Want AirPods Pro With USB-C? Prepare To Pay $249 As Apple Skips The USB-C Charging Case

Along with the iPhone 15, Apple Inc. AAPL brought the much-awaited USB-C port to AirPods as well during the ‘Wonderlust' launch event. While this means you won't need dongles to charge your iPhone and AirPods now, there is an unfortunate catch – you will have to shell out $249 for a new pair of AirPods Pro 2.

What Happened: Although Apple launched the AirPods Pro 2 with the USB-C port alongside the iPhone 15 series, existing owners of AirPods Pro 2 are out of luck if they want the USB-C charging case.

Going by the list of AirPods accessories that Apple has on sale right now, the USB-C charging case for the AirPods Pro 2 is not available as a standalone purchase.

Essentially, existing owners of the AirPods Pro 2 cannot just change their charging case for the USB-C version. If you want one, you will have to pay $249 and get an entirely new pair of AirPods Pro 2 with the USB-C case, which seems like a waste of money for existing owners.

Why It Matters: With how closely iPhone and AirPods are used together, having an iPhone with a USB-C port and the Lightning AirPods Pro 2 will mean users will have to either carry the USB-C and Lightning cables separately or carry a USB-C to Lightning adapter that is a $29 purchase.

Earlier, when Apple added wireless charging ability to the AirPods (with the AirPods 2), it also sold the wireless charging case separately and allowed original AirPods users to buy and use it with their older earbuds.

Forcing users to buy an entirely new pair of AirPods Pro 2 just for the USB-C port could also result in increased e-waste.

Either way, existing AirPods users who want the new port are out of luck for now.

Image – Apple

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