Apple targets late 2027 for camera AirPods and second foldable iPhone
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is on schedule to ship AirPods with built-in cameras by late 2027, alongside a second-generation foldable iPhone, both tied to the company's AI platform push.
Apple is targeting a late 2027 launch window for AirPods equipped with cameras, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The hardware, first mentioned in earlier reports, would integrate with Apple's AI features announced at WWDC and is currently on schedule for mass production. Gurman also confirmed Apple is working on a second-generation foldable iPhone for the same timeframe, following the company's first foldable device expected earlier.
The camera-equipped AirPods represent a new category for Apple's wearables lineup. While Gurman's report doesn't detail the camera specifications or exact AI use cases, the timing aligns with Apple Intelligence features rolling out across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. The company has been expanding its AI capabilities to process visual and contextual data, and wearable cameras could feed additional input streams for on-device machine learning.
What stands out
- 01Late 2027 ship date. Both the camera AirPods and the second foldable iPhone are slated for the same launch window, suggesting Apple is clustering its next wave of form-factor experiments around a single product cycle.
- 02On schedule for now. Gurman notes the AirPods project is currently tracking to its target date, a signal that internal development milestones are being met despite the technical complexity of embedding cameras in earbuds.
- 03Second foldable, not first. The 2027 foldable iPhone would be Apple's second attempt at the form factor, implying the company plans to ship an initial foldable device before then — likely in 2026 or early 2027.
- 04AI integration is the hook. The camera AirPods are positioned as an AI hardware play, not a standalone photography feature. Apple is betting that wearable sensors feeding its Intelligence platform will create new use cases beyond what smartphones alone can deliver.
