AirPods 5 are here: the features raised my eyebrow, the price got me hooked

It was only a year ago when Apple launched the AirPods 4, so I wasn’t really expecting an annual refresh for the non-Pro earbuds. But, here we are — they are real, and they add… some upgrades?

Honestly, the additions are “nice to have”, but what really caught my attention was the new pricing. There’s no more “with ANC” and “withought ANC” variants. The AirPods 5 have a fully improved ANC, full stop. And cost as much as the AirPods 4 without ANC — $129.

So, you are getting a better experience for the price of the “basic AirPod” price. Nice. But, of course, Apple also managed to squeeze in a slightly more expensive model with wireless charging and stem controls. Let’s explore.

Design - all the same, but that’s not a bad thing

There’s a specific subset of users out there that just don’t jive well with in-ear buds with silicone tips. Thankfully, a few companies out there still launch earbuds that don’t need to jam right inside your ear. Apple’s AirPods (non-Pro) are among those.

And it’s not just a stab at making a “cheaper product”. Since the AirPods 4 last year, they’ve been redesigned to have the shorter stem and compact look just like the AirPods Pro 3. Sure, OK, you may have to squint a little.

Nothing much has changed externally with the AirPods 5. They kind of look the same. Though, Apple claims a completely redesigned, multi-port acoustic architecture on the inside. Of course, the improvements there can only be confirmed once we get to listen to them.

The stems still support pinching for play/pause, but there’s also a Pro feature here. If you pay $20 extra for the AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging, you will have a touch pad on your earbud stems, where you can swipe to control volume. A feature taken from the AirPods Pro 3.



Improved water- and dust-resistance is also here. Now rated IP57, which means dust-protected (but not exactly dust-tight), and protected against quick immersions in water. The AirPods 4 were IP54-rated, which means dust-protected, and only proofed against splashes of water.

New sound features

Aside from the improved acoustics claim, Apple also promised an improved adaptive EQ. This feature scans the unique shape of your ear to supposedly deliver a sound with frequencies fine-tuned for you.

Active Noise Cancellation has been improved to reduce external noise by an additional 50%, according to Apple. Independent measurements of the AirPods 4 showed that they can lower noise across all frequencies by about 10-15 dB. So, presumably, the AirPods 5 can turn it down further, to about minus 15 to minus 20 dB.

Doesn’t sound too impressive, but such is the challenge with open buds design. Again, it’s more important to test it in real life and see how it works.

Talk to the new Siri hands-free

It comes as no surprise that you can call up Siri directly by speaking while wearing the AirPods 5. That’s not a new feature, but since Siri AI has been completely revamped and relaunched with fresh new features, Apple made it a point to show it off.

Yes, the Smarter Siri that we’ve been waiting for is finally… almost a reality with the upcoming iOS 27. It will be able to pull contextual information from all your apps, messages, and emails, and answer requests quickly and accurately. It will also be able to take actions within apps for you.

What this means for AirPods 5 users is you can simply ask “Where did mom want to meet for lunch?”. Presumably, if you made plans through text messages, Siri will be able to pull the relevant data and answer you via voice in your earbuds. Then even proceed with “Navigate to that location”, and Siri should start a navigation with turn-by-turn instructions within your Maps app.

That is, of course one example. The Apple Watch was also shown off to be able to perform “Ambient Listening” — transcribe and summarize important information from conversations throughout your day. I am guessing that Siri will be able to pull info from those as well.

Yeah “Ambient Listening” is probably a topic we’ll need to discuss and be concerned about a bit later.

Battery life

The two variants of the AirPods 5 also come with slightly different batteries. The vanilla AirPods 5 will last you about 4 hours on a single charge, and 20 hours in total with the charging case, as per Apple’s specs.

The AirPods 5 with wireless charging case will last 5 hours on one charge, up to 22 hours together with the case.

Price

Now for the good part. The new AirPods 5 cost $129 — as much as the vanilla AirPods 4 were prices, without ANC. These new ones have the improved ANC, no upgrade needed.

The AirPods 5 with wireless charging, stem volume control, and slightly longer battery life only cost $20 extra, so $149. That’s still considerably less than the “improved” AirPods 4 with wireless charging from last year. All around, big win for Apple’s “cheap” earbuds model.

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