Close-up photos of Apple's unreleased Beats Studio Buds wireless earbuds have been released courtesy of Taiwanese regulators

The photos were published in the National Communications Commission (NCC) database (flagged by MacRumors) However, we can be fairly certain that we are seeing Studio Buds in these regulatory photos, as these earbuds appear to have the same ultra-compact design as the rumored Beats Studio Buds previously seen in other photo leaks and in LeBron James' ears

Again, the Studio Buds do away with the earloops favored by past Beats models like the Powerbeats Pro and instead take the form of smaller, more stylish buds, especially with what looks like a small touch sensor protruding outward It also appears to use silicone ear tips, which, judging from these photos, can be removed

It is clear that NCC measured the size of the Beats Studio Buds, and the photos show that the width of the buds is barely an inch with the ear tips attached This width is only slightly wider than the AirPods Pro, which has extra space inside the stem

Also according to MacRumors, the NCC database indicates that the Beats Studio Buds charging case will charge via USB-C rather than Apple's proprietary Lightning connector They are expected to be available in black, white, and red, but only the black model has been confirmed in various pre-release glimpses

The features and price of the Beats Studio Buds also remain a mystery The in-ear design may suggest active noise cancellation (ANC), but this is not a definite, as there are many non-ANC earbuds Beats produces some of the best sports headphones, and the Studio Buds are may adopt this workout-friendly feature, even if they lack the secure fit provided by earloops

Likely is the inclusion of Apple's H1 or W1 chip, which would allow the Beats Studio Buds to automatically play spatial audio in Apple Music, like some other Beats headphones

Currently, the release date for the Beats Studio Buds is expected to be this summer or early fall, as Beats brand advocate LeBron James has already been spotted wearing them That would put them in competition with the newly announced Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds, but could make room for the AirPods 3 to be released before the end of the year