Open-ear ANC arrives at the entry price
Apple has announced AirPods 5, bringing active noise cancellation to its $129 earbuds. In its announcement (opens in a new tab), Apple says noise removal improves by up to 50 percent compared with AirPods 4 with ANC.
U.S. pricing is $129 for the standard model and $149 for the version supplied with a Wireless Charging Case. Apple opened pre-orders on September 9 in the U.S. plus over 65 other markets comprising countries and regions. Store availability is scheduled for September 18.
Apple attributes sound improvements to redesigned acoustics and an updated Adaptive EQ. It says Transparency mode reproduces nearby sounds and voices more naturally, Adaptive Audio adjusts the mix of Transparency and ANC to suit the surroundings, and Conversation Awareness turns media down when the wearer speaks.
What the wireless charging case adds
The $149 model is the one to pick if you want volume control on the earbuds themselves. It puts a force sensor with a volume swipe on the stem, which Apple says is a first for the open-ear design. The case charges on an Apple Watch charger, on a Qi pad, or over USB-C.
For the $149 version, Apple rates playback with ANC enabled at up to five hours per charge, an hour beyond its rating for AirPods 4 with ANC. Including case recharges raises the claimed total to 22 hours with ANC enabled. Apple also says AirPods 5 improve resistance to water, dust and sweat.
Apple's announcement scheduled Apple Intelligence availability with iOS 27 for September 14, subject to device and language support. It also scheduled the Siri AI beta for that date, initially in English, with additional language support planned for October.
Apple says Live Translation requires compatible devices, current operating system software, compatible AirPods running current firmware, and Apple Intelligence enabled. Users must first configure the Translate app and download their chosen languages. They can then activate translation by pressing the two stems together, asking Siri or using an iPhone's Action button. Language availability is limited.