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AirPods 5 were the quiet announcement at yesterday's event, tucked in between a folding iPhone and two new watches, but I have a feeling they'll end up being the thing most of my customers actually buy. The short version is that Active Noise Cancellation now comes on every model, and the starting price has gone down rather than up, which makes a pleasant change this year.
Two models
There are two versions. The standard AirPods 5 are £119 and include Active Noise Cancellation, while the AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case are £139 and give you the same earbuds plus a case that charges on a MagSafe or Qi pad and a new volume control that you swipe on the stem.
To put that in context, with AirPods 4 noise cancellation was only on the more expensive model, which was £179, and now it's on the £119 one. That really is the headline. Both are available to pre-order now and in stores on Friday 18 September.
What's new
The noise cancellation itself is better, with Apple saying AirPods 5 remove up to 50 per cent more noise than the AirPods 4 with ANC did. It's worth remembering that these are the open design without silicone tips, so they'll never seal out the world the way AirPods Pro do, but for a train, a café or an open-plan office it's a meaningful improvement over what came before.
You also get Adaptive Audio, Transparency and Conversation Awareness, so the earbuds switch between blocking noise and letting it through depending on what's around you, and they drop the volume when you start talking to someone. Not long ago those were AirPods Pro features, and now they're on the entry-level pair.
The volume swipe on the stem is only on the £139 model, and Apple says it's the first time this has been done on an open-ear design. It's a small thing, but it's one you'll use every single day, and I'll come back to it in a moment.
On battery, Apple quotes up to 5 hours of listening with noise cancellation on and up to 22 hours with the case for the wireless charging model, which is an hour more per charge than the AirPods 4 with ANC managed. And on the Siri side you can nod or shake your head to answer without speaking, Live Translation is built in if you have an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, and iOS 27 adds a Custom EQ so you can adjust the bass and treble yourself. Apple also says water, sweat and dust resistance has improved, although it hasn't given a new rating.
Which one to buy
The £139 model, and I don't think it's close. The wireless case and the volume swipe are easily worth £20 over the life of a pair of earbuds, and you'll be quietly annoyed every time you reach for a volume control that isn't there.
AirPods 5 or AirPods Pro 3?
AirPods Pro 3 are £219 and use silicone tips that seal inside your ear, so if you fly a lot, work somewhere loud, or find that the open design keeps falling out, the Pro is the right call. If you find tips uncomfortable, or you like being able to hear a bit of the room around you, then AirPods 5 are the better buy, and the nice thing is that you're no longer giving up noise cancellation to get them.
Should you upgrade?
If you're coming from AirPods 2 or 3, yes, without hesitation. Noise cancellation, Adaptive Audio, better battery and a better case make this a different product from the one you have. If you're on AirPods 4 with ANC, I'd say no, because better noise cancellation and a volume swipe aren't quite enough on their own. And if you're on AirPods 4 without ANC, it's a maybe, because if you've ever wished yours blocked more noise, this is now the cheapest way to get it.
Unsure which AirPods suit you, or struggling to get your current pair to connect properly? Book a session and I'll get it sorted.
