The World Cup has only just started, but Beats has been teasing its mysterious new headphones for a few weeks and has been spotted with soccer superstars Lamine Yamal and Antonee Robinson. FIFA had to force Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala to cover up the brand’s logo on his pair after he wore the unannounced Beats headphones before a match. The Apple subsidiary is not one of the official sponsors of the World Cup, so players cannot be seen with brands that are not part of the deal. Shortly after, Beats posted a photo on Instagram of Jamal wearing Beats headphones with a cassette tape and the caption reading, “Spoiler alert: it’s a b.”
Unlike previous releases, which are usually marred by iOS beta code, consumers know almost nothing about these Beats headphones other than that they exist and that only soccer superstars own them. Based on the photos shared so far, these headphones will be available in pink, white, black, and a dual white and blue option. With a stainless steel headband slider, these headphones look like Beats made an AirPods Max.
However, it is unclear whether this is a replacement for the Beats Studio Pro 2023, which still lacks an Apple audio chip, or whether the company plans to position these headphones in a new category. What’s important to note is that Beats’ recent Instagram photo doesn’t show Jamal with the same headphones he wore before the game, since the slider on the headband is different.
What we expect from the mysterious Beats headphones
Over the past few years, Beats has upgraded its line of headphones and earbuds to incorporate Apple’s audio chips, including the H1 and H2 processors. Only the Beats Studio Pro still has a custom chip, so it lacks all the “magic” features available between Apple devices and its headphones. While the company could surprise users with an unannounced audio processor, it’s more likely that Beats will take Apple’s H2 chip and position it somewhere between the Beats Studio Pro and the AirPods Max, thanks to their finish and earpad size.
On top of that, the two-tone earbuds spotted with Antonee Robinson might actually be part of an ongoing trend of AirPods Max users changing out the earpads for different colors just to make their earbuds more unique. If so, Beats headphones could have the same ease of removing earbud ear cushions, making them easier to clean, while also bringing a new design language to the company’s headphones.
At the moment, it is unclear when Beats might launch this product. With one of its latest releases, the Powerbeats Pro 2, the company revealed them right after the iPhone 16 event, but didn’t release them until early 2025. Given that these earbuds have been revealed almost every week now, it’s possible that Beats has them ready around the time Apple launches iOS 26.6, which is expected to be available in July.
