After months of speculation it appears we’ve gotten our first real-world look at Apple’s Beats Studio Buds, courtesy of basketballer and Space Jam star LeBron James.
In an Instagram post, James shared a photo of himself walking through a venue while using what appears to be the Beats Studio Buds. While it’s hard to confirm they are definitely the buds due to the image’s reduced quality, they do strongly resemble previously leaked designs that included a refreshed and wrap-free design.
In early May, MacRumours contributor Steven Moser first spotted images of brand new Beats Studio Buds from Apple hiding in the tvOS and iOS 14.6 betas. While still not officially announced, these images showed off smaller earbuds with no ear wraps — a first for the Beats range — and a design choice that reflects similar trends from Samsung, Google and Sony.
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Given James reportedly has a significant investment in Beats by Dre, the alleged leak isn’t too surprising. With the stake he has in the company, it stands to reason he’d be given first access to brand new products, even before they’re officially announced to the public.
Plus, a great way of building hype is to have this kind of ‘leak’ happen.
What else do we know about the Beats Studio Buds Pro?
Beyond the leaked design and the early look from James, we don’t know much else about the Beats Studio Buds Pro. What we do know is they’ll be an interesting entry into the earbuds market whenever they’re officially announced.
They’ll likely face stiff competition from Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro and the Google Pixel Buds, which both feature similar designs — but competitive pricing or performance could give the earbuds the leg up they need.
There’s already a bunch of excellent wireless earbuds hovering around the $250-300 mark, and the Studio Buds Pro will arrive to a crowded market. They’ll need to stand out in the pack to really make an impact.
Stay tuned to Gizmodo Australia for more news about the Beats Studio Buds Pro, including official pricing and availability, whenever it becomes available.