Apple quietly changed the charging case that comes with its new AirPods Pro - here's how it compares to the original

Crystal Cox/Business Insider

• Apple just unveiled a new version of its wireless headphones: AirPods Pro costs $250 and are scheduled to arrive on October 30.
• In addition to a higher price, the AirPods Pro come with active noise-canceling tech and water resistance, and have a new form factor.
• There's one other significant change from the previous AirPods: a larger charging case. Here's how it compares to the original.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple just revealed the first major update to its wildly popular wireless headphones: The $250 AirPods Pro are a smaller, louder, more expensive, and slightly better version of the AirPods you already know and love.

Among the upgrades in the AirPods Pro are active noise cancellation, more touch-based controls on the headphones themselves, and water resistance. Also, crucially, they have little rubber tips - a major design change over the standard Apple AirPods.

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Here's a closer look:

Crystal Cox/Business Insider

But there's one other major change with the new AirPods Pro you might not have realized: The charging case is larger, and laid out slightly differently than the original charging case.

Here are the two open and side-by-side:

Ben Gilbert/Business Insider

As you can see above, the old case (left) resembles a case of dental floss. The new case (right) is squatter, wider, and a little thicker than the previous case. Prepare your pockets accordingly!

Notably, the two cases are much more similar in size when the new case is turned on its side, like so:

Ben Gilbert/Business Insider

As you can see, the AirPods Pro case on the right is a bit taller than the original. Though it's indiscernible in photos, the AirPods Pro case is also slightly thicker than the original.

The change is likely due to the dimensions of the new earbuds. The portion of the AirPods Pro that fits into your ear is slightly larger than regular AirPods, but the stem is slightly shorter - hence the need for a shorter but wider case. 

In terms of functionality, the new AirPods Pro charging case is identical to the original: you plunk in your AirPods, and they charge wirelessly. You can charge the case through a Lightning cable or by putting the whole case on a Qi-certified charging mat, and it'll hold 24 hours worth of power for your AirPods Pro.

The new Apple AirPods Pro arrive in stores on October 30. Take a closer look at the new AirPods Pro right here: