The next AirPods Pro could look like the current ones... but may sound very different.

A new leak seems to confirm that a very big update could be coming with the next Apple earbuds release, Apple AirPods Pro 2, expected later this year. New beta software for AirPods has just been released to developers, and it presages something that sounds ordinary, an updated Bluetooth codec for Apple AirPods Max, but that could have spectacular repercussions, say, for future in-ears, such as AirPods Pro.

As reported by 9to5Mac, a developer has claimed that the beta will mean that an updated Bluetooth codec, called LC3, can be enabled for Apple AirPods Max.

Apple leaker ShrimpApplePro tweeted about the claim, referring to their leak that L3C was coming.

This will mean that the headphones will have better-quality voice calls, for a start. But it also suggests that AirPods Pro 2 could have substantially improved music playback quality. The developer was able to enable LC3 (that’s Low Complexity Communication Codec) through the beta firmware on AirPods Max.

That’s great for voice calls and for Bluetooth stability, but the real uptick in quality will likely come with hardware that supports Bluetooth 5.2, which AirPods Max do not. Which leads us to the AirPods Pro 2, that is, the next headphones expected to be launched by Apple.

According to 9to5Mac, the next version of the Apple H1 chip, an audio processor, which could handle Bluetooth 5.2, will be in the next AirPods Pro.

Although it’s not a confirmation, the presence in the iPhone iOS 16 software of references to LC3 and support for low-energy audio support significantly ramps up the possibility that the next AirPods Pro will have something of a holy grail for music lovers: lossless audio.

That’s possible from some models of iPhone but not via any existing AirPods. The prospect of lossless audio has been mooted by reliable analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo, and this new evidence reinforces the idea that it may be coming.

The low energy part of the equation suggests that battery life will be improved, too. Even if it’s not in AirPods Pro 2, this is a great upgrade for AirPods Max. But I believe the next-gen earbuds will see this upgrade.