AirPods Lite: everything we know so far about Apple's rumored cheap new earbuds

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According to various sources, Apple is working on a new cheaper pair of AirPods, which are (or were) being referred to as 'AirPods Lite'. And most recently, on September 6, Mark Gurman shared his biggest and most detailed AirPods predictions yet, claiming that the company is actually readying two new AirPods models to supersede the entry-level second-gen buds, (aka AirPods 2019) and the mid-tier, third-generation model (also known as AirPods 3).

The older suggestion from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was that Apple was aiming for a $99 price in the US for the new cheaper AirPods, which would likely translate to ￡99 in the UK and AU$149 in Australia, based on Apple's pricing for the $99 HomePod mini.

And if they exist now, we're likely to see them at Apple's imminent 'Glowtime' event on September 9th, 2024.

No other information was included in Kuo's leak, other than (and this is the important bit) that Apple is planning for a late 2024 release date, and that they would replace the $129 Apple AirPods 2nd Gen. We've since heard a rumor that AirPods 4 will come in two different versions – a lower-priced version, and a more expensive version with active noise cancellation. So it may be that AirPods Lite won't be their own product, but will be part of the AirPods 4 line.

There's definitely room for an updated cheaper model among the best AirPods, because they world of the best budget earbuds has moved far beyond the quality of the current AirPods 2nd Gen. Apple needs to stay competitive, so here's what we know so far… and what he hope to see.

AirPods Lite possible release date and price

Given the strong rumors that there will be two versions of AirPods 4 – a model and a more expensive one with extra features – it seems like like that this cheaper model is the rumored 'Lite' AirPods model.

It's extremely likely that these will be unveiled at the next Apple Event, which will take place on September 9th 2024, and where we expect to see the iPhone 16 and Apple Watch 10 as well. We could then expect a release date 10 days or two weeks later.

The early rumors around AirPods Lite were that Apple is aiming for a $99 price, which would likely translate to around ￡99 / AU$149. Now that we're heard the rumors of two versions of AirPods 4, we're not so sure they'll be as cheap as that. It might be that they cost around the $119 price that AirPods 2nd Gen officially do now, and that they'll drop to $99 during sales events such as Black Friday.

AirPods Lite latest rumors

There hasn't been that much information about the cheaper AirPods, but the big latest report is that there will be two models of AirPods at the latest Apple event, and one will be simpler and cheaper than the other.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims that the cheaper model will lack active noise cancellation. Flagship AirPods could be receiving the customizable noise-cancellation we all wanted from our AirPods, thanks to iOS 18, but as an entry-level option, we wouldn't expect it to feature in any AirPods Lite. This cheaper set probably won't support wireless charging and head-gesture control (part of five features coming to AirPods Pro 2 in a free update) – but looks likely to have spatial audio on board, which is no surprise given Apple's investment in the technology.

Both models would also be expect to include USB-C charging instead of Apple's Lightning port, of course.

AirPods Lite: our verdict on what to expect

AirPods Lite design – will it be old or new?

This is a huge question, and I think it ties into some of the other stuff we're going to discuss later. I suspect that the AirPods Lite will look just like one of the existing AirPods models… but will it be the older AirPods 2nd Gen, or the AirPods 3rd Gen?

Given the rumors that the new model will include spatial audio, I think it's likely that the earbuds will look basically the same as AirPods 3rd Gen. These have been designed with spatial audio in mind, and Apple already has the equipment to make them geared up and ready to go. It makes sense for a new cheap model to borrow from the older mid-range model.

AirPods Lite and head-tracked Spatial Audio – will they have it?

Given how strongly Apple is pushing Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio in Apple Music, and how much money services make for Apple, it's possible that Apple will put the priority on making head-tracked Spatial Audio as affordable to as many people as possible.

As I mentioned above, I think this will tie into the design, because the shape of the devices matters for head-tracking, and it's much easier to keep the design you already have than to develop a new one.

If Apple keeps not just the design of the AirPods 3rd Gen, but also the chip inside it, then all the equipment for spatial audio is already ready to go, so it seems likely that it'll be on board.

AirPods Lite sound quality

This is going to be a fine line for Apple to tread. Will the sound be at the same level as the AirPods 3rd Gen? I think that's what we should expect, because it seems like AirPods 3rd Gen will be replaced as the mid-range option with a new better-sounding model with active noise cancellation.

This actually still wouldn't make them amazing value, even at $99. The likes of Nothing Ear (a) and Sony WF-C700N are a step beyond what the AirPods 3rd Gen can do for sound quality, and yet they cost less. So if Apple drops the price to $99, it'll still be behind them on sound quality alone, so let's hope Apple actually has a trick up its sleeve.

AirPods Lite battery life

I think Apple knows it can't skimp on this just because it's a cheaper product – it needs to at least match the six hours per charge that you get from AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 3rd Gen. That is the minimum you expect from earbuds these days, with eight hours being common – and nine or 10 is not unusual at all without noise cancellation.

So I expect Apple go for six hours in the buds and 24 hours in the charging case, just like the 3rd Gen.

Don't expect any wireless charging here – but they'll definitely use USB-C instead of Apple's Lightning port to comply with European Union rulings.

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