Apple's 'AirPods Studio' Headphones May Feature Head and Neck Detection and Equalizer Settings
Apple's upcoming high-end over-ear headphones (tentatively called AirPods Studio) could have a head and neck detection feature that's similar to the ear detection feature in the AirPods and AirPods Pro, according to a new report from 9to5Mac that cites people familiar with Apple's plans.

In the AirPods and AirPods Pro, ear detection is designed to stop a song when the AirPods or removed, pause a song when a single AirPod is removed, or play a song when the removed AirPod is put back in the ear.
AirPods Studio will have similar sensors that will detect whether the headphones are on the head or the neck, presumably playing or pausing content when the headphones are worn on the head. When on the neck, the sensor could keep the music paused.
Another sensor will detect left and right ears for routing the audio channels, which means there will be no right or wrong side for wearing the AirPods Studio. Pairing the AirPods Studio with a Mac or iOS device will unlock custom equalizer settings with low, medium, and high frequency adjustments available.
Prior rumors have suggested Apple's high-end over-ear headphones will feature Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode much like the current AirPods Pro, and an April report from Bloomberg indicated the headphones will have interchangeable ear pads and headband padding allowing for customization.
Apple may also sell the headphones in multiple materials, including a premium version with leather-like fabrics and a fitness-focused model with liter, more breathable materials.
A rumor from this weekend said that Apple could price the high-end over-ear headphones at $349, and that the name could be "AirPods Studio."
Popular Stories
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.
The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak.
As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code.
In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station.
According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. iOS 26.2 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation iPhone SE.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas.
We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features.
Transfer to Android
Apple is making it simpler...
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon.
Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week.
iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...