During today’s Apple September event, if you missed it check out our Apple Event 2023 live blog to read all the news, it was announced that the AirPods Pro 2 and EarPods would be charged via USB-C. But there was an even bigger update that was revealed in the press release launched shortly afterwards. Kind of.
It turns out that lossless audio will be added to the AirPods Pro 2 in this new USB-C version, but only when used with the upcoming Apple Vision Pro virtual reality headset… Not when used with your shiny new iPhone 15 Pro with Apple Music.
Lossless audio means much less compression of the sound as it is transmitted, so details remain sharper and songs can be more dynamic. It’s highly sought after among audiophiles, and it’s something we at TechRadar have been patiently waiting for from AirPods. We even explained how Apple could do it. But this isn’t exactly what we had in mind.
Did Apple make a loss?
Apple says the Lossless Audio codec will enable the AirPods Pro 2 to deliver ultra-low latency with the Apple Vision Pro – both of which use the H2 chip – as well as 20-bit 48kHz lossless. This is actually not that impressive for Hi-Res Audio. For example, it’s not enough for the full quality of Apple Music, which can deliver 24-bit 192 kHz. And to compare it to other wireless transmission technologies, Snapdragon Sound can do 24-bit 96 kHz.
We’re shocked that Apple’s new AirPods Pro still don’t support lossless for a while now, as it means listening to the higher quality levels of Apple Music is possible on Android with rival headphones, but not on iPhone with Apple headphones.
And now that iOS 17 has already been announced without any lossless upgrades, followed by iPhone 15 models also without all this, we’re left to use Apple’s wired EarPods if you actually want lossless sound from its phones, ridiculously enough.