It was reported last week that Apple filed a new FCC filing for a yet-unannounced Apple-branded over-ear headphone, internally known as A3577. Earlier today, Spanish professional footballer Lamine Yamal took to Instagram, striking a pose with an unreleased pair of Beats headphones. Here’s what we know.
A big part of Beats’ marketing campaign for teasing unreleased products is giving them to professional athletes and celebrities to tote around various global events. With the FIFA World Cup around the corner, it makes sense for both Apple and Beats to bank on celebrity endorsements, even if this time they look a lot different.
In a post to Instagram, Spanish Footballer Lamine Yamal posed for some photos with what might be the successor to the Beats Studio Pro headphones that were released in 2023. While there’s nothing on the exterior that could hint at any changes inside, the new unreleased Beats offer a new design that calls back to the Beats Mixr headphones from 2012.
Looking closely at the unreleased Beats headphones shows a new headband design similar to the AirPods Max, with the earcups protruding out from the sides rather than sitting flush. It does look like Beats will keep the plastic housing rather than the aluminum enclosure of the AirPods Max.
Beats last updated the Studio Pro headphones in 2023, and while it introduced USB-C charging, Spatial Audio, and a custom Beats-silicon for better Android compatibility, the design has gone largely unchanged since 2019, with design elements going back to the original Studio headphones. Hopefully, the new Beats Studio Pro 2 will introduce an H2 chip for AirPod-like connectivity, lossless support, and a newer design.
It’s unclear when Apple (or Beats) plans to release the new headphones, but if they’re out in the wild, it shouldn’t be too long until an official announcement.
