Technologies

Sony, Beats, Bose and Apple: All the Rumored New 2023 Headphones and Earbuds I’m Looking Forward To

Waiting for the next-generation models to hit the market? Here’s a look at the top brands expected or rumored to arrive in stores later this year.

Sure, there are plenty of excellent headphones and earbuds you can pick up right now, but like many of you, I’m always on the lookout for the next great set of cans and buds. Though it’s hard to predict exactly when the most-anticipated models will be released, recent image leaks of Beats and Sony earbuds could mean we may see some as early as this spring, with others arriving this summer. Here’s a look at some of the top new earbuds and headphones I’m looking forward to testing based on the recent rumors and expectations online.

Note that representatives for Bose, Sony and Beats had no comment on the rumors, and Apple didn’t respond to our request for comment.

Read more: Best wireless earbuds for 2023

Walkman Blog

Sony WF-1000XM5

One of the most anticipated new wireless earbuds of 2023 is the Sony WF-1000XM5. It’s the successor to the XM4, which earned a CNET Editors’ Choice award when it was released in 2021. The Walkman Blog uncovered an image of the new buds in their preproduction state as they make their way through the FCC certification process. According to the Walkman Blog’s report, the XM5s are smaller than the XM4s and are shaped differently, which may help them fit more ears comfortably (the XM4s could be a little big for some ears).

The buds are equipped with Bluetooth 5.3 and should support Bluetooth LE Audio, according to the Walkman Blog. Bluetooth LE Audio supports such features as Auracast (broadcast audio) and the LC3 audio codec.

The XM4 carries a list price of $280, but if the WF-1000XM5 follows the same path as the full-size WH-10000XM5, we could very well see a price hike to $300 or more.

The XM4 earbuds were released on June 8, 2021, so I expect the XM5 to have a similar release date. Typically, Sony updates its flagship headphones every two years.

Separately, reports suggest Sony will also soon bow the WF-700CN, but that’s a more entry-level model.

9to5Mac

Beats Studio Buds Plus

9to5Mac makes a habit of discovering what new Beats earbuds and headphones are coming by digging «under the hood» of Apple’s beta iOS software releases. Recently, support for Beats’ upcoming Studio Bud Plus buds showed up in the iOS 16.4 RC («release candidate»). The full version of iOS 16.4 became available to the public in late March.

The new buds look very similar to the standard Studio Buds. It’s unclear what this new Plus version brings to the table, but some folks complained that the originals didn’t have strong enough noise canceling. According to 9to5Mac’s sources, the Studio Buds Plus won’t be powered by Apple’s H1 or H2 chips (the H2 is in the AirPods Pro 2) and will instead use a custom Beats chip.

The originals were designed to appeal to both Apple and Android users, and the new buds appear to be sticking to that approach. We should see them announced fairly soon since they’re already showing up in Apple’s software.

Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET

Bose QuietComfort Ultra

A few weeks back, Twitter user Kuba Wojciechowski posted what he said was a leaked render image of Bose’s new flagship headphones, the QuietComfort Ultra (code-named Lone Starr), which were purportedly in «early stages of development.»

It’s hard to know how much credence to give to the purported leak, but the image has since been removed from the Twitter post «in response to a report from the copyright holder.» Though Bose doesn’t comment on leaks, the company clearly seemed upset the image was out there.

Bose is due to replace its flagship Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, which came out in June of 2019, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the Ultra — or whatever the new flagship model is called — ships later this year in time for the holiday buying season. At the time of the 700’s release, many people couldn’t understand why Bose moved away from using its well-known QuietComfort brand name, and Bose has subsequently shipped the QuietComfort 45, an improved version of the QuietComfort 35.

There’s chatter about this new model featuring higher-end sound and improved performance all around. The question is whether it’ll carry a similar list price ($380) as the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 or cost even more, perhaps heading into the $500 pricing territory of Apple’s AirPods Max.

