Apple’s popular AirPods Pro 2 wireless earbuds got a new variation this fall that added USB-C charging. This port replaced Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector, which is clearly on its way out and only remains on a handful of products including the the AirPods Max and the company’s desktop keyboard and mouse. And now, those with the Lightning AirPods Pro 2 can upgrade to the more ubiquitous port without buying new headphones altogether.
Starting today, you can buy the AirPods Pro 2 USB-C case seperately. However, the case’s $99 price is not cheap enough to be a casual impulse-purchase. It’s more of a treat for surviving the always-chaotic holiday season.
Apple’s finally selling the USB-C AirPods Pro case on its own, so you’re one step closer to leaving Lightning in the past.
Apple’s website is currently showing delivery dates between Dec. 26 and 29, and in store at the latter date (at least in New York City). Much like the USB-C AirPods Pro 2 release earlier this fall, there’s little actual reason to upgrade outside of the port. This new case is rated IP54 for increased dust resistance over last year’s model. USB-C AirPods Pro will also support wireless lossless audio for Apple’s Vision Pro headset, which is due to arrive in the new year.
For those like myself who haven’t updated from the first-generation AirPods Pro, it seems as if this case won’t work with our AirPods. Apple’s product page specifically notes that “AirPods?Pro (2nd?generation) charge quickly inside the case,” which suggests that you’ll need the 2022 Lightning model to take advantage of this replacement case.
So, I’m considering eventually buying the full AirPods Pro 2 package, which also includes Adaptive Audio, a feature that intelligently mixes noise-canceling and transparency modes to reduce your fiddling with settings. In our review, we found this worked moderately well but erred too much on Transparency mode in noisy train stations.
