New AirPods 3 images have leaked, revealing yet another look at Apple's upcoming wireless earbuds And if the pictures are to be believed, the next generation AirPods will look even more like the AirPods Pro than previous leaks suggested

Gizmochina posted a photo rendering of the AirPods 3, purportedly obtained from a supplier, showing a design that roughly matches previous leaked photos Within hours, tipster @LeaksApplePro also tweeted a photo of what appears to be the new AirPods 3 in situ, again showing the same short stem

Despite @LeaksApplePro's relatively weak track record on reliability, it is hard to refute the live photo Still, as with most leaks, there are reasons to be skeptical

For one thing, the earpiece in the photo looks similar to the one in the Gizmochina render leak, but does not appear to be an exact match; the IR sensor, which presumably detects whether the bud is in the user's ear for auto-pause, is in the photo clearly appears larger than in the rendered image To our eyes, the stem in the 52 Audio photo also appears longer than it does here, but it is difficult to be sure with the limited angles

It is also curious that these leaks seem to contradict one of the most rumored new features of the AirPods 3, the addition of interchangeable in-ear tips While it is possible that they could be plugged into the circular speaker port, as seen in these latest images, the live photos clearly show that there is no space in the charging case to add the tips Therefore, the AirPods 3 may follow the more open design of the AirPods 2

We can put these leaks away for now with a "hmmm" and hope for official details on the AirPods 3 later this month; Apple's big spring event on March 23 will not only feature the AirPods 3, but also the iPad Pro 2021 and Apple AirTags will likely be announced, as well as details about the iPad Pro 2021 and the Apple AirTags