Analyst: second generation AirPods Pro will support Lossless audio

In a note to clients — as noted by MacRumors — analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple’s second generation AirPods Pro will feature support for Lossless audio. He also thinks it will come with a charging case that can make a sound to help you locate if it it’s been misplaced. 

In Apple’s terminology, Lossless is CD quality, from 16-bit 44.1kHz playback up to 24-bit 48kHz, while Hi-Res Lossless delivers up to 24-bit 192kHz. Both of Apple’s elite (and expensive) headphone models only use the Bluetooth AAC codec when connected to an iPhone, which means they can’t receive the full quality of the Apple Music Lossless files, which will be encoded as ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) files. 

The second generation AirPods Pro are expected to ship in the last half of 2022. Kuo says it will feature an entirely new design that does away with the short stem that comes out of the bottom for a design similar to the Beats Fit Pro. The analyst thinks the release of the second-generation ‌AirPods Pro‌ next year will boost shipments to more than 100 million.