Rumors suggest that the high-end over-ear Apple-branded headphones that Apple has had in the works for some time are set to launch before the end of 2020, and today, an image of the "AirPods Studio" as they might be called surfaced on Twitter.
Shared by Fudge, a leaker that has provided accurate details on Apple's plans in the past, the image features black headphones with large oblong ear cups and gray fabric padding at the top of the headband, which Fudge says is HomePod mesh. There's also a separate video of a white version.
Watermark-less white. I did say they looked a bit worse IMO pic.twitter.com/AiYNMyfktR — Fudge (@choco_bit) September 16, 2020
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously said that Apple is working on two versions of the AirPods Studio, one that's a higher-end premium version and one that's fitness-focused and made from lighter weight materials, and Fudge suggests this is the lighter "sport" variant.
Gurman at the time described headphones with a retro-like look with ear cups that swivel along with a headband connected with thin metal arms, which does appear to describe the headphones in the image.
The AirPods Studio are expected to have swappable ear pads and headband padding that will attach to the frame magnetically, allowing users to swap in different colors and variants for customization purposes.
Along with these design features, the AirPods Studio are expected to feature Active Noise Cancellation, head and neck detection, orientation detection, and more, with details available in our roundup.
There's no word yet on when the AirPods Studio might launch, but with iPhones set to come out in October, Apple could unveil the AirPods Studio alongside new iPhone models.