Apple's Beats by Dre is really pushing its unannounced headphones at the World Cup, with more player social media shots suggesting that the new model might be customizable.
After an initial mention in an FCC filing on May 23, an unannounced pair of Beats were then shown around the neck of soccer star Lamine Yamal. Now, more players attending the FIFA World Cup have been seen sporting the personal audio accessories.
In shots on Instagram, U.S. mens soccer team member Antonee Robinson and South Korea's Lee Kang-in have been seen wearing the same model. In both cases, the headphones are prominently placed, matching the appearance of the ones worn by Yamal weeks prior.
However, while Yamal's are a light pink in color, the new sightings are a bit different. Kang-in is shown with what seems like a white pair with lime green over-ear cups, while Robinson has white with dark blue earcups.
This is an unusual color scheme for Beats, which tends to go for an all-over color aesthetic in its previous releases. If the headphones on display reflect what consumers will be able to buy, this could mean users can customize the headphone-earcup combination to their liking.
Side details
Little is known about the headphones, aside from being Beats-branded and with an over-ear design. If it's a revision of an existing model, the most probable would be the Beats Studio Pro from 2023, rather than the budget-focused Beats Solo 4 of 2024.
The close-up shot of Kang-in gives a better look at the design, which includes round arms on the headband. The main speaker elements are quite thin disks, with sensors, USB-C, and button controls around the edge.
The earcups seem to be at least four times the thickness of the speaker section, and probably house some of the components deep inside the cushioning.
Beats has a history of using celebrities and sports stars to drum up interest in upcoming products via social media. The amount of promotion so far could mean a formal launch of the headphones could happen within weeks.
