Apple alongside the planned launch of its third-generation AirPods, is also likely to launch a Hi-Fi tier to Apple Music, which will offer high-res music streaming, giving Spotify a toe to toe fight in terms of features.

Apple Music's Hi-Fi tier will bring CD-quality, lossless audio to the company’s music streaming application. While there are no details on the Apple Music Hi-Fi as of now, a report from the Hits Doubles Daily suggests that the new Hi-Fi tier will cost $9.99 (approximately INR 738) in the US, which is same as the company’s existing, standard Apple Music subscription.

The news comes days after streaming giant and arch-rivals in the space - Spotify announced its premium Hi-Fi tier, allowing music listeners to experience more depth and clarity in songs.

Now, what is Hi-Fi tier audio and how does it improve audio quality?

The full-form of Hi-Fi is High Fidelity audio, a term many people are familiar with. High Fidelity audio inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat frequency response within the human hearing range. It is different from stereo quality, which records or reproduces sound that uses two channels - each playing a portion of original sound in a way to create the illusion of locating the sound at a particular position.

Hi-Fi audio is considered superior over other formats as it offers a full range of audible frequencies with very little distortion of the original signal. Currently, Apple Music does not offer a high-resolution audio tier. The new Apple Music Hi-Fi tier will compete with other services that offer lossless audio quality like Amazon Music, Spotify, Tidal, and more.

According to the latest report, Apple is planning to announce the new HiFi tier and the AirPods 3 in the 'coming weeks.' The next big thing from Apple is its WWDC event on 7th June. Henceforth, Apple could potentially announce the new quality standard and its third-generation AirPods at the conference.