The World Cup has barely started, but Beats has been teasing its mysterious new headphones for a couple of weeks now and has been spotted with football superstars Lamine Yamal and Antonee Robinson. FIFA had to force Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala to cover up the brand logo on his pair after he wore Beats' unannounced headphones before a match. Apple's subsidiary is not part of the official World Cup sponsors, so players cannot be seen with brands that are not part of the agreement. Shortly after that, Beats posted a photo on Instagram of Jamal wearing Beats headphones with a tape and the caption saying: "Spoiler alert: it's a b."
Unlike previous releases, which usually get spoiled by iOS beta code, consumers barely know a thing about these Beats headphones, besides that they're out there, and only football superstars have them. Based on the photos shared so far, these headphones will come in pink, white, black, and a dual white and blue option. With a stainless steel headband slider, these headphones look like if Beats made an AirPods Max.
However, it's unclear if these are a replacement of the 2023 Beats Studio Pro, which still doesn't have an Apple audio chip, or if the company is planning to position these headphones in a new category. What's important to note is that Beats' recent Instagram picture does not put Jamal with the same headphones as he was wearing before the match, since the headband slider is different.
What we expect from Beats mysterious headphones
Over the past few years, Beats has upgraded its headphones and earbuds lineup to feature Apple's audio chips, including the H1 and H2 processors. Only the Beats Studio Pro still features a custom chip, so it lacks all the "magical" features available between Apple devices and its headphones. While the company could surprise users with an unannounced audio processor, it's more likely that Beats is going to use Apple's H2 chip and position it somewhere between the Beats Studio Pro and the AirPods Max, thanks to their finish and size of ear cushions.
Besides that, the two-tone headphones spotted with Antonee Robinson might actually be part of an ongoing trend of AirPods Max users who switch the cushions for different colors just to make their headphones more unique. If that's the case, then Beats headphones could have the same ease of removing the cushions from the headphones, making them easier to clean, while also bringing a new design language for the company's headphones.
At this moment, it's unclear when Beats could launch this product. With one of its latest releases, the Powerbeats Pro 2, the company teased them right after the iPhone 16 event, but only released them in early 2025. Since these headphones have been teased almost weekly now, it's possible that Beats might get them ready around the time Apple releases iOS 26.6, which is expected to be available in July.