Apple continues USB-C transition with stand-alone $99 AirPods Pro case

As easy as wireless earbuds are to connect, use, and pocket, they’re also easy to lose. Whether it’s the individual buds or the charging case that’s been lost to the ether or destroyed by an errant footstep, both are delicate and easily prone to accident, and the worst part is when you’ve lost one piece of the puzzle, you have to cough up sometimes a few hundred to get your in-ear headset back together again.

Apple, however, has good news for consumers who have already bought – or perhaps are buying/ receiving the in-ear set for the holidays – a pair of AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with USB-C support as it is now offering a sole replacement case.

But there are other people who will benefit from this quiet product launch, too. Here’s what you need to know about getting a replacement case.

This week, Apple just started selling the MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) for AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) — that is, without the actual earbuds — for $99. In addition to USB-C and MagSafe, the case also supports wireless Qi charging. It’s a pretty penny for a pick-me-up, but a far cry from the $249 MSRP for the whole kit.

Apple

The case is designed specifically for the AirPods Pro (2nd generation), so while you might not be able to use your first-gen AirPods Pro with the new case (the designs are frustratingly just different enough), if you did purchase the 2nd-gen Pros with the old Lightning-equipped case, you can now upgrade over to USB-C. You also get a tiny bump in IP rating from IPX4 to IP54 — the ‘5’ stands for protection against particulate ingress while the ‘4’ is for splashing water, sweat included. The only thing you’ll still miss out on even with the new case is lossless audio when connected to an Apple Vision Pro.

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Practically speaking, if you’ve bought an iPhone 15 series device, you’ll be more inclined to buy the new case. Thank the European Union and its legislative heft for pressuring Apple into moving the iPhone away from Lightning and onto USB-C. That said, there’s always going to be some pain with such a transition period and part of that pain is in the form of electronics waste. A ton of Lightning cables anda good heap of those old AirPods Pro 2 charging cases with the Lightning ports will have their useful lives cut short. Just be mindful of that if you do plan on making the purchase.

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So, overall, it’s positive news for a fair few groups of people. But those who would like to get a replacement case as soon as possible are out of luck: The Verge notes that shipments don’t begin until after Christmas. An order placed today may not get onto your doorstep until after the new year, depending on your location.

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Apple began selling replacement charging cases for the AirPods and AirPods 2 back in 2019. The case, which supports Qi and Lightning, is still available from the company today for $79. It’d be nice to see a replacement case option for the AirPods 3, but we’re not holding our collective breath waiting for one.