same as that of the current generation airpods pro, except for the change of the incision of the skin detection sensor. The length of the earplug handle and the shape of the inner part of the ear have not changed.
On the other hand, although there are rumors that the second-generation airpods Pro will use a "handle less" design, careful observation shows that reputable sources have not made it clear that this will happen. For example, apple analyst guomingpei believes that the second-generation airpods Pro will adopt a "new shape design", which may be due to some readjustment, but it does not specifically say that they will adopt a handle less design.
In October, 2020, mark gurman of Bloomberg said that Apple's goal is to make the second generation airpods Pro earplugs more compact by eliminating the short handle currently extending from the bottom. It is said that it is testing a design that "has a more rounded shape and can fill the user's ears", so as to make its style closer to the design of Samsung's Galaxy buses, Amazon, Google and other companies. However, gurman said that apple is facing the problem of integrating the hardware of the airpods pro, including the antenna and microphone, into a smaller shell, which "may lead to less ambitious design when finalizing the product."
Guo seems to support other aspects described in macrumors' second-generation airpods Pro pictures, which may increase its credibility. He said that the second-generation airpods Pro will have a charging box, through which users can trigger sound to highlight its position, so that earplugs and boxes can be positioned separately. This is directly consistent with the speaker hole on the charging box seen in the picture of macrumors. It seems that this sounding charging box may be integrated into the find my application, which is similar to the current situation that users can sound from a single airpod in the box to help locate.
Therefore, according to the information of guomingfu, gurman and macrumors, it is not certain that the second generation airpods Pro will adopt the handle less design. In fact, there seems to be more and more evidence to prove this.
Apple's beats studio buses and airplads Pro share a large number of technologies. They are completely in ear designed and have no "handle" characteristics at all. The fact that beats studio buses provides "no handle" design does not necessarily mean that airplads Pro will do the same; Apple often looks for ways to differentiate its beats and airpods product lines. Apple has also established a unique and easy to identify visual brand for airpods through this handle design and white plastic. It is doubtful whether the company is ready to deviate from this brand.
It is rumored that the second generation airpods Pro will support Apple Lossless Audio (alac) through a new connection scheme, which now seems likely to be launched this fall.