You can replace the Lightning charging case for your AirPods Pro 2 with a USB-C one without also having to buy new wireless earbuds.
But the $99 price for the case is high enough to raise questions about the practicality of making the change.
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USB-C AirPods Pro 2: Good news for iPhone 15 users
In September, Apple introduced a tweaked version of AirPods Pro 2 that comes with a charging case with a USB-C port in place of the old Lightning one. This was ideal for those getting an iPhone 15, which also uses USB-C in place of Lightning.
But at that time, the only way to get the new version of the charging case was by buying a whole new pair of AirPods — the case wasn’t sold separately.
This just changed. The MagSafe Charging Case (USB‑C) for AirPods Pro (2nd generation) joined the online Apple store Wednesday.
Buy it from: Apple
The case supports Precision Finding via Apple’s brilliant Find My app, and offers MagSafe wireless charging.
$99!?
As noted, the price for just the new USB-C version is $99. You can buy a fresh pair of AirPods Pro 2 with the new USB-C case for $249. And that’s the list price. You often can pay even less. (Amazon currently knocks $50 off the cost.)
Buy AirPods Pro 2 from: Amazon
If you can find AirPods Pro 2 with the USB-C case for just $200, it seems a little nuts to spend 50% of the purchase price for a new case alone. You could snap up the earbuds at the sale price and, once the new pair arrives, resell the ones with the Lightning case on eBay or through the Cult of Mac buyback program.
Going this route also means getting a slightly tweaked version of the wireless earbuds. The 2023 update includes an IP54 rating for improved dust resistance plus lossless audio when paired with an Apple Vision Pro headset (coming in 2024).
