Apple’s second-generation Powerbeats Pro for 2020 have been certified for a third time, this time in Korea, ahead of their release. The registration suggests an official launch could be imminent.
Filing illustrations indicate the new buds will be visually identical to existing Powerbeats Pro headphones, which first debuted last May.
Powerbeats Pro are Apple’s sportier alternatives to AirPods. They offer many of the same features, including an H1 chip with “Hey Siri” support, but employ a water-resistant design with ear hooks that make them more secure.
The buds have proven popular, despite their $250 price tag, among athletes and those with active lifestyles. Apple now looks to be planning a refresh, which could drop any day now, that will make Powerbeats Pro even better.
Powerbeats Pro 2 spotted in another filing
The second-generation Powerbeats Pro, which use the model numbers A2453 and A2454, have now been certified in by the National Radio Research Agency in South Korea.
The filing surfaced less than a month after the same buds were certified by the Federal Communications Commission in the United States, and then by the Standard and Industrial Research Institute in Malaysia.
MySmartPrice, which first spotted two of these filings, reports that the new Powerbeats Pro will offer even better sound quality and improved battery life. Filing illustrations suggest they will look the same as original Powerbeats Pro.
Photo: Cult of Mac
It’s not clear if this refresh will bring active noise cancellation, a feature found in AirPods Pro, but missing in the first-generation Powerbeats Pro.
Is a launch imminent?
These filings themselves aren’t too exciting, and they don’t give much away. But when they begin to pile up like this, it usually indicates that a new product is on the verge of making its official debut.
With that being the case, Apple’s new Powerbeats Pro could launch any day now. Apple has already launched a new 13-inch MacBook Pro and confirmed dates for WWDC 2020 this week, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see more.
