Apple AirPods Ultra with camera: Video confirms existence
Apple is working on AirPods equipped with a camera, which appear to be nearing market launch. This is suggested by a new video of the Apple AirPods Ultra, which MacRumors found in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate.
Apple AirPods Ultra Video
In a short demo, a man holds up a book so the AirPods camera can capture the title. “With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes storable. Do you like something? Just ask me to save it for later,” says the voice assistant.
If hair covers your Apple AirPods Ultra, you’ll receive a notification. “To get the most accurate information about your surroundings, make sure your AirPods aren’t covered,” it says.
The Apple AirPods Ultra, equipped with a camera, bear the codename B790, which was previously mentioned by Mark Gurman of Bloomberg. Gurman speculated that the AirPods could be released as early as September, so we might see them at the iPhone event where Apple will unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone Ultra.
Incidentally, macOS Tahoe 26.7 contains numerous other mentions of the B790 product as well as references to a long list of other, as yet unreleased Apple products.
Apple AirPods Ultra could also be released as AirPods Pro
According to a second leak, the Apple AirPods Ultra could also become part of the AirPods Pro series and forgo the Ultra label. Another file in macOS Tahoe 26.7, which refers to the new AirPods, is labeled “AirPods Pro,” suggesting the new name. This might be a placeholder name, so “AirPods Ultra” isn’t entirely out of the question. However, since Apple has integrated a full video of the new AirPods into the software, a placeholder is essentially redundant.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported in March that Apple was considering several devices with the name “Ultra,” including the foldable iPhone Ultra, the AirPods Ultra, and an OLED MacBook Ultra. However, it was questionable whether the new AirPods would bear this name. Gurman speculated that Apple might be using the name because the camera-equipped AirPods would likely be more expensive than the AirPods Pro 3, which currently cost €249/$249. The choice of the “Pro” suffix could also indicate that the price wouldn’t deviate too much from the current model.
The rumors surrounding Apple AirPods Ultra with a camera were somewhat confusing, which might explain the different names. Most rumors referred to the codename B798. In June, Gurman stated that the AirPods with a camera had been delayed due to issues with Siri AI and would not be released until September 2027, alongside the iPhone 20.
In early August, Gurman revised his release date, stating that Apple was close to launching the camera-equipped AirPods codenamed B790. The development of the B790 AirPods apparently ran parallel to the B798 model, and Gurman said the company was known for developing internally competing versions of the same product, with the B790 being closer to market launch than the B798.
It’s not yet known if there are any differences between the Apple-developed B790 and B798 products, but it looks like we’ll see the Apple AirPods Ultra with a camera later this year. The AirPods video in macOS Tahoe 26.7 suggests that the device is close to launch.
The camera in the AirPods is not used to take photos and videos, but provides visual information to Siri AI for a more user-friendly version of Visual Intelligence.
