Owners of recent Beats headphones may appreciate the Apple W1 chip, which allows for fast and seamless connectivity with iPhones and iPads. However, future Beats products may not feature the W1 chip. This is because Apple reportedly plans to hire MediaTek to produce processors for several future audio products.

This is according to a report from Taiwanese outlet United Daily News, found by PhoneArena, that MediaTek has entered Apple's supply chain via its subsidiary Airoha. Apple will reportedly receive shipments of the new chips "in February or March," which means we could see new Beats headphones within a few months.

While MediaTek is perhaps more famous for its inexpensive smartphone chips, both the company and Airoha have extensive experience manufacturing hardware for use in headphones. For example, the impressive Sony WF-1000XM3 True Wireless earphones use the Media MT2811 chip. This chip is very similar to the rebranded Airoha AB155x processor. More generally, Airoha, which specializes in wireless technology, is also particularly well suited for Bluetooth headphones, which is what the Beats lineup is all about.

What does this mean for you? Well, by replacing the W1 chip with MediaTek's silicon slice, Apple can make cheaper Beats headphones. Think of these as the affordable but less capable AirPods. Alternatively, there could be less expensive headphones, like the iPhone 13, that could be an option on the next iPhone you buy.

The W1 could remain in Beats' higher-end models, while more affordable headphones could feature the less expensive Airoha chip, albeit with inferior functionality. Despite Apple's reputation for premium pricing, the Beats series offers a number of lower-priced headphones, such as the Beats Flex, which is currently part of our best workout headphones list. The lower-spec chips could open the door to even more affordable headphones.

Given that Beats will remain Apple-branded, it seems unlikely that Cupertino will completely give up the iOS-specific benefits of the W1 chip, including faster and more reliable connectivity and native compatibility with the AAC audio codec. Therefore, it is possible that MediaTek/Airoha could copy some or all of the W1's specs to produce a new chip, saving Apple the cost of mass-producing its own processor.

In any case, we will not know for sure until Apple officially announces its upcoming Beats headphones. The headphones could share technology with the rumored AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2.