Are you prepared to pay $200 for the next AirPods model?

According to Digitimes, Apple will introduce two AirPods models in 2019. The first one will be virtually identical to the current AirPods 2 earbuds, and the other one will be known as AirPods 3.

Although the report does not reveal a lot about the new AirPods 3, Digitimes’ sources did mention that these earbuds might come with a SiP (System in Package) internal design. This could enable the company to boost the device’s functionality. If the chip impacts on other internal parts, then the design might also be somewhat different.

The Digitimes report confirms an earlier note to investors written by TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in which he also mentions two new AirPods models for this year: AirPods 2 and AirPods 3.

The latter, Kuo said, could be released by the end of the year and will bring a totally new “form-factor.” He went on to say that the AirPods 3 will come with a significantly higher price tag – as much as $199 compared to the $159 that the current AirPods are selling for.

Apple has been hyping the AirPods and how popular they are recently, and CEO Tim Cook even went as far as calling them “a cultural phenomenon.”

In a sense, he was right, at least as far as the US is concerned. Other firms have noted this and responded. Samsung is selling its own Galaxy Buds, and Sony, Xiaomi and others are all selling small, wireless earbuds. Whether they will be able to replace the AirPods at the top of the charts remains to be seen though.

Apple is, of course, notoriously tight-lipped about its future plans, so exactly when the new earbuds will be released remains a closely guarded secret at this stage.

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