Apple Delays Camera-Toting AirPods, New Model in 2026

Slip an AirPod in and listen closely. The next-gen earbuds Apple promised are coming, but not exactly as some rumors imagined. The camera-equipped version that captured so much attention has been pushed back. A more conventional refresh is the one likely to arrive in 2026.

Why the camera AirPods missed the 2026 window

Internal traces point to two parallel projects. One, tracked under the code B798, is the ambitious AirPod with a built-in camera. It recently entered a design evaluation phase — the kind of testing that weeds out early concepts and exposes integration headaches. Translation: it won't be ready for market before 2027.

The other project, labeled B790 in Apple's internal ecosystem and spotted in iOS 27 code, has progressed further. That looks like the safer bet for a 2026 launch: an AirPods Pro update that skips image sensors but brings incremental hardware and software improvements. Think better battery life, refinements to active noise cancellation, and tighter OS-level features without the privacy and power trade-offs a camera brings.

So why would Apple explore cameras for earbuds at all? The company is clearly building toward a richer Apple Intelligence platform. Tiny cameras or infrared sensors embedded in earbuds could theoretically give AirPods a sense of their surroundings, enabling context-aware audio responses without forcing users to wear a head-up display. Neat. But also complex — from privacy audits to battery demands to real-world reliability.

Apple appears to be choosing pragmatism over hype for now. Ship the improved AirPods Pro experience in 2026, then revisit the camera concept once the hardware, software, and policy pieces align. It’s a safer roadmap. And for users who want smarter, more conversational audio features, patience might pay off: the more experimental model could resurface in 2027 with a more polished experience.

Bottom line: expect a refreshed AirPods Pro in 2026; the camera-equipped variant is likely a 2027 story.