Apple is slowly but surely getting rid of the Lightning cable as it transitions to having a USB-C charging port in more of its devices and accessories. On the same day it announced iPhone 15 devices (which have USB-C ports), Apple revealed that it changed the physical charging jack on the second-generation AirPods Pro. But to get a USB-C case for the earbuds, you’d need to buy a fresh set of AirPods Pro too.
That’s no longer the situation as Apple has started selling the USB-C AirPods Pro case separately. The case by itself costs $99, which is much less than the $249 you’d have had to shell out before.
It might be worth picking up a case if you don’t want to have to deal with Lightning cables at all (and you perhaps aren’t a fan of wireless or MagSafe charging). Of course, if you’ve lost your previous case and need to replace it, you may as well switch to a USB-C version at this point. Of note, Apple says the case is only compatible with the second-gen AirPods Pro.
Apple’s transition away from Lightning and toward USB-C isn’t exactly voluntary. The European Union has mandated that most rechargeable devices sold in the region will need to have a USB-C charging port by the end of 2024. Apple was already moving to USB-C in iPads but making the switch on iPhone marked a significant sea change.
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