After more than a year of rumors about an AirPods version with a built-in camera, there’s now finally more solid evidence—and the leak source isn’t the supply chain or analysts, but Apple itself.
In the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate that Apple just released, people overseas uncovered an Apple product demo video featuring the unreleased camera-equipped AirPods, showcasing what the camera can do—like recognizing objects in front of you, and even having Siri note them down if needed. And since a video has already appeared in a release candidate build, that usually only means one thing: launch is probably not far off.
Apple Camera AirPods Surface! Official Demo Video Uncovered in macOS 26.7, Codenamed B790 Could Launch as Early as September
This matter is from foreign media. MacRumors It was discovered. They came across a demo video in Apple’s macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate files. The video shows a man holding a book up to his face, letting the camera on his headphones “see” the cover, and then asking Siri to save the book for him. The narration throughout the video also says: “With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes savable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later.” (With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes storable. See something you like? Just tell me to save it for you.)
The video also contains an even more interesting system prompt. When the user’s hair covers the earphones, the screen displays a warning: “To get the most accurate information about things in your environment, make sure AirPods are not covered.” (To obtain the most accurate environmental information, please confirm that the AirPods are not covered.)
This at least confirms that the camera or related sensors need to remain exposed—if covered by hair, recognition could be affected. However, the exact location of the sensors isn’t yet visible from the video. As for what they look like, that’s still unclear. Foreign media outlet 9to5Mac describes the headphones as looking almost identical to the current AirPods Pro 3, with the only noticeable difference being a slightly thicker stem.
In addition to the video, the system files also contain a corresponding code string that reads “B790 start image stream failed for left bud.” B790 is the internal codename for this pair of earbuds, and the term “image stream” further proves that the system is capable of retrieving image data from the earbuds.
For those who are unfamiliar with what “Visual Intelligence” is, here’s a quick explanation.
This is a feature of Apple Intelligence: it lets your device understand what’s in front of you. When you open your iPhone’s camera and point it at a restaurant, a poster, or a product, the system can tell you what it is, look up information for you, or add it to your calendar. And AirPods with a built-in camera basically work the same way—the only difference is you don’t have to take your phone out anymore; the earbuds can just see it directly. That really is a lot more convenient.
Image source: Apple official website
One more thing to note: although it’s called a “camera,” current reports indicate it can’t be used for taking photos or recording video. According to Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, it mainly captures visual information about the user’s surroundings and provides it to Siri. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously revealed that Apple plans to use an infrared camera module similar to the Face ID receiver.
Apple actually has two versions of AirPods in the works. The full version is codenamed B798, originally slated for a 2026 launch, but it was delayed to late 2027 because the new Siri needed to power the camera wasn’t ready. The B790 is another parallel project. According to Gurman’s earlier statements, B790 and B798 are two projects developed in parallel, though it’s still unclear whether Apple will ultimately release both.
The name might not end up being AirPods Pro 4. Gurman noted that because adding a camera drives up costs, Apple has internally considered using the name “AirPods Ultra” instead, positioning it above the $249 AirPods Pro 3. This means it would be a higher-end product line rather than a simple generational update.
In the code of macOS 26.7, there is another set of strings for AirPodsPro1,4, which might correspond to the fourth-generation AirPods Pro.
Apple has not responded to this matter at present, and the official announcement could come at the September launch event for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra.
Source: KOCPC Chinese