New AirPods set to arrive before the end of the year, but don't hold your breath on cameras in Apple earbuds just yet

AirPods with cameras are apparently still coming...

<![CDATA[ <article> <ul><li><strong>AirPods with cameras are apparently still coming...</strong></li><li><strong>... but the next model, due in 2026, won't have them</strong></li><li><strong>In truth, little is known about these new buds (which is how Apple likes it) </strong></li></ul><p>For some reason, Apple fans are clamoring for new AirPods with cameras built in, and we've been <a href="https://www.techradar.com/audio/earbuds-airpods/cameras-in-airpods-may-arrive-as-soon-as-next-gen-airpods-pro-4-according-to-a-new-report">hearing plenty of rumors that they're on the way</a>. But a new report suggests they won't actually be the next Apple earbuds we see.</p><p>According to stalwart Apple correspondent Mark Gurman (via his <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-08-02/apple-subscriptions-macbook-air-shortages-apple-to-make-glasses-health-device-msbvajjp?srnd=undefined" target="_blank">Power On newsletter</a>), Apple has two AirPods models on the go.</p><p>The flagship ice-white buds we've been reporting on are <a href="https://www.techradar.com/audio/earbuds-airpods/airpods-with-tiny-ai-cameras-tipped-to-come-in-2027-but-that-raises-a-question-of-what-model-theyll-be-in">set to have tiny AI cameras</a> — and Gurman has now backed up rumors of their being slated for a 2027 release.</p><p>But some models <em>are</em> expected in 2026: Gurman mentions another pair of buds (with a lot less known about them) that are likely to come along the 2026 iPhones at the end of the year.</p><p>The coverage doesn't specify whether these are AirPods, AirPods Pro or even over-ears, but the latter seem unlikely, because the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/audio/earbuds-airpods/airpods-max-2-review">AirPods Max 2</a> are only a few months old. </p><p>Could it be a possible Beats release? TechRadar's Jacob Krol recently <a href="https://www.techradar.com/audio/headphones/exclusive-we-ask-the-impossible-of-these-guys-and-they-figure-it-out-i-saw-inside-beats-labs-to-see-how-12-years-with-apple-changed-the-company-and-why-the-testing-the-tuning-the-science-behind-the-fit-and-the-sound-is-the-hidden-secret">spent a few days at Apple's Beats HQ</a> and pressed the highly successful Apple subsidiary brand on some <a href="https://www.techradar.com/audio/irked-by-airpods-max-2s-6-year-old-design-apples-cheaper-beats-arm-has-just-the-thing-as-new-over-ears-are-spotted-at-the-fifa-world-cup-training-camp">much teased Beats headphones, spotted on various occasions at the World Cup recently</a>, but the company remained tight-lipped on those. </p><p>For now, we'll have to wait and see. </p><h2 id="are-cameras-worth-the-wait">Are cameras worth the wait?</h2><p>Questions concerning <a href="https://www.techradar.com/audio/new-research-suggests-airpods-with-cameras-cant-happen-unless-apple-makes-a-few-major-changes">whether AirPods with cameras would even work</a> aside, Apple faces the question — given the recent backlash over glasses that see — over whether most buyers would even want that. </p><p>The point of the tech is, apparently, to let an AI assistant see what's going on around you. The hardware is part of a big AI push Apple is undergoing.</p><p>That's despite consumers' appetite for AI dropping as fast as companies' desperation for AI increases. I don't see many AirPods buyers opting for a new pair of earbuds without a genuine reason they'd be useful (and no, smarter Siri doesn't count), especially if their whole schtick is that they're always spying on you.</p><p>Often when we see a tech product delayed, it's because it's just not ready yet. But with the camera-toting AirPods, it's more likely that <em>we're </em>not ready yet... or maybe we just don't need them.</p> </article> ]]>