Apple AirPods 5 Leaked, Launch Imminent
Published: 2026-08-24 13:45
Views: 1,337
In the code of the macOS 26.7 RC released last week, two new headphone models were discovered, with codenames B868M and B868E.These two headphones are believed to be the standard and noise-cancelling versions of the AirPods 5, as the current AirPods 4 models carry the corresponding codes B768M and B768E.While the specific features of the AirPods 5 remain unclear, they are likely to feature an upgraded H3 chip, which would enhance audio quality and reduce latency.Additionally, macOS 26.7 also revealed two other Apple headphone models with codenames B790 and B798. Based on a leaked demo video, at least one of these is an AirPods model equipped with a camera.The video fully demonstrates the real-world performance of visual intelligence on these camera-equipped AirPods. In the footage, a man wearing the new AirPods directly invokes Siri to use only the camera for AI recognition of a book cover in front of him, without any assistance from an iPhone or other devices.
The camera on these AirPods is embedded in the stem, with each earbud featuring a 1-megapixel camera sensor. When the AirPods send visual data to the cloud, an indicator light alerts those nearby that the camera is in use.With visual intelligence on the backend, the system gains a clearer understanding of the user's location and surroundings, enabling it to answer questions about anything the wearer is looking at, as well as provide more precise navigation, contextual alerts, and 3D mapping features.Since the AirPods transmit data to Siri, these features require an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence. Pairing will require an iPhone 15 Pro or later model.
As for the release date, it is expected to be no earlier than 2027.
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