That video of AirPods with cameras built in? Cool. But don’t expect to buy them anytime soon. Despite a leak that made AirPods with cameras look imminent, Apple is still holding the product for 2027. This year’s iPhone event won’t be the moment they show up.
If you were hoping to buy AI-powered earbuds alongside your next iPhone, you’ll have to wait. And that’s actually the more interesting story here: what almost shipped this year, and why it didn’t.
A leak that got ahead of the timeline
Apple has supposedly been working on AirPods with tiny cameras for several years. More recent reports have shifted the focus toward AI: rather than taking conventional photos or videos, the cameras would give Siri a visual understanding of the world around the wearer.
The camera AirPods made headlines this week in a developer build of macOS 26.7 RC. It accidentally included references to several unreleased Apple products. This included a working video of the earbuds using Visual Intelligence to scan the world around them.
The clip lined up with what’s been reported for months. These AirPods lean on Visual Intelligence, the same tech powering iPhone’s camera-based AI features that feeds real-world context to Siri and other AI tools.
The timing of the leak made it look like a launch was right around the corner, but it is not. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported on Wednesday that Apple is now holding the camera AirPods to a 2027 launch.
Previously, there were reports that Apple planned to introduce the advanced earbuds this year. They were allegedly in advanced internal employee testing in spring 2026. But supply chain and software issues pushed the whole thing to 2027.
Why ‘pervertpods’ isn’t really the point
Unsurprisingly, cameras built right into earbuds have triggered a wave of privacy backlash. Some users are calling it the “pervertpods.” It’s a fair instinct — nobody wants to be unknowingly recorded by a stranger’s earbuds.
Reportedly, that’s not what these sensors are for. They’re described as low-resolution and built to interpret your surroundings for Siri, not to take photos or videos.
Apple’s been down this road before with the privacy optics on Vision Pro and its camera-based features. It clearly wants to steer away from becoming the next Meta Ray-Ban glasses, which have been criticized for privacy violations.
There have reportedly been two hardware paths in development. One is based on the AirPods Pro 3 with cameras and AI bolted on. The other is a more ground-up redesigned version. The one in the leaked video is said to be the more iterative of the two.
The two paths might explain why leaks sometimes refer to these as “AirPods Pro 4” and other times as “AirPods Ultra.”
Part of Apple’s much bigger 2027 lineup
Camera AirPods won’t be lonely whenever they land. They’re expected to arrive alongside Apple’s first smart glasses and a shirt- or neck-worn AI pendant.
Apple’s also got plenty going on to keep you occupied before then. Incoming CEO John Ternus is said to debut the company’s first foldable iPhone this fall. An AI-Siri-powered smart home display are also on the horizon. So is the touchscreen MacBook, a robotic-arm-equipped display, a refreshed HomePod mini and a new Apple TV box.
So no, you won’t be wearing AI-powered cameras in your ears this fall. But if this leak is any indication, Apple’s already deep into making sure the ones that do ship don’t spook you.
Anurag Chawake is a tech-focused writer specializing in smartphones, apps and consumer technology. His interest in computers began during the Windows 98 era, eventually leading him to explore everything from operating systems to mobile devices and PC hardware. Anurag previously contributed to The Indian Express, covering Apple, Android, gaming and the broader technology landscape.
