I just caught wind of a leak that sounds like science fiction, but it’s looking more like Apple’s roadmap for 2026. According to a heavy-hitting report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is looking to put infrared cameras inside your next pair of AirPods.
If you thought the AirPods Pro 3 were the peak of audio tech, you might want to hold that thought. We are potentially looking at the first earbuds that can “see” the world around you.
The Big Feature: Cameras in Your Ears
This isn’t about taking selfies with your ears. Based on insights from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, these infrared modules are similar to the tech used for Face ID on your iPhone.
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Spatial Awareness: The cameras could track your surroundings to improve the spatial audio experience.
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Air Gestures: Imagine waving your hand in front of your face to skip a track or adjust volume without ever touching the buds.
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Visual Intelligence: These could act as “eyes” for your iPhone, helping the OS understand your environment in real-time.
Here’s the thing: while guys like Jon Rittinger are skeptical—and he’s got a point, since nobody wants their earbuds to feel as gimmicky as those BMW hand gestures—there’s a bigger picture here. Apple is clearly done with AirPods just being “dumb” speakers for your ears. They’re trying to turn them into a proactive wearable that actually interacts with the world around you. It’s a massive shift in how we’ll use them.
Performance: The H3 Chip Upgrade
The next Pro model is expected to debut the H3 audio chip. This is the upgrade experts have been waiting for, and it’s a big deal for one reason: Latency.
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Near-Zero Lag: Essential for gaming and pro-level audio editing.
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Enhanced ANC: Faster processing means the noise cancellation can adapt to sudden sounds even quicker than before.
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Health Sensors: While a heart-rate sensor might be off the table for now, Apple is reportedly exploring other health-monitoring features to keep the “Pro” tag justified.
What’s Coming in 2026
Apple’s release schedule for next year is looking packed. Alongside the new Pro flagship, we’re expecting an AirPods 5 refresh. Here’s the rumored lineup for early 2026:
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iPhone 17e: The new “slim” or budget-friendly entry.
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MacBook Air: Refreshed internals for the world’s most popular laptop.
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iPad Revamp: A new iPad Air and a standard budget iPad are on the horizon.
My Take: Do We Really Need In-Air Gestures?
Look, waving your hands around to skip a track while you’re walking down the street is going to look ridiculous at first. I get it. But here’s the thing: if Apple hooks this into the Vision Pro or uses it to level up their hearing-aid tech, it actually starts to make sense. It’s a huge move that could change how these things work entirely.
Apple’s audio sales have dipped slightly since the pandemic peak, and a “camera-enabled” earbud is exactly the kind of “Why not?” innovation they need to dominate the market again.
