Apple said to start mass production of AirPods with IR camera in 2026: Everything we know so far

Apple is reportedly working on developing AirPods model with camera sensor and mass production of which would likely start by 2026. The news came to fore via post by KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo who has a fairely accurate history of predicting all the new moves by Apple.

As per Kuo, the new AirPods will come with an infrared camera sensor, which is used to power Face ID on iPhone and iPad. The idea behind this new feature is likely to integrate the AirPods with the Vision Pro and future Vision devices launched by the company.

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Moreover, Kuo states that infrared sensor on the AirPods will have the ability to detect environmental changes which means that they could potentitally be able to support Air Gestures.

Kuo suggests that Foxconn will start mass production of IR camera enabled AirPods in 2026 with a capacity plan of around 18-20 million units which translates of 10 million pairs of AirPods.

Apart from Kuo, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurnman had also stated earlier this year that Apple is working on fitting low resolution camera sensors into AirPods which could be used to capture and process user data by taking advantage of AI (read Apple Intelligence).

The project, which is reportedly codenamed B798, is likely to allow users to access the potential benefits of smart glasses without having to buy lenses and frames.

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In May this year, Kuo also reported that Apple is working on 20 inch foldable MacBook which will start mass production in 2026 and start shipping in 2027. The report was later also corroborated by Haitong Securities analyst Jeff Pu who also informed about a 7.9 inch foldable iPhone in the works.