The AirPods X is a rumored earphone that could take the sleek and fashionable AirPods series in a sportier new direction.

Also possibly known as AirPods Pro Lite, the AirPods X could target those seeking some of the premium features of the AirPods Pro at a lower price and with a more workout angle.

The name AirPods X first surfaced in some leaked data from Target, when they were called Apple AirPods (X generation). Shortly thereafter, however, it was learned that AirPods X was not a set of $399 over-ear headphones, but a name assigned to a pair of sport-friendly earbuds. More on that later.

AirPods X is also just one of three pairs of headphones rumored to be released by Apple, the others being AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 3. At least one of these was whispered to be released in 2020, and it is very likely that Apple is working on the next generation of wireless earbuds, following the sales success of the AirPods Max.

A major AirPods X leak by technology analyst Jon Prosser points to a price closer to $200. This is an interesting price, cheaper than the $249 AirPods Pro, closer to the AirPods with wireless charging case ($199), and more expensive than the regular $159 AirPods.

Prosser once predicted that the AirPods X would be "targeted for September/October" 2020, pointing to Apple's plan to launch the headphones with the iPhone 12. This obviously did not happen, and there is no reliable information so far on a release date for the AirPods X or any of the other rumored AirPods.

At the very least, it is worth remembering that the AirPods X may not need a big event. Apple has shown that it doesn't necessarily need an event to show off new hardware by announcing the iPad Pro 2020 and MacBook Air 2020 in press releases.

Prosser also tweeted about the unpredictability of Apple's next AirPods release, saying, "iMac and AirPods are still ready to ship... Theoretically, they could drop at any time since they are ready." However, these are likely AirPods Max, released in 2020.

According to MacRumors, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo confirmed the AirPods X rumor, saying that the new AirPods due in late 2020 "will likely be a new Beats model."

When referring to the AirPods X, Prosser said, "I think it's the Beats X," which surprised me. The Beats X is not a fully wireless headphone, which opens up the definition of what the AirPods brand stands for; the Beats X are earbuds connected by a wire that wraps around the neck and connects wirelessly to the device via Apple's W1 chip.

Prosser concluded his tweet by saying, "End goal: phase out Beats," suggesting this was the end of that lineup. Shortly thereafter, 9to5Mac reported that replacing Beats with Apple products "is not Apple's planned strategy. This strategy should not be viewed as being on Apple's table."

The company's strategy is to "keep Beats in the marketplace, but not to replace it with a new product.

This move away from a fully wireless design and the absence of "Pro" in the name suggests that the AirPods X may be closer to the regular AirPods and not have the active noise cancellation and Transparency mode of the AirPods Pro.

However, according to Prosser, these headphones were originally rumored to be called AirPods Pro Lite, so it is not known if all features will be lost.