The premium AirPods 5 are the best open-ear earbuds Apple has made

It’s almost a guarantee that the new version of a product will be, at best, the same price as the old one, and often (especially in the past couple years) more expensive. But that’s not what Apple did with the AirPods 5. The $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case are $30 cheaper than the AirPods 4 with ANC they replace. They have slightly better active noise cancellation, and they’re the first non-Pro AirPods with volume controls on the stem. Apple has never made wireless earbuds that offer as much for so little, and they make the base AirPods 5, which are $20 cheaper but don’t have wireless charging or volume controls, pointless.

The AirPods 5, like all non-Pro AirPods, use an open-ear design, meaning they don’t have silicone ear tips to form a seal in your ear canal. Last generation, Apple offered two versions of the AirPods: one with active noise cancellation and one without. This time around, there are still two models. But both models of the AirPods 5 include active noise cancellation. They both also have adaptive audio and transparency mode, plus live translation with an iPhone 15 Pro or later, and are IP57 rated (up from IP54 on the AirPods 4). The main differences between the $129 AirPods 5 and the $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case — aside from the wireless charging case and the annoyingly long name — are the volume controls, battery life, and 20 bucks.

That extra $20 is well worth it. The wireless charging case is nice (it isn’t MagSafe, but it does work with the magnetic Apple Watch charger). But the most important change is that they finally have swipe volume controls. That’s one thing that’s been missing from all non-Pro AirPods until now. Part of the convenience of wireless earbuds is that you can leave your phone in your pocket or bag, and omitting volume control on the earbuds themselves defeats the purpose. With the two models so close in price, I can’t understand why Apple even released the base AirPods 5.

Apple says that both models of the AirPods 5 have up to 50 percent better noise cancellation than the AirPods 4 with ANC, but the company doesn’t provide details about which frequencies are affected (we’ll have to wait for folks like SoundGuys to put them on their measurement rig). While the size and look of the AirPods remains the same, Apple redesigned the internal acoustic architecture, reworked the algorithm, and included denser mesh on the ports for slightly more passive attenuation (naturally reducing ambient noise), which helps achieve that ANC improvement. In my own subjective testing, I could hear minor benefits both with low-end airplane drones and when out at a busy restaurant picking up some burritos to go.

The AirPods 4 with ANC already delivered better noise-canceling than any other open-ear design I’ve heard (particularly clip earbuds), and the AirPods 5 do step that up. But don’t expect the kind of isolation you get from sealed earbuds like the AirPods Pro 3, which are often on sale for only $50 more.

Apple has always led the field with its transparency mode, but with the AirPods 5, there’s now barely any perceivable difference between transparency mode and not wearing the earbuds at all. With other earbuds, transparency mode generally boosts high-frequency ambient sounds a little, such as the sibilance of esses. Verge laptop reviewer Antonio Di Benedetto wore the new AirPods on a 5K run and found transparency mode to be preferable to ANC, as it gave great awareness without wind noise. It also never felt like the earbuds were in danger of falling out of his ears.

The redesigned internals also benefit the AirPods 5’s sound. There’s more bass response — something I felt the AirPods 4 were sorely lacking — and vocals have more clarity and aren’t as covered and muted as they were on the 4. Kim Deal’s singing on “Gigantic” by The Pixies is clean and easy to hear amidst the distorted guitars that wash over the chorus, and throughout Surfer Rosa, the separation of instruments and voices across the soundstage impressed me. The AirPods 5 sound better than other open-ear earbuds I’ve heard.

With iOS 27, Apple has added a 3-band EQ for those that want to tweak the sound. It’s not exclusive to these buds and will work with AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2 as well. The different bands don’t majorly change the sound profile, but it’s nice that Apple has finally included something for those who want to play around with it.

Call quality is also better than on the AirPods 4. While my voice sounded a bit compressed to those I talked to, they didn’t have any difficulty understanding me, and traffic sounds were imperceptible. The occasional conversation from someone passing by or strong breeze would sneak through the attenuation, but it was never too distracting.

The biggest disappointment with the AirPods 5 is their battery life. The buds are small, but only five hours with ANC on is below average and doesn’t even cover a cross-country flight. Battery life with the case has also decreased from 30 hours to 22. And for the base model AirPods 5, it’s even less — up to four hours on the earbuds, or up to 20 with the case. Putting the buds in their case for five minutes charges them up for another hour of listening.

If all you’re looking for is solid earbuds, there are lots of cheaper options that offer many of the same features. Earbuds like the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC and the Nothing Ear 3A are around $100 and have better noise canceling with sound quality that’s nearly as good. But neither of those have the same seamless integration with Apple products that the AirPods 5 do. And crucially, both of those are sealed earbuds, while the AirPods aren’t put into your ear canal at all, which some find more comfortable.

Apple’s open-ear earbuds design has never been my favorite. Silicone tips are more secure and provide superior active noise cancellation (although they come with their own fit challenges). But the AirPods 4 redesign, which felt more comfortable in my ears, started to sway me. Now with ANC at a cheaper price that includes volume control and a wireless charging case, the $149 AirPods 5 are great for someone who doesn’t like the feel of a sealed fit. I wouldn’t even bother with the less expensive AirPods 5.

Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge