Apple AirPods with cameras could arrive in weeks. What we know.

Apple Inc. could launch camera-equipped AirPods as soon as this year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who reported that references to a model codenamed B790 are appearing in iOS 27 beta code. The cameras will not capture photos or videos but will analyze surroundings to support an onboard AI assistant like Siri AI, with a small LED privacy indicator. Apple is also testing another model, B798, and may name the product AirPods Pro Ultra.

Apple AirPods with cameras could arrive in weeks. What we know. Alex Perry /author/aperry yelix.bsky.social http://yelix.bsky.social . Read Full Bio /author/aperry Rumor has it that Apple https://mashable.com/category/apple has been hard at work on AirPods https://mashable.com/category/airpods with built-in cameras for a while now. But, apparently, they might come out even sooner than expected. This information comes courtesy of Mark Gurman's Power On https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-08-02/apple-subscriptions-macbook-air-shortages-apple-to-make-glasses-health-device-msbvajjp newsletter over at Bloomberg. According to Gurman, Apple has been internally testing two versions of AirPods with cameras, one codenamed B798 and another codenamed B790. The former is the one we've known about https://mashable.com/article/apple-airpods-ai-cameras-final-testing for a while, but the latter was spotted more recently https://x.com/samhenrigold/status/2073011675880444246 and is reportedly coming along more quickly, Gurman reported. Gurman said references to the B790 model are already appearing in iOS 27 beta https://mashable.com/tech/apple-ios-27-announced-wwdc-2026 code, and Apple could launch the product as soon as this year. Given that there isn't all that much of "this year" left, we could see these new AirPods sooner rather than later. If Apple sticks to its usual schedule, new AirPods could arrive at the September iPhone launch event alongside the iPhone 18 https://mashable.com/tech/apple-iphone-18-latest-rumors-release-date-leaks-july-2026 ; the Apple AirPods Pro 3 were unveiled https://mashable.com/article/apple-airpods-announcement-iphone-event-2025 on Sept. 9, at last year's iPhone 17 launch event. Terms of Use https://www.ziffdavis.com/terms-of-use and Privacy Policy https://www.ziffdavis.com/ztg-privacy-policy . You May Also Like As for the name, rumors suggest AI-powered AirPods could be launched under a name like AirPods Pro Ultra https://mashable.com/tech/apple-airpods-pro-ultra-camera-rumors . Gurman didn't share any specifics about what makes the B790 different from the other previously reported model, but older news reports about the camera-equipped AirPods suggested Apple is aiming more for a wearable AI assistant than a surveillance or content-creation device. The cameras will not capture photos or videos; rather, they will analyze what they see to support an onboard assistant like, say, the new Siri AI https://mashable.com/tech/siri-ai-wwdc . There would also be a small onboard LED privacy indicator to let other people know the cameras are at work, similar to smart glasses. Speaking of smart glasses and privacy, Gurman recently reported https://mashable.com/tech/apple-smart-glasses-debut-delay-backlash that Apple may delay the launch of its rumored smart glasses after a backlash to Meta Ray-Ban glasses https://mashable.com/article/meta-ray-ban-glasses-are-making-it-easier-to-film-strangers-for-content and inappropriate and harassing behavior by some users. Presumably, Apple will also keep selling AirPods that are only useful for listening to podcasts and music, too. Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social http://yelix.bsky.social .