Unreleased AirPods with camera shown in leaked macOS demo video

Apple’s rumored camera-equipped AirPods have received their clearest leak yet, with a short demo video hidden inside the latest macOS Tahoe 26.7 Release Candidate appearing to show how the earbuds could use Visual Intelligence.

As reported by MacRumors, the video was discovered inside Apple’s latest macOS release and shows a person wearing AirPods while looking at a book. In the demo, Siri appears to suggest that users will be able to save things they see in the real world simply by asking.

The video does not clearly show visible cameras on the AirPods themselves, with the earbuds appearing broadly similar to the current AirPods Pro design. However, the stems look slightly thicker, suggesting Apple may have made internal hardware changes to support the new Visual Intelligence features.

Image: MacRumors

The leak follows previous reporting from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who said Apple has been developing AirPods with cameras under the codename B790, with a possible launch as soon as this year.

References to B790 have also reportedly appeared in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 Release Candidate, including code linked to an image stream, further suggesting that Apple is testing AirPods capable of capturing visual information from the user’s surroundings.

The camera-equipped AirPods shown in the leaked demo are believed to be separate from another camera-based AirPods project, reportedly codenamed B798, which is not expected until 2027.

Apple has not announced any plans to launch AirPods with cameras, and software references do not always guarantee an upcoming product release. However, the appearance of a polished demo video inside macOS strongly suggests the feature is far beyond the early testing stage.

If the product is ready, Apple could unveil the new AirPods during its expected September iPhone event, where the company is also rumored to announce the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its first foldable iPhone.

Camera-equipped AirPods could become a key part of Apple’s broader Apple Intelligence strategy, allowing Siri and Visual Intelligence to better understand what a user is looking at without needing to hold up an iPhone.

Rather than acting like traditional cameras for taking photos or videos, the new hardware is expected to focus on contextual awareness, helping users identify objects, remember details, and interact with the world around them using voice commands.