Oliver Haslam·

New Entry-Level AirPods Pro Launch Delayed To At Least Second Half Of 2020, Or Even 2021 [Report]

DigiTimes has been reporting on so-called AirPods Pro Lite for months and it now appears to have made the same conclusion that we did – they’re the new AirPods that will look like AirPods Pro but without the same features.

Namely, they won’t include support for active noise cancellation.

The only real question now is whether we will see them arrive sooner or later. Previous claims had them ready by May, but DigiTimes reports that that might now not be on the cards, with 2021 a possibility; although later in 2020 is more likely.

Apple may have to defer the launch of its new AirPods Pro to the second half of 2020 or even 2021, according to sources at related suppliers.

Apple originally planned to unveil the new AirPods Pro in May 2020, but the schedule may be pushed back, as Apple has been unable to send staff to the production lines in Asia to inspect the status of the TWS earbuds due to the coronavirus outbreak, the sources noted.

But Apple so far has not yet made any adjustments to the earbuds’ release schedule, the sources said.

Similarly to 5G iPad Pro rumors, it’s simply likely that Apple is yet to decide internally whether it will launch the refreshed AirPods in the expected May timeframe. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is one aspect that needs to be taken into consideration, as does the timeframe for other Apple releases, including a hopeful September refresh of Apple’s iPhone lineup.

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