Apple AirPods Ultra with camera: What we know so far
Apple is working on AirPods with cameras that will send data to Siri. The new earbuds, which could be called Apple AirPods Ultra, will be the company’s first AI wearables and are expected to launch sometime in 2027.
Apple AirPods Ultra Video
In mid-August, Apple accidentally included a demo video of the supposedly camera-equipped AirPods in macOS Tahoe 26.7. In the video, a man holds up a book so the AirPods cameras can capture the title. “With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes storable. Like something? Just ask me to save it for later,” says the voiceover.
The cameras on the Apple AirPods Ultra provide information to Visual Intelligence, and Siri can answer questions about the wearer’s surroundings and log information. There is a direct instruction on how to set up Visual Intelligence on the AirPods.
If hair covers the AirPods, you will receive a notification. “To receive the most accurate information about your surroundings, make sure the AirPods are not covered,” it says.
Two versions
The rumors surrounding Apple AirPods Ultra with a camera were somewhat confusing. Most rumors referred to a product codenamed B798. In June, Gurman explained that the AirPods with a camera had been delayed due to issues with Siri’s AI and would not be released until September 2027, alongside the iPhone 20.
In early August, Gurman revised his release date prediction, stating that Apple was close to launching Apple AirPods Ultra with a camera, codenamed B790. The development of the B790 AirPods apparently ran parallel to the B798 model, and Gurman said the company is known to internally develop competing versions of the same product, with the B790 being closer to launch than the B798.
In mid-August, several references to version B790 surfaced in macOS Tahoe 26.7. Following this discovery, Gurman stated that the Apple AirPods Ultra were no longer on Apple’s release schedule and that Apple did not plan to release AirPods with cameras before 2027. Gurman said B790 was a version of the AirPods Pro 3 with cameras, while B798 was a future AirPods Pro model with cameras.
Design
The new AirPods will resemble the current AirPods Pro 3, but with cameras integrated into the stem. Apple may be planning to include a light that illuminates when image data from the AirPods is sent to the cloud. The LED would signal to those nearby that the cameras are active.
The size, design, and fit of the earbuds and charging case are likely to remain largely the same, with the exception of changes to the stem.
Features
The cameras in the AirPods are used to send data about the wearer’s surroundings to Siri, giving Siri more information about where the user is and what is nearby.
Siri will be able to answer questions about objects or what the wearer is currently looking at. The camera-equipped AirPods could be useful for more precise directions while walking, context-aware reminders, 3D maps, and much more.
The iPhone already features Visual Intelligence, which uses AI to recognize plants, animals, landmarks, artwork, books, and much more. AirPods with a camera can provide data for Visual Intelligence without requiring the camera app.
H3 chip
Apple is working on an improved H3 chip, which may be used for the first time in the camera-equipped AirPods. The H3 chip is expected to reduce latency and improve audio quality.
Technical details
The code in macOS Tahoe 26.7 reveals how the cameras in the Apple AirPods Ultra function. Notably, no infrared sensor is mentioned, despite rumors about its presence.
- Two cameras – Each earbud, the left and the right, contains separate camera sensors.
- Paired color images – The cameras capture synchronized RGB still images of up to 1 megapixel, each with the same image ID. This gives Visual Intelligence a view of the same scene from two different perspectives.
- No video – The cameras can capture a series of images for visual intelligence, but there is no video recording option.
- Resolution – There’s an “active” mode, likely triggered when Siri is activated. In this mode, the AirPods capture an image at 640 x 640 pixels. In a separate passive mode, they capture an image at 320 x 320 pixels. While the sensors are capable of producing higher-quality images, Apple appears to be using a specific image size.
- Passive image capture – The passive capture mode appears to be designed for capturing the background environment and is triggered by nearby speech, audio changes, posture changes, head turns, and more.
- Head movement – The cameras in the AirPods have distortion correction to compensate for head movements and may reject images with excessive movement.
- On-device processing – Some content is processed directly on the AirPods, e.g., person recognition.
- Indicator lights – The code suggests that the AirPods have a hardware indicator light that informs the user when still images are being taken.
Apple AirPods Ultra or Pro?
There were rumors that the new AirPods might be called “Apple AirPods Ultra” instead of “AirPods Pro.” However, the discovered macOS Tahoe 26.7 file that mentions the new AirPods is labeled “AirPods Pro,” not “AirPods Ultra.” It’s possible this is a placeholder name, so “AirPods Ultra” isn’t entirely out of the question. Apple might also have planned to use “AirPods Pro” for a version of the camera-equipped AirPods that ultimately wasn’t released.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg said in March that Apple was considering several devices with the name Ultra, including the foldable iPhone Ultra, the AirPods Ultra and a MacBook Ultra OLED, but it is still unclear whether this is a term we will see for the new Apple AirPods Ultra.
Prices
The price is not yet confirmed, but the current AirPods Pro 3 cost €249/US$249. The camera features could make the new version more expensive.
compatibility
Since the Apple AirPods Ultra send data to Siri, an iPhone with Apple Intelligence is required to use these features. Apple Intelligence is available starting with the iPhone 15 Pro.
Publication date
Although the camera-equipped Apple AirPods Ultra appear in macOS Tahoe 26.7, they won’t be released until 2027. They will likely be unveiled alongside the iPhone in September for its 20th anniversary.
