While a release date still isn't clear, Apple's AI-enhanced AirPods Pro with cameras may be closer to release than recently rumored, but later than original rumors about the product expected.
The report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman on Thursday afternoon claims that there are prototypes with a near-final design working and being tested. They are said to be in the design validation (DVT) testing stage.
DVT is the second to last step before production, with the phase of testing generally lasting three to six months. The next stage is production validation test (PVT) units, where the devices are manufactured in larger quantities to test assembly procedures.
PVT for AirPods has historically lasted between two and four months. Full production for AirPods generally starts two months before release.
They are said to resemble the AirPods Pro 3, with cameras for Siri contextualization on each earbud, obviously.
The present rumor about the cameras is that they will not be able to capture pictures or video for the user to retain. The cameras are expected to be used solely to give information in response to Siri queries, like making a recipe from ingredients that the cameras see in the fridge.
While previously rumored, hand gesture controls are not expected to be supported by the cameras.
The first rumors of camera-equipped AirPods came in June 2024, when analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said they would be used to enhance Spatial Audio in the Apple Vision Pro. Then in June 2025, Apple filed for a patent regarding the use of cameras on AirPods.
In that patent, the company laid out plans for how cameras would be used as proximity sensors. In the filing an AirPods optical system can recognize proximity to an object, and "determine a type of matter" that is being observed. So the camera would equally easily spot when you're next to a wall, or when you wave your hand in a gesture.
