FCC filing suggests Apple is launching an AirPods Max competitor from Beats

We’ve been waiting almost six years since the launch of the Studio 3 headphones in 2017, but it looks like Apple is finally ready to launch a new set of Beats over-ears. The Beats Studio Pro, first teased in images and references in the iOS 16.5 and macOS 13.4 release candidates last month, has now shown up in an FCC filing, a step which generally means a commercial release is imminent.

MacRumors spotted the listing Tuesday, noting that such filings generally appear a few weeks to a month before a product is released. New Apple phones appeared in the database on September 6, 2021, for example, and the iPhone 13 was announced on September 14. The Beats Studio Buds, for that matter, popped up in an FCC filing in May 2021 and launched the following month.

Prepare yourself for an announcement later in the summer, in other words. The new headphones will likely have a similar look to the Beats Studio 3 headphones with features to rival the AirPods Max.

There’s a lot of documentation to wade through, but the identity of the filed product (whose application was granted on June 20) is plain enough if you know where to look. The application is filed under Apple’s name, the type is given as wireless headphones, and the compliance label artwork shows a set of over-ears with the Beats logo on the same page. And if all that wasn’t enough, the certification lists, under Notes, the crucial words Beats Studio Pro. Checkmate, Tim.

The model number is given as A2924, by the way. MacRumors says they also have an ID of BeatsStudioPro1,1, but we weren’t able to spot that in all the attachments and certifications.

Based on last month’s “leak,” the Beats Studio Pro will come in white, black, blue, and brown—though we hope a transparent color is on the way as well. We expect them to feature an H1 or H2 chip (an upgrade on the Studio 3’s older W1), high-quality noise reduction, active Transparency, and potentially Personalized Spatial Audio. And with a price tag likely around $399, they’ll be a direct and cheaper alternative to Apple’s aging AirPods Max.