Apple camera-equipped AirPods just leaked and not through some anonymous tipster, but through Apple’s own software. Buried inside the release candidate for macOS Tahoe 26.7, a build pushed out mainly for security fixes, code researchers found a short demo video showing the earbuds in action. Apple usually keeps unreleased hardware locked down tighter than a vault; this time, a routine update did the job for us instead. It’s the clearest look yet at a product that’s been rumored since early 2025, and it finally answers a question Apple watchers have argued about for months: what would a camera even do on a pair of earbuds?
Here’s everything the leak reveals, what’s still unconfirmed, and when you might actually be able to buy a pair.
Quick facts:
- Codename: B790
- Found in: the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate
- Powered by: Apple Intelligence’s Visual Intelligence
- Expected debut: Apple’s fall event, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro (unconfirmed)
- Not to be confused with a separate camera AirPods project (codenamed B798) reportedly slated for 2027
What the Leaked macOS 26.7 Video Reveals About Apple Camera-Equipped AirPods
Independent code researcher Aaron Perris spotted the clip first and posted it to X. It runs about 13 seconds and shows a man wearing AirPods, holding up a book. A Siri voiceover walks through the idea: anything you look at can be saved for later, just by asking, with Apple’s Visual Intelligence doing the actual recognition work behind the scenes.
Interestingly, you can’t spot an actual camera lens anywhere in the footage. The earbuds look almost identical to the current AirPods Pro, with one small difference: the stem looks slightly thicker than usual, which is the most likely hiding place for the hardware. That tracks with what we broke down when this rumor first picked up steam: a camera sensor small enough to disappear into a stem, not a bulky add-on.
How Visual Intelligence Would Work on Camera AirPods
In short, a small built-in camera would feed real-world visual information to Apple Intelligence, letting Siri identify objects, answer questions about your surroundings, and save details for later all without pulling out your phone.
The leaked code reportedly includes a full setup flow for enabling visual intelligence on the AirPods, plus a practical safety net: if your hair covers the earbuds and blocks the camera, you’d get an alert, since Apple flagged that this could throw off how accurately the system reads your surroundings. It’s a small detail, but it suggests the feature is further along than a rough prototype; nobody builds error handling for a concept that’s still just a sketch.
Design, Codename, and a Confusing Two-Product Rumor
Apple’s camera AirPods carry the internal codename B790, and confusingly, they appear to be a completely different product from another camera-equipped model, codenamed B798, that’s reportedly not expected until 2027.
References to B790 turned up more than once in the macOS 26.7 code, including a mention of an “image stream,” about as close to a camera confirmation as you get without Apple saying the word outright. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had already linked the B790 codename to camera AirPods earlier this year, which lines up with what the new leak shows. The B798 project is being tracked on a much longer timeline, so don’t assume every “camera AirPods” story you read this year and next describes the same earbuds.
AirPods Pro 4 or AirPods Ultra?
Apple hasn’t confirmed a name. Some reports point to “AirPods Ultra” as a new tier positioned above the current AirPods Pro 3, while others simply expect the camera model to slot in as the next AirPods Pro generation.
If the “Ultra” branding holds, expect a price above the AirPods Pro 3’s $249, positioning the camera as a genuine flagship feature rather than a routine upgrade. Nothing here is locked in. Apple has a habit of keeping pricing and naming a surprise right up until the keynote.
When Could Camera AirPods Actually Launch?
They’re widely expected to debut alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup at Apple’s fall event, which multiple reports place in early September 2026, though Apple hasn’t confirmed a date, and the earbuds could still slip.
A demo video shipping inside a release candidate is a strong signal Apple is close to finished. It isn’t a guarantee, though leftover feature flags and hidden assets sometimes point to a launch that’s still a release or two away. If Apple follows its usual pattern, the September keynote where the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and a foldable iPhone are also expected to appear is the obvious venue.
Why This Matters Beyond the Spec Sheet
Camera AirPods aren’t just a hardware footnote. They’re Apple’s second major bet on wearable cameras this year, after its smart glasses push. Together, the two products point toward Apple building an always-on visual layer for Apple Intelligence, one that doesn’t need a phone screen at all.
It’s also Apple playing catch-up in one sense: Meta’s camera-equipped Ray-Ban smart glasses have offered a similar camera-plus-AI-assistant combo for a couple of years already. Apple’s spin swaps glasses for earbuds, betting that far more people already own AirPods than are willing to buy a pair of smart glasses.
That raises the same privacy questions Apple has already had to answer with its glasses: How does anyone nearby know when the camera’s active, and what happens to what it sees? The hair-covering alert is really a reliability fix, not a privacy one, but expect Apple to lean on the kind of visible recording indicators it’s reportedly building into its other wearables, especially once this moves from a hidden beta video to a product people actually wear in public.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Apple really making AirPods with a camera?
All signs point to yes. A demo video hidden inside the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate shows the feature working under the internal codename B790, which Bloomberg had already linked to AirPods cameras months earlier.
How would the camera on AirPods work?
It would feed what you’re looking at to Apple’s visual intelligence system, letting Siri identify objects, answer questions about your surroundings, and save information like a book title for later, hands-free.
When will camera AirPods be released?
Nothing is official, but the leak’s timing and Apple’s habit of pairing new AirPods with new iPhones point to Apple’s fall event, expected in early September 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro.
Will they be called AirPods Pro 4 or AirPods Ultra?
Apple hasn’t said. Some reports suggest “AirPods Ultra” as a new top-tier model priced above the AirPods Pro 3, while others expect it to simply become the next AirPods Pro.
Are these the same camera AirPods rumored for 2027?
Reportedly, not. The B790 model in this leak appears to be a separate project from a second camera-equipped AirPods model, codenamed B798, said to be on a longer timeline into 2027.
The Bottom Line
Apple didn’t plan to show its hand this early, but the macOS 26.7 leak is the clearest evidence yet that camera-equipped AirPods are real, working, and close enough to release that Apple is already testing the software experience around them. Whether they land as “AirPods Ultra,” a new AirPods Pro, or something else entirely, the bigger story is Apple building a wearable AI layer that lives in your ears instead of your hand.
We’ll update this article the moment Apple makes anything official. Bookmark it, or check back after the September event for the full picture.
