Electronics & Computing Audio & Headphones Wireless Earbuds Apple AirPods 5

Apple AirPods 5

Published date: 25/Sept/2026

Apple AirPods 5

Colour

Currently unavailable

Key Features

Battery Life
4 hours
20 hours total
Noise Cancelling
Adaptive ANC
Resistance
IP57
Bluetooth
5.3
Weight
4.3 g each
Earbud Type
In-ear

What Customers Say

Early reviewers are impressed by how much the noise cancelling has improved for an open, tipless design, and describe the transparency mode as excellent. The sound is generally described as richer, with more bass than before, calls come through clearly, and the move to IP57 was welcomed. Most also found the fit comfortable, provided it suits the shape of their ears.

The recurring complaints are short battery life on this version, a fit that depends on the shape of your ear, and noise cancelling that still falls short of sealed earbuds.

Reviewers agree the earbuds are a strong everyday choice for iPhone owners, and several would pick the version with the Wireless Charging Case instead for its longer battery life and swipe volume control.

Who Should Buy This

  • iPhone owners who want Siri, Live Translation and spatial audio,
  • Listeners who dislike silicone ear tips and want an open fit,
  • Commuters who want noise cancelling in a small, light pair,
  • Callers who want voice isolation to cut background noise.

Who Should Skip It

  • Frequent flyers who need a sealed fit to block engine rumble,
  • Long-listening buyers who need more than a few hours per charge,
  • Anyone who wants volume swipes or a case that charges wirelessly,
  • Android owners, since many features rely on an Apple device.

What Experts Says

Overall Assessment and Positioning

The Apple AirPods 5 are Apple's everyday earbuds, bringing active noise cancellation, a transparency mode and Live Translation to the open, tipless AirPods shape. This is the version with the standard USB-C case; the AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case is a separate model with swipe volume, a Find My speaker in the case and a longer charge. Both compete with mid-range noise-cancelling earbuds from the other major brands on comfort and iPhone integration.

Key Strengths and Standout Features

At 4.3 g per earbud with no ear tips to change, they are light and easy to wear, and the IP57 rating copes with dust, sweat and rain. Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness and a transparency mode let the earbuds balance quiet and awareness, while Voice Isolation and a speech-detecting accelerometer help calls. Apple quotes up to 4 hours of listening with noise cancelling on and 20 hours with the case, so the 5-minute top-up that gives about 1 hour will get regular use. Personalised spatial audio with head tracking, Live Translation and Siri complete a strong Apple feature set.

Value Proposition and Who It's Best Suited For

These suit iPhone owners who want noise cancelling without silicone ear tips and do most of their listening in shorter sessions. Anyone who wants volume swipes, wireless charging or longer battery life should look at the Wireless Charging Case version, and frequent flyers who need a sealed fit should consider sealed in-ear alternatives.

Similar Reviews

Video Reviews

ChoiceWise Scores: 77 Out Of 100

Sound Quality
pending
Noise Cancelling
90
Battery Life
53
Call Quality
98
Comfort & Fit
85
Features & Connectivity
61

The ChoiceWise Score is calculated using a defined methodology based on the features and factors that matter most in this category. Read our full scoring methodology: choicewise.app/methodology#score

Earbud typeIn-ear
Active noise cancellationAdaptive ANC
IP rating (earbuds)IP57
Spatial audioYes (head tracking)
Transparency modeYes
Call noise reductionYes
Voice pickup sensorYes
Battery life (earbuds)4 hours
Battery life (earbuds, ANC on)4 hours
With charging case20 hours total
With charging case (ANC on)20 hours total
Quick charge1 hour from 5 minutes
Case chargingUSB-C
Earbud weight4.3 g each
Charging case weight32.3 g
Ear tips suppliedNone
ControlsPress
Bluetooth version5.3
Voice assistantSiri
Wear detectionYes
Other featuresConversation Awareness Adaptive EQ Live Translation
ColourWhite
ReleasedSeptember 2026
Box contentsAirPods 5 Charging Case (USB-C) Documentation

Frequently Asked Questions

Apple quotes up to 4 hours of listening per charge with noise cancelling on, and 20 hours in total with the charging case.

5 minutes in the case gives about 1 hour of listening, and the case charges over USB-C.

Yes, they have active noise cancellation with Adaptive Audio, plus a transparency mode and Conversation Awareness. There are no silicone ear tips, so the fit is open rather than sealed.

The earbuds are rated IP57 for dust, sweat and water resistance.

Volume control on the earbuds is listed as not supported on this version. Swipe volume control comes with the AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case.

The Wireless Charging Case version adds a case that charges on Qi and Apple Watch chargers with a speaker for Find My, swipe volume control on the earbuds and longer battery life per charge. The earbuds' noise control features and weight are the same.

They use Voice Isolation to reduce background noise on calls, along with dual beam-forming microphones and a speech-detecting accelerometer.

They work as Bluetooth earbuds with non-Apple devices, but Apple says functionality may be limited.

ChoiceWise does not perform hands-on product testing for this page. The expert opinion and recommendations are based on third-party reviews and sources, which we analyze and summarize using our editorial process.