Yeah, no. I got the lightning charger ones the week before the USB Cs got announced, because I won’t be switching my 14 Pro for anything but 18 or later
Oh this will be confusing. The USB-C AirPods Pro do have some additional features in preparation for the Vision Pro iirc. Surely the old Lightning AirPods Pro 2 won't magically get them just because they have a new case?
I don't believe the earphone part is different. When USB-C APP2 premiered they advertised a lot of new features (adaptative mode, speech triggered transparency etc) but all of them were immediately available on old ones too via firmware update.
Update September 22nd, 1PM ET: In an episode of the Apple Blitz XL podcast, Apple’s Ron Huang explained that the USB-C AirPods can communicate at 5GHz, unlike the earlier models, enabling the lossless audio link to Vision Pro.
I'm still strongly on Lightning. In fact, my next two iPhones will still have Lightning. I am now on a XS Max (2018). The next will be a 12 as soon as it drops under ~280¤. And then a 14 some years later (2028?). If anything, I would most possibly need to buy a Lightning Case in 2-3 Years.