AirPods Pro 4 Could Feature Cameras to 'See Around You'

[groove-agent]

You'd think these cameras would be awful for battery life. I find this rumour difficult to believe. It's probably more of a sensor for something else.

 

[bluecoast]

Remember when AirPods were for music and talking to people? I do. What happened?

100. In addition, I’ve really wanted the iPod classic to come back.

Beautiful design. Physical controls. Great audio. And it just plays your music & podcasts.

Sadly today there’s no equivalent. Cheaply made mp3 players or audio players that are well designed - but not as good as the iPod - but have android at their core. No thanks.

 

[SFjohn]

All I want is to find a pair of AirPods Pro 2 on sale,but it might be too late now

I have a couple I can sell you if you want them so bad… 😉

 

[SFjohn]

Might be useful if they keep some of the actions from the AVP… 😉

 

[Jumpthesnark]

Another story in which MR knows these are infrared cameras but they purposefully leave that word out of the headline. An outrage click is still a click, right?

 

[turbineseaplane]

Another banger from the "Huh?" idea blender.

Hopefully such a thing would be a different product line than just Airpods, so those of us who simply want "earbuds" can soldier on.

 

[kristoffer4]

Who wants this?!
What about better sound quality with lossless Bluetooth? Has Apple completely abandoned that idea?!

 

[GrindedDown]

Another story in which MR knows these are infrared cameras but they purposefully leave that word out of the headline. An outrage click is still a click, right?

I couldn’t agree more. Not only is it super important to mention that it’s infrared cameras, but I’m hating this day and age of driving, clicks and traffic through misinformation.

 

[t0rqx]

They need the data it would give them a worldwide mapping images of the world. Priceless for the future.

 

[SFjohn]

They need the data it would give them a worldwide mapping images of the world. Priceless for the future.

In infrared? Seriously? I must assume your comment was sarcasm. 🤷

 

[name99]

So if I understand correctly, if you don't have a Vision Pro, there will be no benefits?

What's actually being envisaged might be very different from what the above suggests.

Recall that Apple purchased Israeli company Q.ai two weeks ago for $1.6B.
Q.ai's thing is to "facial skin micromovements" and other bodily measurements to
- track subvocalization
- track emotion

Now what could you do with this?
- the obvious PC answer is that Airpods can become more useful (if they have the sensors to track these on the wearer). Specifically
+ the user can "talk" to NuSiri by subvocalizing, so less disruptive than saying out loud Hey Siri and letting the world hear your questioning
+ NuSiri can also act as something of an emotional life coach, reminding you one way or another that you are getting worked up and maybe you want to count to three, take a break, or otherwise disengage from a situation

- the obvious nonPC answer is that Airpods can do the same thing regarding other people, can hint to you if *they* are lying or getting worked up... Apple surely will not provide this functionality at first. BUT I can see a path to it happening. Specifically, neurodivergent people will ask why, of the technology exists, they can't have their Airpods explain to them the emotions meant by the behavior and facial expressions of the people they are talking to. And from that toehold...

OK, so that's the background - subvocalization and emotion tracking.
The question then is what sort of HW you need. My guess is it boils down to small IR cameras placed at odd angles, and the obvious hosts are Airpods first, Vision Pro and Vision Lite (the rumored Apple glasses) next.

 

[GUNSTAR1]

This won't happen.

 

[BeerboyUK]

All I want to do is listen to music…Cameras? Privacy ramifications, especially in the EU.

 

[wigby]

Apple's next-generation AirPods Pro will feature cameras to see around a user, according to the leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami."

In a new post on X, Kosutami said that the next AirPods Pro will be able to see around the wearer, presumably via cameras in each earbud. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the 2026 AirPods Pro will feature a "more significant" hardware upgrade in the form at least one tiny infrared camera. He previously said AirPods with infrared cameras could recognize hand gestures and provide an enhanced spatial audio experience with Apple's Vision Pro headset.

Kosutami added that the new AirPods Pro will be available at the same $249 price as the current model. This contrasts with previous rumors suggesting that the next AirPods Pro would be a secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model.

