Future Apple AirPods may outsmart Galaxy Buds with built-in AI cameras

Apple seems ready to push AirPods further into the AI era. The latest AirPods Pro 3 already borrowed the heart rate monitoring idea Samsung introduced years ago with the Gear IconX. Now, if recent leaks are accurate, Apple’s next move could be even bolder: cameras and AI inside AirPods.

A recent Bloomberg report claims Apple is developing three new wearables built around Siri. One is a pair of AirPods with built-in cameras and AI. The other two include smart glasses and an AI pendant that can be clipped to clothing or worn like a necklace.

All three devices are said to rely on visual context to perform actions, which means each would include cameras. In the case of AirPods, that likely means embedding them in the stems. It is unclear whether Apple would also retain heart rate monitoring, but if it does, Samsung may need to respond quickly.

Samsung experimented with differentiation through features like Blade Lights and planar drivers on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. However, recent reports confirm the upcoming Galaxy Buds 4 Pro will abandon Blade Lights altogether.

So far, Samsung has moved faster in AI. But Apple recently deepened its AI ties with Google, and much to Elon Musk's dissatisfaction, the next-generation Siri is expected to lean on Google’s systems for a major upgrade.

If Apple fully commits to AI-powered AirPods, cosmetic features like Blade Lights may not be enough to compete. And if the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro fail to innovate, Samsung’s next move after that may have to be far more ambitious, possibly even exploring AI-driven camera systems for contextual awareness of its own.

Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro next week at Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in San Francisco, alongside a more affordable Buds 4 model. Both are expected to support select Galaxy AI features, including Interpreter and Live Translate, but those capabilities run on connected Galaxy phones, not the earbuds themselves.