AirPods: Apple to release two sets of new wireless earphones with a range of new features, report suggests

2019 could see the release of three different versions of Apple's famous buds

Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller announces AirPods during a launch event on September 7, 2016 in San Francisco, California (Stephen Lam/Getty Images)

Apple could be releasing two sets of new AirPods later this year, according to a new report.

The company only just released an update to its smart earbuds. But a further update could come before 2019 is over, one of which might bring a whole host of features.

One of the new models of AirPods will include an "all-new form factor design", according to usually reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. For that, there will be an increased price, according to the same report, which was first revealed by Macrumors.

It is not clear what features those new, upgraded AirPods could include. Rumours have suggested that Apple is working on health tracking through the ears, noise cancelling to stop sound getting in the sides, and other features.

The current AirPods already cost $159 with their normal case, or $199 with the wireless charging one. The other pair of AirPods will build on those existing earbuds and presumably cost the same.

Both of them will also come with new designs on the inside, which will allow Apple to make them more easily and cheaply. But it's not clear what the new ones will look like or how much they will change.

Apple only released an updated version of the buds last month, though it did not refer to them as AirPods 2 and they stayed largely similar. The new earphones feature Apple's brand-new H1 chip for improved wireless connectivity, increased battery power, and the ability to start "Hey Siri" at any time.

And Apple-owned Beats also introduced its new Powerbeats Pro earphones at the beginning of this month. Though they feature the Beats branding, they include many of the same features, at a higher cost and with improved battery life.