The Chinese leaker known as "Instant Digital" corroborated the rumors about new AirPods Pro featuring infrared cameras for gesture controls, with some additional details and clarifications. Rather than being a new generation, the 2026 AirPods Pro will apparently be a pricier, high-end variant of the AirPods Pro 3 introduced in 2025, suggesting that both models will ultimately be on sale alongside each other. It is worth noting that Apple offers two version of the AirPods 4 at $129 and $179 price points, so this is a highly plausible move.

The current AirPods lineup has offerings priced at $129, $179, $249, and $549. An additional product between the $249 AirPods Pro 3 and $549 AirPods Max seems possible, especially given the rise of higher end Bluetooth earbuds from the likes of Bang Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins, and Bose.

Regardless, back in September 2025, Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major changes to the AirPods' hardware. AirPods Pro 2 debuted at the iPhone 14 event in September 2022, and they were updated with a USB-C charging case and a few other tweaks in September 2023. Otherwise, Apple has waited about three years to update all of its AirPods models.

Whether they are a new, high-end version of the AirPods Pro 3 or full-fledged AirPods Pro 4, launch timing is currently unclear, but Apple typically announces new AirPods in the second half of the year. The original AirPods, AirPods Pro 2 and their subsequent USB-C revision, AirPods 4, and AirPods Pro 3 were all announced at Apple's annual iPhone event in September.

Article Link: AirPods Pro 4 Could Feature Cameras to 'See Around You'

This rumor also ties into Apple's Q.ai purchase for $2 billion this month. Maybe instead of the cameras looking outward, they are actually looking down at the user's lips and facial movements to better determine what is being said in noisy environments?

 

[msackey]

Please no. I don't want cameras on everything. We don't need cameras on everything.

I totally agree with you.

There is way too much surveillance going on. We have too much law enforcement and government surveilling. But this mentality is also now exhibited by citizens who themselves also feel the need to surveille. Ring cameras here and there, as if we really need to monitor what's going on. The thing that we are not monitoring enough -- and it doesn't require cameras -- are our own behaviours, looking closely at them to see when we need to respond and when we don't.

 

[msackey]

A dictator's dream. Every person is his/her spy as everyone around each individual an be instantly identified and their conversations heard.

Be careful what you ask for. The implementation may not be what you thought it would be.

Exactly.

We should learn to let go of wanting to know everything and feeling like everything is within our domain. What we lose by doing so much surveillance (of others) is we forget to monitor our own thoughts and habits, and our own reactions.

 

[timshundo]

Mark my word, bookmark this comment: the IR camera will detect you holding your hand up to cup your ear like your trying to hear what the person in front of you is saying, and that will activate on demand hearing aid listening mode on the airpod.

A very Nintendo innovation.

People that think they'll be literal cameras for recording whats happening on your left and right and calling it surveillance are cracking me up (that's a Meta feature in the future for sure though lol).

 

[tomusko]

Hard pass. Won’t be buying any headphones with cameras, ever.

Doesn't matter, everyone else will. There's no privacy left I’m afraid :/

 

[SFjohn]

Hard pass. Won’t be buying any headphones with cameras, ever.

They would be infrared & incapable of taking a picture. Of course if that bothers you on some fundamental level no one will force you to buy them.

 

[tomusko]

They would be infrared & incapable of taking a picture. Of course if that bothers you on some fundamental level no one will force you to buy them.

Maybe we won't be able to take pictures with it... 😂

Yeah hopefully it’s just a sensor and these reports of a camera are false

 

[trip1ex]

wake me up when it happens and if there is some great use case. Seems at best niche. Although possible it could see forward and not have to pull out iphone for a quick shot.

 

[fatTribble]

Mark my word, bookmark this comment: the IR camera will detect you holding your hand up to cup your ear like your trying to hear what the person in front of you is saying, and that will activate on demand hearing aid listening mode on the airpod.

I wonder if you tug on your ear if it will text a Goodnight message to Carol Burnett’s grandma 🤔

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I have a couple I can sell you if you want them so bad… 😉

i'm french

 

[goldmac2006]

Don’t let them become like the meta ai glasses by ray ban.

 

[SFjohn]

i'm french

Surely people who bought that AirPod Pros 3 will have some version 2 they can sell you. You obviously have the internet there… 😉