Apple's Two Camera-Equipped AirPods: B790 in 2026, B798 Flagship in 2027

B798: The Flagship AI AirPods for Late 2027

• Codename: B798. This is the model Apple has spent years developing as its first AI-first wearable .
• Launch window: Targeting late 2027, reportedly alongside the 20th anniversary iPhone and a second-generation foldable iPhone (iPhone Ultra 2) .
• Development status: It reached Design Validation Testing (DVT) — the stage just before mass production — by May 2026 . The schedule slipped from an original 2026 target partly due to Apple's delays in AI software development .
• Expected form: Likely a premium "AirPods Pro" variant (AirPods Pro 3) with cameras embedded in the stems . The cameras are expected to be infrared, similar to Face ID sensors .

How the Camera Systems Work (Both Models)

Despite their name, these are not cameras in the traditional sense. The fundamental purpose is identical across B790 and B798:

• No photo or video capture. The tiny cameras are not designed for taking pictures, recording video, or acting as "ear GoPros" . They do not function as standard cameras from the user's perspective.
• Computer vision sensors for Siri. Instead, the cameras act as real-time visual sensors that feed a live view of the wearer's surroundings into Apple's Visual Intelligence system .
• AI context, not storage. The system analyzes the visual stream on-device to give Siri environmental awareness — recognizing objects, text, landmarks, signs, etc. — without storing or recording any imagery .
• Example use cases. A user could look at a restaurant and ask Siri "What time does this place close?" or look at a landmark and ask "When was this building built?" — and Siri would answer based on what the cameras see . Someone looking at a collection of ingredients could ask for dinner recipe suggestions .

In short, these are AI-context cameras for ambient visual understanding, not capture devices. The B790 is the near-term entry point arriving potentially in weeks, while the B798 is the more ambitious flagship version arriving in 2027.