AirPods 2 release date: New Apple earphones to arrive next year with range of updates

New features come ahead of a complete redesign in 2020, report claims

The new iPhone 7 and a pair of AirPods (Getty)

Apple is finally about to update its AirPods, the wireless earphones. And then update them again.

Early next year, the company should release an update that brings a wireless charging case that allows them to power up just by being placed onto a wireless charging mat. It might also bring other changes, such as improved connectivity, an improved hinge on the door that clicks open and lets the earphones out and new features, leaks suggested.

That's according to a report from usually reliably analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who reports that none of the new earphones will be ready for this Christmas season.

Then a year later, in early 2020, the company will bring an all-new design. He did not reveal what those would look like, but previous rumours have suggested that waterproofing and always-on "hey Siri" could be on their way.

The report made no mention of AirPower, the wireless charging mat that was first announced more than a year ago and has mostly disappeared in the time since. The wirelessly charging AirPods and the charging mat had been announced together, with the new case expected in part so that the AirPods could be used on the mat alongside other Apple products.

Apple has not commented on a possible release date for the AirPower mat. Rumours have suggested that the company might be struggling to make the technology work, and some have suggested that it might be dropped entirely.

The company had even showed off what appeared to be the new AirPods case alongside its charging mat, suggesting that both would be coming soon. It's not clear if the two products' delays are related.