Leak reveals Apple AirPods Pro with innovative new feature

Rumors have been circulating for months according to which Apple is developing brand new AirPods Pro ($199 on Amazon) that are equipped with cameras. A new report from Bloomberg now reveals the most important details about the unusual earphones, which Apple has allegedly been working on for four years. According to the report, they are currently in the DVT phase, i.e. design validation testing, the final stage of development before production is prepared.

The big innovation is that each of the two earphones is to be equipped with a camera. These cameras cannot record photos or videos; instead, they will be used exclusively for AI features. It should be possible to ask the new AI-based Siri version of iOS 27 questions about objects in the real world, for example to generate a recipe based on the ingredients in the camera's field of vision. Other features should also benefit from the cameras, as the voice output during navigation in Apple Maps can refer to the real world to provide more useful instructions.

A small LED will alert people nearby that a video is being recorded for the AI to protect their privacy. While the development of the hardware is said to be almost complete, Apple is less satisfied with the progress of the new AI features, according to Bloomberg. The improved Siri version based on a large language model is said not to work particularly reliably. Apple is nevertheless said to be planning to launch this new version of Siri together with iOS 27 in September.