AirPods Pro 2 may offer lossless audio support and a sound-emitting charging case

The second-generation AirPods Pro may be Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) compliant, and it might even come with a case that beats to help you find it, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a note to investors seen by AppleInsider and 9to5Mac.

There is currently no AirPods model that supports lossless audio, a form of file compression that preserves all the data from the original audio file, resulting in higher quality sound. Every AirPods model, even the expensive AirPods Max, uses Bluetooth to deliver audio, limiting devices to the use of Advanced Audio Codec (AAC), a form of lossy audio compression. So far, the only Apple devices that can take advantage of lossless audio in Apple Music (and elsewhere) include the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K, and Apple HomePod. The main downside to lossless audio is that your files take up more storage space on your device and streaming online can quickly consume mobile data.

If the AirPods Pro 2 is ALAC compliant, Apple will have to ditch Bluetooth or overcome some of the technical hurdles to do so. The limitations of Bluetooth were mentioned in the recent What Hi-Fi interview with Gary Geaves, Apple's vice president of acoustics. During the interview, Geaves said that the company will have to work hard to take full advantage of Bluetooth technology, also noting that "there are a number of tricks we can play to maximize or circumvent some of the limits of Bluetooth," but "more bandwidth" would be ideal, a potential hint of what may come.

As for the possibility of a charging case that emits sound, this can help you find your case if you ever got separated from your AirPods; right now, only AirPods make noise when you try to locate them through the Find My app. Also pointed out by 9to5Mac and AppleInsider, Kuo predicts that the AirPods Pro 2 could sport a redesign and could have a focus on fitness, something previously rumoured by Bloomberg. Additionally, Kuo says that Apple may release the AirPods Pro 2 in Q4 2022, roughly three years after the first AirPods Pro launched.