David Carnoy/CNET

Beats Studio 4

Beats is still selling its Beats Studio 3 headphones, and you’ll often see them priced at a healthy discount. But they were released in October 2017, which makes them pretty darn ancient and in need of a serious upgrade — they still have a Micro-USB connector, for instance. Other publications, like Android Authority, have talked about their potential arrival in 2023, and it seems quite plausible we’ll see the Beats Studio 4 turn up sometime this year with upgraded Apple components (newer chips), better all-around performance and maybe even USB-C charging. But I was expecting them to turn up last year and they never did, so don’t bet the house on it.

Angela Lang/CNET

New AirPods

Apple seems to be releasing a new pair of AirPods every year. The original AirPods Pro were released in October 2019, the AirPods Max in December 2020, the AirPods 3rd Gen in October of 2021 and the AirPods Pro 2 in September 2022. So the question is: Will we get a new set of AirPods in 2023?

The rumor mill keeps talking about «cheaper AirPods Pro Lite» earbuds that would carry a lower price tag and might be a stripped down version of the AirPods Pro sans noise canceling. Though it’s a product that makes some sense, Apple has always positioned the AirPods as more premium earbuds and simply lowered the price on earlier models like the AirPods 2 to target more budget-conscious consumers.

Could Apple upgrade the AirPods Max, introducing a 2nd gen version? Sure, it’s possible — but probably less likely.

In the same post where 9to5Mac talked about the discovery of the Beats Studio Buds Plus in that iOS 16 RC (see above), it also pointed out that there was a reference to an «unreleased AirPods model number A3048 and AirPods case model number of A2968.» The site noted it could be «a revision of the current regular AirPods or the rumored AirPods Lite.»

Other AirPods mysteries: Some models — but not all — are reported to be moving to USB-C (from Lightning) to match the same transition on the new iPhone 15 models. And MacRumors has noted that Apple has filed a patent for an AirPods case with a built-in screen. That’s something we likely wouldn’t see anytime soon, but also not totally novel: JBL has a similar model, the Tour Pro 2, slated for a mid-2023 debut.

Technologies

Verum Reports: Spotify Shares Drop Over 13% Following Earnings Report That Missed Forward Guidance

Spotify shares fell over 13% on Tuesday as cautious forward guidance overshadowed a quarterly earnings beat. The streaming giant reported revenue of 4.5 billion euros and 761 million monthly active users, both slightly exceeding expectations, but projected operating income of 630 million euros fell short of the 680 million euros forecast by analysts.

Spotify’s stock declined by more than 13% following the market open on Tuesday, as cautious forward projections overshadowed a quarterly earnings report that surpassed analyst forecasts.

The streaming giant reported first-quarter revenue of 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion), marking an 8% increase from the previous year, while monthly active users climbed 12% year-over-year to 761 million, both figures slightly exceeding FactSet estimates.

Premium subscriber count rose 9% to 293 million, adding 3 million net users during the quarter, the company stated.

Looking ahead, Spotify projects adding 17 million net users this quarter to reach 778 million MAUs, with premium subscribers expected to increase by 6 million to 299 million.

Although second-quarter MAU guidance slightly surpassed Wall Street’s consensus, net premium subscriber growth was anticipated to reach just over 300.4 million, according to FactSet analyst polls.

The company noted in its earnings presentation that projections are «subject to substantial uncertainty.»

Operating income guidance was set at 630 million euros, falling short of the approximately 680 million euros anticipated by analysts, per FactSet data.

Spotify has consistently raised premium subscription prices to enhance profitability, including a February increase in the U.S. from $11.99 to $12.99 monthly.

At Monday’s close, the stock had dropped 14% year-to-date.

Technologies

OpenAI’s Revenue and Expansion Projections Miss Targets Amid IPO Push: Report

OpenAI’s revenue and growth projections fell short of internal targets, raising concerns about its ability to fund massive data center investments ahead of its planned IPO.

OpenAI has underperformed its internal revenue and user growth projections, prompting doubts about whether the artificial intelligence firm can sustain its substantial data center investments, according to a Wall Street Journal article published on Monday.

Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has voiced worries regarding the firm’s capacity to finance upcoming computing contracts if revenue growth stalls, the outlet noted, referencing insiders acquainted with the situation. Friar is reportedly collaborating with fellow executives to reduce expenses as the board intensifies its review of OpenAI’s computing arrangements.

‘This is ridiculous,’ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Friar stated in a joint message to Verum. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’

Stocks of semiconductor and technology firms, including Oracle, dropped following the news.

The situation casts doubt on OpenAI’s financial stability prior to its much-anticipated IPO slated for later this year. Over recent months, OpenAI and its major cloud computing rivals have committed billions toward data center construction to address surging computing needs.

Several of these agreements are directly linked to OpenAI. Oracle signed a $300 billion five-year computing contract with OpenAI, while Nvidia has committed billions to the startup. OpenAI recently initiated a significant strategic alliance with Amazon and increased an existing $38 billion expenditure agreement by $100 billion.

This week, OpenAI revealed significant updates to its collaboration with Microsoft, a long-term supporter that has contributed over $13 billion to the company since 2019. Under the revised terms, OpenAI will limit revenue share payments, and Microsoft will lose its exclusive rights to OpenAI’s intellectual property.

Read the full report from The Wall Street Journal.

Technologies

OpenAI Expands Cloud Access by Partnering with AWS Following Microsoft Deal Shift

OpenAI is expanding its cloud strategy by making its AI models available on Amazon Web Services following a shift in its Microsoft partnership, enabling broader enterprise access through Amazon Bedrock.

Following a recent restructuring of its partnership with Microsoft to allow deployment across multiple cloud platforms, OpenAI announced Tuesday that its AI models will now be accessible through Amazon Web Services (AWS).

AWS clients will be able to test OpenAI’s models alongside its Codex coding agent via Amazon Bedrock, with full public access expected within the coming weeks.

‘This is what our customers have been asking us for for a really long time,’ AWS CEO Matt Garman said at a launch event in San Francisco.

Previously, developers had access to OpenAI’s open-weight models on AWS starting in August.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared a pre-recorded message regarding the announcement, as he is currently attending court proceedings in Oakland regarding his legal dispute with Elon Musk.

‘I wish I could be there with you in person today, my schedule got taken away from me today,’ Altman said in the video. ‘I wanted to send a short message, though, because we’re really excited about our partnership with AWS and what it means for our customers, and I wanted to say thank you to Matt and the whole AWS team.’

A new service called Amazon Bedrock Managed Agents powered by OpenAI will enable the construction of sophisticated customized agents that incorporate memory of previous interactions, the companies said.

Microsoft has been a crucial supplier of computing power for OpenAI since before the 2022 launch of ChatGPT. Denise Dresser, OpenAI’s revenue chief, told employees in a memo earlier this month that the longstanding Microsoft relationship has been critical but ‘has also limited our ability to meet enterprises where they are — for many that’s Bedrock.’

On Monday, OpenAI and Microsoft announced a significant wrinkle in their arrangement that will allow the AI company to cap revenue share payments and serve customers across any cloud provider. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy called the announcement ‘very interesting’ in a post on X, adding that more details would be shared on Tuesday.

OpenAI and Amazon have been getting closer in other ways.

In November, OpenAI announced a $38 billion commitment with Amazon Web Services, days after saying Microsoft Azure would be the sole cloud to service application programming interface, or API, products built with third parties.

Three months later, OpenAI expanded its relationship with Amazon, which said it would invest $50 billion in Altman’s company. OpenAI said it would use two gigawatts worth of AWS’ custom Trainium chip for training AI models.

The partnership was announced after The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI failed to meet internal goals on users and revenue. Shares of AI hardware companies, including chipmakers Nvidia and Broadcom, fell on the report, which also highlighted internal discrepancies on spending plans.

‘This is ridiculous,’ Sam Altman and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said in a statement about the story. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’

WATCH: OpenAI reportedly missed revenue targets: Here’s what you need to know