Beats Solo 4 headphones "imminent", should bring plenty of new tricks to the party

The headphones we've known are coming for a little while just got a little closer – the Beats Solo 4 are finally on the way.

As spotted by the team at 9to5Mac, who also found images of the headphones in a software update earlier this year, a new FCC listing for the Beats Solo 4 has appeared.

Unlike some other registries, this isn't a case of interpreting some technical details to figure out what device it's most likely talking about, either – the listing literally names the device in question. 

It includes a whole heap of certificates and test results for the many stages you need to pass to bring an electronic device to market in the US. And its timing suggests that their launch is now pretty imminent. 

Since we haven't had a new Beats Solo headset in years now, the new headphones should mark a seriously major upgrade over the Beats Solo 3, too. 

For one thing, they'll abandon micro-USB charging and move to the now-universal USB-C standard at last. 

There's also a strong expectation that they'll have spatial audio on board since this is something that Apple has been pushing with its flagship audio products for a while, particularly where AirPods are concerned. 

With controls on the earcup to let you adjust volume and skip tracks, that rounds out a pretty standard set of expectations from a new set of headphones.

Underlining the accuracy of those leaked images, too, the FCC filing confirms that there will be black, blue, and pink models to pick from at launch.

We don't, of course, have any indication of pricing or availability at this stage, but Apple never leaves long between an FCC filing and release - not least since the filing tends to completely give the game away when it's discovered.

So, these headphones should arrive in the next few weeks or months, and revive a string of the Beats brand that had fallen by the wayside a little. 

With new AirPods models also rumoured to possibly be being detailed at this year's WWDC, it's shaping up to be a busy year for Apple's audio division, as it turns out.