Overview

• Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports Apple is building an H3 audio chip aimed at lower latency and improved sound quality for upcoming AirPods.
• A new high‑end AirPods Pro variant is said to be in development, with analyst Ming‑Chi Kuo pointing to tiny infrared cameras that could enable in‑air gestures and deeper Vision Pro integration.
• Apple is also developing two tiers of AirPods 5 for the entry and mid ranges, with temperature sensing explored for future models while the Pro heart‑rate feature is not expected to trickle down yet.
• The current AirPods Pro 3, released in September, retain the H2 chip but add a heart‑rate sensor and other hardware refinements, underscoring questions about when new silicon will arrive.
• Timelines and naming remain unclear, with some outlets suggesting 2026 for camera‑equipped models, and Apple has not confirmed any of the reported features or release windows.