Apple has just announced AirPods 5, and the headline feature is one nobody saw coming at this price point: proper Active Noise Cancellation in an open-ear design that Apple claims beats every other earbud on the market, wired or not.
Pre-orders open today, with AirPods 5 hitting store shelves on Friday, September 18. There are two versions. The standard AirPods 5 comes in at $129, while AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case adds longer battery life and volume control on the stem for $149. Both are the cheapest way Apple has ever offered ANC in an AirPods lineup.
Noise Cancellation That Actually Competes With the Pros
The big claim here is that AirPods 5 cut up to 50% more external noise than AirPods 4 with ANC. That’s not a small bump. Apple is crediting a new multiport acoustic architecture and upgraded computational audio processing for the jump, and it’s worth noting this is coming to an open-ear design, not a sealed, in-canal fit like AirPods Pro.
Transparency mode has also been reworked to sound more natural, especially with voices and ambient sound. Adaptive Audio blends ANC and Transparency automatically based on your surroundings, and Conversation Awareness still drops your media volume the moment you start talking to someone nearby.
If you’ve been holding onto a pair of AirPods 3 waiting for ANC to trickle down without paying Pro prices, this is the update you’ve been waiting for.
Sound Quality Gets the AirPods Pro 3 Treatment
Apple says the new multiport acoustic architecture and next-gen Adaptive EQ were inspired directly by AirPods Pro 3, adapted for the open-ear form factor here. The result, according to Apple, is richer sound across a wider range of ear shapes, which also improves how well Personalized Spatial Audio tracks and immerses you in what you’re listening to.
Siri AI, Live Translation, and Hands-Free Everything
AirPods 5 lean heavily on Apple Intelligence and the new Siri AI rolling out in beta with iOS 27 on September 14. Paired with a supported iPhone, Siri AI can pull context from your messages, emails, and photos to answer more useful questions hands-free. Apple’s own example: asking Siri to play a song a friend mentioned in a text, or navigate to a dinner reservation buried in an email confirmation.
You can also respond to Siri with a head nod or shake instead of speaking, useful when you’re in a meeting or somewhere you’d rather not talk out loud.
Live Translation, which debuted with AirPods Pro, is now rolling out across the entire AirPods lineup, including AirPods 5. Set it up in the Translate app, download your languages, and you can trigger it by pressing both stems at once, asking Siri, or using the Action Button on iPhone.
What’s Different With the Wireless Charging Case Version
The $149 model adds a force sensor with volume swipe, letting you adjust volume by swiping up or down on the stem. It’s the first time this has come to AirPods’ open-ear design rather than the Pro line.
Battery life is also better across the board. With ANC on, AirPods 5 now last up to five hours per charge, an hour longer than AirPods 4 managed with ANC enabled. With the case topping things up, that stretches to 22 hours total. The wireless case itself charges from an Apple Watch charger, any Qi pad, or USB-C.
Built With More Recycled Material
Apple is putting numbers behind the sustainability push too: 40% recycled material overall, 70% recycled plastic in the wireless charging case, and 100% recycled cobalt in the battery. Manufacturing draws on 35% renewable energy across the supply chain, and packaging remains 100% fiber-based.
AirPods 5 Pricing and Availability
- AirPods 5: $129, pre-orders open now, in stores September 18
- AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case: $149, pre-orders open now, in stores September 18
- Available in the US and more than 65 other countries and regions
- Apple Intelligence arrives with iOS 27 on September 14
- Siri AI rolls out as a beta with iOS 27, English first, with French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish following in October
For the price, this is the most feature-packed pair of AirPods Apple has shipped at the entry level. If you’ve been putting off an upgrade because ANC felt locked behind Pro pricing, that excuse is gone.
