Apple analyst says AirPods 3 will use AirPods Pro’s System-in-Package tech

Apple is said to be working on affordable AirPods which will launch early next year. It is worth noting that Apple may also stop bundling EarPods with the iPhone 12 series. The move is likely to help push sales of the wireless earbuds.

Apple iPhone 12 will launch later this year (Pixabay)

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has revealed that the company's next-generation wireless earbuds will embrace the “system-in-package (SIP)” technology. Similar to AirPods Pro's, the technology allows one to fit one or more chips in one module.

The move will help Apple to add more functionalities in the earbuds without increasing the size of the wearable. These wearables are said to have the same design as AirPods Pro.

Dubbed as AirPods 3, Apple is expected to launch the new wearable lineup in the first half of the next year. Kuo further revealed that Apple is already in talks with suppliers for the SIP components. These include Amkor, JCET and Huanxu Electronics.

The analyst has also predicted how the demand for AirPods could grow in the future. According to Kuo, part suppliers can expect a shipment growth of 50-100% year over year for the current generation AirPods Pro. He also said that Apple may phase out the second generation AirPods once the new series is official.

Kuo had made a similar prediction last week when he revealed Apple's next-gen AirPods will launch in the first half of 2021.

That said, reports of Apple's affordable AirPods come amid rumours of the company trying to do away with bundled Earpods in the retail box for iPhone 12. Since the first generation of the iPhone, Apple has always bundled the earphones. According to reports, Apple may also not ship the charging cable with the iPhone 12 box. Read more about the iPhone 12 in our brief rumour round up.

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