Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods Coming in Late 2027 Alongside 20th Anniversary iPhone

Apple plans to launch camera-equipped AirPods in late 2027, alongside the 20th anniversary iPhone and a foldable iPhone, according to Bloomberg. The AirPods will use cameras to feed visual data to Siri for AI-powered object recognition and contextual assistance, marking Apple's first wearable AI product.

Apple is working on camera-equipped AirPods that are expected to launch in late 2027 alongside the 20th anniversary iPhone and a next-generation foldable iPhone, reports Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-16/apple-plans-camera-airpods-iphone-foldable-2-20th-anniversary-iphone-in-2027 . The AirPods will be Apple's first wearable AI product. The cameras in the AirPods are not designed for taking photos and videos, and will instead send information about the wearer's surroundings to Siri https://www.macrumors.com/guide/siri/ . Siri will be able to answer questions about objects and whatever the wearer is looking at. Contextual reminders are a possibility, as are improved turn-by-turn directions when walking. Apple already has a similar feature available through Visual Intelligence https://www.macrumors.com/guide/visual-intelligence/ , which allows Siri to give details on photos that the user captures. In iOS 27 https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ios-27/ , Visual Intelligence is accessible through the Camera app with a new Siri Mode. The AirPods will look similar to the current AirPods Pro 3 https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/airpods-pro/ , but there will be cameras embedded in the stem. An included light will inform people around the wearer when the cameras are feeding data to Siri. Multiple rumors, including from Bloomberg , have previously suggested the AirPods with cameras could come in 2026. Apple apparently wanted to release the AirPods in 2026, but Apple's ongoing struggles with AI and a need to develop visual models capable of identifying objects around the user caused the AirPods to be delayed. Bloomberg says all three devices are being tested with iOS 28, but timing "remains fluid and could change." Apple also has smart glasses in the works that could come as "early as the tail end of next year," which would presumably see the AirPods and the glasses launch at around the same time. This article, " Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods Coming in Late 2027 Alongside 20th Anniversary iPhone https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/16/airpods-camera-late-2027/ " first appeared on MacRumors.com https://www.macrumors.com Discuss this article https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apples-camera-equipped-airpods-coming-in-late-2027-alongside-20th-anniversary-iphone.2484062/ in our forums