Beats will reportedly replace its popular Beats Studio Buds in-ear headphones with a new model soon. A mention of Beats Studio Buds+ has been found in the latest build of iOS.
The Release Candidate version of 16.4 that's rolling out to developers now allegedly adds support for the unreleased earbuds. This is a good indication that we should hear something on their release soon.
Also revealed by 9to5Mac, the Beats Studio Buds+ will be available in a new colourway - black and gold. The website claims to have received an image from its sources, which shows that little else will change in the external design.
It has also learned that the new Beats will continue to use a custom, in-house chip rather than switch to Apple's H1 or H2 equivalents (as had been previously suggested). That's the same as the headphones' predecessor.
Beats Studio Buds+ new features
The iOS 16.4 RC build has a few references to features likely to come with the new TWS earbuds. They will support audio sharing, it is said, plus automatic device switching. They will also support "Hey Siri" voice activation, so the new Beats chip could well utilise Apple tech in a bigger way than before.
9to5Mac also claims that the in-ears will sport media controls on the buds themselves, plus the option to switch between noise cancelling modes.
What else could come with Beats Studio Buds+?
We haven't heard much more yet but hope our relatively few quibbles with the previous Studio Buds will be addressed with the Plus edition. For starters, it'd be great to get wireless charging capabilities in the case itself. That was something highlighted in our review of the current-gen pair.
We also hope for more battery life (of course), although the Beats Studio Buds' 8-hours and 24 in total including the case is decent enough as it is - especially for the price. Amazon currently lists them at less than $120 in the US, and less than £130 in the UK.
When will the Beats Studio Buds+ be released?
As we've said above, the mention in the developer build of iOS 16.4 suggests the Beats Studio Buds+ could be announced soon. However, we don't yet have a confirmed date (or confirmation that the in-ears genuinely exist, as yet) but will let you know when we get an update.