Apple’s long-rumored camera-equipped AirPods might be closer to reality than recent reports made it seem. While earlier signals pointed to delays, fresh details suggest the company could still bring a version to market as soon as this September.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his latest Power On newsletter, Apple has been working on camera-equipped AirPods under the internal codename B798. This was one of the first models linked to a camera-based design and was originally planned for 2026 before getting pushed to 2027.
A separate version, codenamed B790, looks further along. References to B790 have already shown up in the second iOS 27 developer beta, and Gurman notes it’s on Apple’s internal roadmap for a possible release this year.
Earlier this month, a leaker who previously lined up with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s 2024 predictions claimed the camera AirPods project had been suspended. That report likely referred to the more advanced B798 model. The B790 variant still appears to be on track and may have avoided the same delays. Apple has a history of developing multiple internal versions of the same product at once, which helps explain the parallel efforts.
If the timeline holds, the new AirPods could be unveiled in September alongside the next iPhone lineup, which fits Apple’s usual pattern of pairing major audio updates with its fall hardware events.
The cameras themselves aren’t expected to take regular photos or video. Instead, they’d act as low-resolution visual sensors to give Siri a better sense of the user’s surroundings, unlocking features tied to Apple’s Visual Intelligence tools. A small LED indicator would likely light up when the cameras are active, addressing privacy concerns in a similar way to what’s been done with smart glasses.
Full details are still limited and could change, but the dual-track development suggests Apple is serious about introducing camera-enabled AirPods as part of its broader AI wearables push.
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