New Apple (or Beats) headphones just leaked

Apple could be preparing to launch a new pair of over-ear headphones – although it’s still unclear whether they’ll arrive under the Beats name or as a fresh pair of AirPods.

• Read more: iPhone 18 Pro Max leak shows a chunkier camera bump – and it might actually be a good thing

As spotted by MacRumors, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has published documents relating to an unreleased Apple product carrying the model number A3577. The filing describes it simply as “Bluetooth over-ear headphones”.

That model number reportedly doesn’t match a previously rumoured future version of AirPods Max, which has been linked to model number A3454. Still, that alone isn’t enough to confirm exactly what this device is.

Unfortunately, the filing itself reveals very little. Most of the important documents remain hidden under Apple’s standard confidentiality request, which temporarily withholds detailed technical information and product imagery from public view. The only visible diagram shows the location of the FCC label on what appears to be a fairly generic headphone ear cup.

One possibility is that these are next-generation Beats Studio Pro headphones. The current model launched back in July 2023, meaning a refresh wouldn’t exactly be surprising at this point.

At the same time, there’s nothing in the filing that definitively confirms this is a Beats device rather than a future Apple-branded pair of headphones.

For now, all we really know is that Apple has another pair of over-ear Bluetooth headphones somewhere in the pipeline. And given products often appear in FCC databases not too long before launch, we may not have to wait very long to find out what they actually are.

• Read more: We now know who will lead Apple into the future – and it’s great news for new products

Esat Dedezade Contributor

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.