Apple’s AirPods Pro recently received their most visible upgrade in years, as the company swapped out the Lighting-powered charging case for a USB-C model. And now, Apple has officially begun selling the MagSafe USB-C AirPods Pro 2 case (and only the case) as a standalone product. The Verge was the first to notice the new listing, which offers the USB-C AirPods Pro 2 charging case for US$99.
If you bought a pair of AirPods Pro 2 before Apple updated them with USB-C, then you might find the option enticing, as it saves you having to spend the $249 Apple charges for the latest AirPods Pro 2 if all you want is the new case. But if your Lightning-based charging case isn’t having any issues, or if you haven’t upgraded to the iPhone 15 yet, then you’re honestly better off just waiting until you actually need new earbuds, as nearly $100 is a lot to ask for a minor upgrade—especially when you won’t get all the other features added to the new generation of AirPods Pro.
Apple only switched to USB-C charging to bring its top-of-the-line earbuds in line with the iPhone 15, the first iPhone to ship with USB-C. However, Apple also went out of its way to add a few new features to the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, which aren’t available if you have the first iteration of the AirPods Pro 2, even if you upgrade the case. This means you’d still be missing out on lossless audio with the Vision Pro, Apple’s upcoming VR/AR headset, as well as a few other upgrades—features all built into the earbuds themselves.
Sure, if you’ve upgraded to the iPhone 15 Pro Max (or any of the iPhone 15 lineup) and don’t want to have to worry about carrying around multiple charging cables, then purchasing the standalone case will solve that problem for you. But at 40% of the price of a whole new set of earbuds, that convenience will cost you.
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