According to Kosutami, a well-known whistleblower and prototype collector, Apple’s next-generation AirPods Pro is expected to be equipped with a camera to achieve “visual perception” of the user’s surrounding environment. It said the new AirPods Pro are expected to have cameras built into each earphone, allowing the earphones to "see" the environment around the wearer.
Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also previously revealed that Apple plans to add a "more significant" hardware upgrade to the new AirPods Pro launched in 2026, namely at least one miniature infrared camera. He has said that AirPods equipped with infrared cameras can not only recognize gestures, but also bring a better spatial audio experience when used with head-mounted devices such as Apple Vision Pro.
Kosutami also said that the pricing of this new AirPods Pro will remain at $249, consistent with the current model on sale. This statement is inconsistent with some previous rumors - earlier news pointed out that Apple will launch a new product this year as a "high-end version" of AirPods Pro 3, which will be sold on the same stage as the existing model, rather than a direct update.
The whistleblower "Instant Digital" from China has also supplemented and confirmed the rumors of the new AirPods Pro equipped with an infrared camera, focusing on its application in gesture control and giving some further details. According to it, the AirPods Pro planned to be launched in 2026 is not a "new generation" in the full sense, but a higher-priced high-end version of the AirPods Pro 3 released in 2025, which means that the two products may eventually be sold at the same time for a long time. This strategy is similar to the current product layout of AirPods 4 - Apple currently offers two models of AirPods 4, priced at US$129 and US$179 respectively, covering more user groups at different price points.
The current AirPods product line is covered in multiple price segments, namely $129, $179, $249 and $549. Between the $249 AirPods Pro 3 and the $549 AirPods Max, there is some price space left, providing room for the introduction of a new AirPods Pro with a higher-end positioning and a higher price. Against the background that manufacturers such as Bang & Olufsen, Bowers & Wilkins, and Bose continue to launch high-end Bluetooth headsets, it is considered reasonable for Apple to strengthen its high-end market layout by adding high-priced products.
It is worth noting that as early as September 2025, Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple planned to launch a successor to AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. The pace is slightly anomalous, as Apple typically releases major AirPods hardware updates in about a three-year cycle. AirPods Pro 2 was released with iPhone 14 in September 2022, and then updated the USB‑C charging box with minor changes in September 2023. The rest of the AirPods product line also basically follows a major upgrade cycle of about three years.
As for whether this new product will be officially named the high-end version of AirPods Pro 3 or the "orthodox" AirPods Pro 4, there is still no conclusion. The launch time is also unclear, but judging from historical patterns, Apple tends to release new AirPods in the second half of the year. Many products, including the original AirPods, AirPods Pro 2 and its USB‑C version, AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3, were unveiled at Apple’s autumn iPhone launch in September every year. Therefore, the industry generally expects that the new high-end AirPods Pro may also choose a similar time window to debut.