Apple could launch a more premium AirPods Pro with cameras as AI push gathers pace

Apple’s long-running plan to turn AirPods into something more than just earbuds might be taking another step forward.

According to a new report, Apple is said to be working on a second, more premium version of the already premium AirPods Pro 3, with built-in cameras.

Rather than replacing the standard model, this version would reportedly sit above it, mirroring the company's approach with its AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC approach.

A familiar rumour with a new twist

Analysts and insiders have floated the concept of camera-equipped AirPods for years, often linking it to Apple’s broader ambitions around spatial computing and AI.

The idea first surfaced in 2024, suggesting that low-resolution cameras in the buds could monitor the world around you, with the AirPods acting as a kind of screen-free set of smart glasses.

Only yesterday, we reported that Apple seems to be working on a slew of wearables, including a smart pin or pendant, glasses to rival Meta's offerings, and AirPods with cameras.

What’s different in the latest reports is the suggestion that the feature could arrive as part of a higher-end configuration, rather than being reserved for a distant future generation.

The sensors are expected to be infrared rather than traditional cameras, meaning they wouldn’t be used for taking photos.

Instead, they could help the earbuds better understand your surroundings, enabling more advanced contextual responses, gesture interactions, or spatial audio experiences tied to Apple’s wider ecosystem.

AirPods as an AI wearable

If accurate, which is likely, the move would reinforce a broader shift in Apple’s wearables strategy, positioning AirPods increasingly as part of the company’s AI hardware layer alongside products like the Apple Watch and future smart glasses.

Adding environmental awareness would push the earbuds further into the realm of ambient computing, where devices interpret context and respond without needing direct input using machine learning.

There’s no official confirmation yet, and Apple rarely comments on future products, but the report adds weight to the growing expectation that the next generation of AirPods Pro could mark the biggest leap for the lineup since the introduction of active noise cancellation.

[via 9to5Mac]