Apple intends to make 2027 one of its most ambitious product years ever, targeting a late-year window for three major launches, according to a new report Tuesday.
Apple 2027 product releases: camera AirPods, foldable iPhone sequel and anniversary iPhone
The three planned products in the 2027 wave are AI-powered camera AirPods, a second-generation foldable iPhone and a special iPhone marking 20 years of the product, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported.
The 2027 lineup represents Apple’s answer to a pressing question: what comes after the smartphone? The camera AirPods and planned smart glasses both signal that Apple sees audio wearables and eyewear as the next battleground for AI on the body. Whether the technology delivers on its promise will depend heavily on how well Apple’s visual AI models mature over the next 18 months.
The cluster of launches will also come in during the first full product year under incoming CEO John Ternus, who takes over from Tim Cook on September 1.
AirPods get eyes
AI image: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
The most novel of the three products — camera-equipped AirPods, internally code-named B798 — puts computer-vision cameras directly into the stems of what will otherwise look like familiar AirPods Pro hardware. Small indicator lights on the outside will alert nearby people when the earbuds send data to the cloud for processing.
Rather than shooting photos or video, those cameras feed visual information to Siri. The idea: a user who glances at a refrigerator full of ingredients can simply ask Siri what to cook for dinner, with Siri drawing on what the cameras see. Apple has also explored using the feature for contextual reminders and walking navigation guidance.
The product originally targeted a 2026 launch, but a combination of AI software challenges and the need to train visual recognition models pushed the timeline back. Apple previewed similar technology on its Vision Pro headset at its developer conference last week, but the AirPods represent a far larger commercial bet.
The camera AirPods fit into Apple’s broader push around Visual Intelligence — a thread that already runs through the Camera app and the revamped Siri in iOS 27, which Apple introduced last week. Smart glasses (code-named N50), designed to compete with Meta’s Ray-Ban frames, could arrive as early as late 2027 as well. They may work alongside a wearable camera pendant the company is exploring.
A second-generation foldable
Photo: Amanz/Unsplash License
Apple plans to launch its very first foldable iPhone this coming September. The 2027 follow-up, code-named V78, would arrive roughly a year later. That cadence signals that Apple treats foldables as a sustained annual franchise rather than an experiment.
Both the second-gen foldable and the anniversary iPhone will run on a 2-nanometer A21 chip Apple calls “Naxos” internally.
The iPhone turns 20
AI concept: ChatGPT/Cult of Mac
The anniversary iPhones — two models, code-named V73 and V74, slotting into the Pro and Pro Max size classes — will feature displays that extend nearly to every edge, with glass that curves around the sides of the device. They succeed this year’s iPhone 18 Pro lineup, which will run on the A20 Pro chip (code-named “Borneo”).
Notably absent from this fall’s lineup: a standard iPhone 18. Apple will reportedly hold the base model for 2027, meaning it will go at least 18 months without a refresh. When it does arrive, it will run on the base A20 chip, known internally as “Banda.”
Looking further out, Apple plans to move its 2028 flagship chips to 1.4-nanometer manufacturing. It will work primarily with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company but potentially bring in Intel for some production capacity.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
