Apple has debuted the new AirPods 5 with improved active noise cancellation and sound quality—aiming to provide improved listening and user features at a lower launch price than the predecessor AirPods 4.
The newest AirPods will go on sale for $129 in stores starting on September 18, according to an Apple press release accompanying the company’s “Surprise and Shine” event. Customers can also purchase AirPods 5 with a wireless charging case that provides longer battery life and on-stem volume control for $149. Preorders are already open.
This is looking like a solid deal compared to the predecessor AirPods 4. The older AirPods debuted in 2024 with a starting price of $129, but users had to pay $179 for the version with active noise cancellation.
The new AirPods 5 come with active noise cancellation that supposedly removes up to 50 percent more noise in comparison with the AirPods 4—an improvement that Apple credits to a new multiport acoustic architecture and better computational audio algorithms.
Improved transparency mode for the AirPods 5 also allows users to more naturally hear nearby sounds in their immediate vicinity, like people’s voices.
The device’s adaptive audio automatically shifts between active noise cancellation and transparency mode depending on the background noise, said Dave Pakula, VP of hardware engineering for Apple, during the Apple presentation.
A conversation awareness feature also automatically lowers media volume playing through the AirPods when the user starts speaking.
Apple also described boosting the sound quality for AirPods 5 to accommodate “an even wider range of ear geometries,” which it claims will make the personalized spatial audio feel more immersive.
Customers who pay for the AirPods 5 with the wireless charging case will get access to a volume swipe feature that allows them to swipe up and down on the AirPods stem to change the sound level.
The baseline battery life for AirPods 5 enables up to five hours of playback with active noise cancellation activated on a single charge, which exceeds the older AirPods model by one hour. The combination of the charging case and AirPods 5 can extend listening time with ANC to up to 22 hours, and the charging case also supports Apple Watch chargers, Qi-compatible chargers, and USB-C.
Last but not least, the AirPods 5 launch benefits from the latest Apple Intelligence features for iPhone users. Pakula highlighted Siri AI features that play well with AirPods, such as live translation and the ability for AirPods users to respond to Siri by either nodding their head for yes or shaking their head for no.
