San Francisco, Sep 14 (IANS): Tech giant Apple is expected to announce the new generation of AirPods along with the unveiling of the new lineup of iPhones on Tuesday late night.

According to a report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the 'AirPods 3' will be the new version of Apple's AirPods earbuds, which were last refreshed in March 2019.

However, Kuo said that Apple will keep selling the second-generation AirPods when the new models ship, reports 9To5Mac.

Kuo said this suggests that either AirPods 3 will be sold at a higher price -- current models start at $159 -- or that AirPods 2 will see a price drop alongside the AirPods 3 release, which would adopt the current AirPods 2's price point.

Based on previous rumours, the new AirPods models are expected to feature a new design that resembles the shape of the current-generation AirPods Pro, notably featuring shorter stems on the earbuds themselves.

However, the AirPods 3 are not expected to feature active noise cancellation features -- that will remain exclusive to AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, the report said.

AirPods 3 are expected to support head-tracking Spatial Audio however, which lines up neatly with the release of iOS 15 that enhances Dolby Atmos music with the head-tracking effect in addition to video content.

Meanwhile, this year one can expect the tech giant to unveil the iPhone 13 lineup and the Apple Watch Series 7, along with new iPads and Macs.

The iPhone 13 lineup may mirror the iPhone 12 family of phones, with a 5.4-inch iPhone 13 Mini, 6.1-inch iPhone 13, 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max.

The Apple Watch Series 7 will come in various screen sizes from 41mm to 45mm.