Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

What to Expect From the Next AirPods Pro, Launching as Soon as This Year

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster


Apple is working on a new version of the AirPods Pro, which could come as soon as this year. The AirPods are expected to be a variant of the current AirPods Pro, which suggests they won't be called the AirPods Pro 4.

airpods-pro-3-glitter-blue.jpeg

Cameras

Multiple sources have said Apple is developing AirPods Pro that have tiny infrared cameras. The cameras won't be used to take photos or videos like an iPhone camera, but will instead provide the AirPods with information about what's around the wearer.

Cameras could potentially provide data to a connected iPhone, improving Visual Intelligence and Siri features that are set to come out in iOS 27.
Gestures

The infrared cameras could recognize hand gestures, allowing music and other features to be controlled with hand movements.

The AirPods Pro already support head gestures for doing things like declining or accepting phone calls, and the addition of hand gestures could expand this functionality.

Apple could even remove pressure sensitivity from the stem of the AirPods Pro, making gestures the main control method.
Vision Pro Integration

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the cameras integrated into the AirPods Pro will upgrade the spatial audio experience when used with the Apple Vision Pro headset.
Naming

There is some disagreement about where the AirPods Pro with cameras will fit in the AirPods lineup, and what they will be called.

The AirPods Pro 3 came out in September 2025, and the new model with cameras isn't expected to be labeled AirPods Pro 4. Apple could just upgrade the AirPods Pro 3 with cameras and keep the name, or call them something like AirPods Pro 3 with Cameras.

Apple released two versions of the AirPods 4, one that has ANC and one that doesn't. The ANC model is named AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, so there is precedent for a straightforward AirPods Pro name.

Apple could also call the AirPods Pro with cameras the "AirPods Ultra," and that's what some rumors suggest will happen.
H3 Chip

It's possible that Apple will include a new H3 chip with camera-equipped AirPods Pro. Apple is working on a new chip, but the current AirPods Pro 3 launched with the same H2 chip that was in the AirPods Pro 2.

The H3 chip is expected to bring lower latency and improved audio quality.
Pricing

Some rumors suggest the AirPods Pro with cameras will be more expensive than the existing model, while others say they will be the same price. If Apple is planning to sell them for $249, the AirPods Pro with cameras would replace the current model. If they're more expensive at ~$299, they could be sold alongside the AirPods Pro 3.
Launch Date

A new version of the AirPods Pro with cameras could come out as soon as 2026, and if that launch timing is accurate, we'll likely see them introduced alongside new iPhone models in September.

Article Link: What to Expect From the Next AirPods Pro, Launching as Soon as This Year
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/04/22/airpods-pro-cameras-2026/
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: sydneysider88, uacd and Z-4195
Same thing over and over, damn EarPods are more than enough (I do own AirPods Pro btw and use way more EarPods)
 
Well as somebody who had a perfectly good set of the AirPods Pro 2 with Lighting, who upgraded to the USB-C variant precisely because of the ability to have lossless sound when used with a Vision Pro, and then upgraded again to the AirPods Pro 3, if this new variant adds useful features like making Visual Intelligence better, or eliminates / augments head gestures and the need to tap on them for control, plus makes the Vision Pro integration better, I’d probably be interested.

I’ve already got a set of regular old fashioned USB-C earbuds as a backup in addition to my OG AirPods Pro, the AirPods Pro 2 with lighting and now the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, so if these are around $249, I’ll probably pickup a pair and say goodbye to the OG AirPods Pro. I’ve more than gotten my money’s worth out of them at this point.
 
I still miss my AirPods Pro 2 and regret trading them for the AirPods Pro 3. For my use, I don't see much difference and I miss the solid case that they used to have. The 2s also fit better. I wish I could go back and undo that mistake.
 
  • Like
Reactions: whap and rbbloom99
Macaholic868 said:
Well as somebody who had a perfectly good set of the AirPods Pro 2 with Lighting, who upgraded to the USB-C variant precisely because of the ability to have lossless sound when used with a Vision Pro, and then upgraded again to the AirPods Pro 3, if this new variant adds useful features like making Visual Intelligence better, or eliminates / augments head gestures and the need to tap on them for control, plus makes the Vision Pro integration better, I’d probably be interested.

I’ve already got a set of regular old fashioned USB-C earbuds as a backup in addition to my OG AirPods Pro, the AirPods Pro 2 with lighting and now the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, so if these are around $249, I’ll probably pickup a pair and say goodbye to the OG AirPods Pro. I’ve more than gotten my money’s worth out of them at this point.
Click to expand...
And here I am rocking my AirPods Pro 2 with USB C that I bought to replace my AirPods series one. I’m riding these out until they just die completely.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ndouglas and rbbloom99
I bought the AirPods Pro 3 when they first came out because I was excited to hear they had live translate ability. Lol ha ha ha shame on me for believing that.
 
Last edited:
Well, I guess now I have a decision to make. Just today I left my Jabra earbuds on the top of my car and drove off. They were smashed to bits by the time I found them. And since Jabra has exited the consumer earbud market, I turned my eye to the AirPod Pro 3. But I may have to wait to see if this rumor pans out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rbbloom99
Unfortunately the APP3s are so uncomfortable for me that I had to return them. I'm currently on a pair of APP2s that I'll try to keep going as long as possible, and until Apple releases APPs that are as comfortable as the APP2s, I'm done.
 
  • Like
Reactions: whap
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back