It is looking increasingly likely that Apple's next set of large earbuds will be Beats Studio Buds, not AirPods 3 We just heard about this unannounced set of buds last week, and there have already been multiple image leaks showing the design, now including a live photo leak

MySmartPrice posted a photo of what appears to be a Beats Studio Buds casing with no internal hardware or ear tips attached; MySmartPrice was unable to confirm the photo, but the design was confirmed by yesterday's FCC document discovery and the first closely matches the earbuds seen in the iOS animation leak

Once again, the rounded, somewhat chunky shape can be seen, distinguishing them from previous Beats and Apple earbuds; there is no stabilizing element (like an earhook), as there is with fitness-focused models like the Powerbeats Pro; the earbuds are also more compact than the AirPods and the AirPods Pro, There is also no force-sensitive stem like the AirPods or AirPods Pro

If anything, the Beats Studio Buds resemble Samsung's Galaxy Buds Pro when viewed from the inward-facing angle used in these photos This would not be a complaint, as in addition to being the best noise-canceling earphones, Samsung's effort is wonderfully comfortable [However, since the outward-facing sides of the Beats Studio Buds are not visible, these photos do not confirm whether the design will include the tiny Earin A-3 style touch sensors seen in the leaked iOS animation

We also don't know what features the Beats Studio Buds will support, such as active noise cancellation and spatial audio, nor do we have a release date However, given that they have already appeared in Apple's software and live photos of the hardware have been leaked, it is likely that they will be released sooner rather than later

That said, if you're looking for affordable earbuds, check out our pick of the cheapest wireless earbuds But if you can splurge more, check out our comprehensive compilation of the best wireless earbuds