AirPods 5

Apple AirPods 5 Overview

Design and Audio

The AirPods 5 retains Apple's familiar open-ear design, with a lightweight stemmed form factor designed to sit comfortably in the ear without silicone tips. Each earbud weighs just 4.3 grams, while the charging case weighs 32.3 grams. Apple has also given the earbuds an IP57 rating for dust, sweat, and water resistance, making them better suited for workouts and everyday use.

On the audio side, the AirPods 5 features a redesigned acoustic architecture for richer and more detailed sound. The earbuds are powered by Apple's H2 headphone chip, which also enables several computational audio features. Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking provides a more immersive experience when watching supported movies, shows, and other content.

One of the biggest additions is Active Noise Cancellation in the open-ear design. Apple claims up to 1.5x better noise cancellation than the previous generation. Along with ANC, the AirPods 5 supports Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio, and Conversation Awareness. Adaptive Audio automatically blends ANC and Transparency depending on your surroundings, while Conversation Awareness lowers the media volume when you start speaking to someone nearby.

Features and Controls

The AirPods 5 uses a force sensor on the stem for physical controls. You can press once to play or pause music, answer a call, or mute and unmute during calls. Pressing twice skips forward, while pressing three times skips back. You can also press and hold to switch between listening modes. The Wireless Charging Case version additionally supports swipe gestures on the stem for volume adjustment.

The H2 chip also enables several smart features, including Siri interactions. With supported Siri features, you can nod your head to accept a call or shake your head to decline one. The earbuds also feature beamforming microphones, an inward-facing microphone, an optical in-ear sensor, and motion- and speech-detecting accelerometers.

Battery and Charging

The standard AirPods 5 offers up to four hours of listening time on a single charge with Active Noise Cancellation enabled, while the charging case extends the total battery life to up to 20 hours. A quick five-minute charge provides around one hour of listening time.

Apple also offers the AirPods 5 with a Wireless Charging Case. This version provides up to five hours of listening time with ANC enabled and up to 22 hours with the charging case. The case can be charged through USB-C, an Apple Watch charger, or a Qi-certified wireless charger. It also includes a built-in speaker to help locate the case through Find My.

Connectivity and Compatibility

The AirPods 5 uses Bluetooth 5.3 for wireless connectivity and is designed to work seamlessly with Apple devices. It supports iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro, with features varying depending on the connected device and software version.

While the AirPods 5 can also work as standard Bluetooth earbuds with non-Apple devices, some Apple-specific features may not be available outside the Apple ecosystem. Both versions use a USB-C charging case, with the Wireless Charging Case adding support for wireless charging and a built-in speaker for Find My.