For years, the AirPods Pro have been the obvious choice if you wanted serious noise cancellation. The regular AirPods, on the other hand, were the simpler, more comfortable option for people who didn’t want silicone tips sitting inside their ears.
This year, with the AirPods 5, Apple blurs that distinction considerably. Starting at Rs. 14,900 in India, the new AirPods bring Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) to the company’s most affordable AirPods with an open-fit design, along with the H2 chip, Adaptive Audio, Personalised Spatial Audio, improved water resistance and a host of features that were previously seen only on the Pro model.
There is also a second version with a Wireless Charging Case priced at Rs. 17,900, which adds wireless charging, Find My support through a built-in speaker, volume controls on the stems and slightly longer battery life. I’m reviewing the latter.
That pricing makes the AirPods 5 particularly interesting. They aren’t cheap by open-ear earbud standards, but they sit well below the AirPods Pro 3, which is available in India for Rs. 27,900.
More importantly, Apple is asking buyers to decide how much of the Pro experience they actually need. The AirPods 5 don’t seal the ear canal, so they remain more comfortable and less intrusive than traditional in-ear earbuds for many people. Yet, despite that open design, the ANC is surprisingly capable. That is really the story of the AirPods 5. On paper, they look like another refinement of the familiar AirPods formula, but in reality Apple has managed to squeeze considerably more out of an earbud design with obvious acoustic limitations.
After spending some time with the earbuds, the bigger question isn’t whether they can compete with the AirPods Pro. The answer is clear: they can’t match the Pro’s isolation or feature set. The question is whether you still need to spend considerably more to get a great everyday pair of Apple earbuds. And that’s where the AirPods 5 become a much more capable package.
AirPods 5 earbuds and charging case placed side by side
AirPods 5 Design and Features: Familiar AirPods Design, Now With a Few Pro-Like Tricks
- Buds – Height x Width x Depth – 30.2 x 18.3 x 18.1mm
- Weight – 4.3 grams
- Charging case – Height x Width x Depth – 46.2 x 50.1 x 21.2 mm
- Weight (AirPods 5): 32.3 g (1.14 oz.)
- Weight (AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case): 34.7 g (1.22 oz.)
Apple hasn’t reinvented the AirPods with the fifth generation, and that’s probably deliberate. The AirPods 5 look familiar, with the short stems and rounded earpieces that have become synonymous with standard AirPods. They still lack silicone ear tips, which makes them fundamentally different from the AirPods Pro. They sit in the outer ear rather than creating a seal inside the ear canal. That distinction matters more than it might appear on paper. I have always found open-fit earbuds easier to wear for long periods because they don’t create the plugged-up sensation some in-ear models do. These earbuds follow that formula nicely.
At just 4.3 grams (per earbud), and with the absence of silicone tips, there is very little pressure inside the ear. For long listening sessions, podcasts and calls, this is still one of the most comfortable true wireless audio devices.
AirPods 5 with the charging case in hand
The catch, however, as with previous open-fit AirPods, is that your ears get the final say. A good fit makes the AirPods 5 feel almost weightless, while a poor fit can affect bass response, noise cancellation and stability. This isn’t something Apple can solve with software, and it is worth keeping in mind if you have struggled with the fit of regular AirPods before. The best option is to try them before buying so you don’t regret it later.
The charging case remains wonderfully compact and slips easily into a jeans pocket. Apple offers two versions of the AirPods 5: the standard model is slightly cheaper, and the one with Wireless Charging Case costs slightly more in India. Both have ANC and the same earbuds, so the more expensive version doesn’t sound better. Instead, the Wireless Charging Case model adds wireless charging, a speaker for Find My, on-stem volume controls, and slightly longer battery life.
On durability, Apple upgraded the AirPods 5 to an IP57 rating for dust, sweat, and water resistance, up from IP54 on the AirPods 4.
AirPods 5 take mere seconds to connect to a compatible iPhone
Under the hood, the leap to the H2 chip brings the standard AirPods nearly on par with the Pro on the software side. You get the full computational audio suite, including Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and Spatial Audio with head tracking alongside the much-hyped Live Translation feature (assuming you’re connected to a newer iPhone).
But the feature I kept returning to was ANC. Open-fit earbuds aren’t supposed to block the outside world well because they don’t seal the ear canal. However, Apple has nevertheless managed to make the AirPods 5 surprisingly effective at reducing background noise. It isn’t AirPods Pro-level isolation, but the gap is considerably smaller than I expected.
AirPods 5 charging case with the earbuds docked inside. It shows a Green LED indicator if there’s enough battery, Orange when the battery is low and White when in pairing mode
AirPods 5 Specifications and Controls: H2 Chip Powers the AirPods 5 Experience
- Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
- IP57 Dust-, sweat-, and water-resistant
- Gesture control support
The AirPods 5 get the H2 headphone chip and a custom high-excursion driver paired with a high-dynamic-range amplifier. They support Adaptive EQ, ANC, Transparency, Adaptive Audio, and Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. For connectivity, the earbuds come with Bluetooth 5.3, which I wish were a slightly newer version, given it’s 2026.
As you’d expect, the experience is most complete when paired with an iPhone or another Apple device. Pairing is almost instantaneous, and the ability to move between an iPhone, iPad and Mac without manually reconnecting remains one of the small conveniences that makes AirPods difficult to leave once you’re invested in Apple’s ecosystem. On non-Apple devices, the AirPods 5 work as Bluetooth earphones, but several of the software-driven features are limited. There is no separate AirPods app to reproduce the full iOS experience on Android.
AirPods 5 earbuds placed alongside each other
The gesture controls use force sensors on the stems. You can press once to play or pause media, answer a call or mute or unmute. You can also use it as a camera remote by pressing once. Press twice to end a call or skip forward. Press three times to skip back, and press and hold to switch between listening modes.
The Wireless Charging Case model gets an additional trick I particularly like: volume control directly from the stem. You can swipe up or down to increase or decrease the volume, which means fewer trips to the phone.
AirPods 4 (on the left) and AirPods 5 (on the right)
The AirPods 5 also support hands-free Siri. Once enabled, you can say “Hey Siri” to do things like play a song, make a call or get directions. With Siri Interactions enabled, nod yes or gently shake no when Siri asks if you want to answer an incoming call, hear a text message, manage notifications, and more. Live Translation is another notable addition, although its usefulness depends heavily on the compatible iPhone, software, and supported languages. The feature is currently in beta, as shown in the feature listing on the iPhone, and supports languages including Mandarin, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Both versions charge via USB Type-C. The Wireless Charging Case can also charge via a Qi-certified charger or Apple Watch charger, and its built-in speaker makes it easier to locate through Apple’s Find My network.
AirPods 5 settings and controls shown on the iPhone
AirPods 5 Performance and Battery Life: Clean Sound, Balanced and Surprisingly Detailed
- H2 headphone chip
- AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case – Up to 5 hours of battery life on a single charge with ANC
- Up to 7 hours of battery life on a single charge with ANC off
- Battery life with charging case – Up to 22 hours of battery life with ANC
- 5 minutes in the case provides around 1 hour of battery life (claimed)
The open-fit earbud design comes with its share of compromises, but Apple has somehow used it to its advantage. The fit can make a noticeable difference because there is no silicone seal; the amount of bass you hear depends partly on how the earbuds sit in your ears. With a good fit, bass has enough weight and definition. If the earbuds sit loosely, the low end can sound thinner.
Spatial Audio remains a nice addition, and with dynamic head tracking enabled, supported tracks and films can feel more immersive. I still wouldn’t use it for every song, but for movies and Dolby Atmos content it can add a convincing sense of scale.
Then there is ANC, which is arguably the AirPods 5’s biggest headline feature. Apple’s claim of up to 50 percent more noise reduction than AirPods 4 with ANC sounds ambitious, but the real-world results are genuinely impressive. Constant sounds such as air-conditioning, engine rumble and traffic are reduced substantially. These can make a busy environment noticeably calmer without completely disconnecting you. However, physics still matters, and the AirPods 5 cannot isolate voices and high-frequency sounds as effectively as sealed earbuds because outside sound can physically enter around the earpiece. The AirPods Pro remain better if maximum isolation is your priority. But for an open-fit design, the ANC performance is remarkably good.
Apple claims up to 22 hours of battery life with ANC enabled on the Wireless Charging Case model
Transparency mode is arguably even more impressive because the earbuds don’t seal the ear canal; outside sound already reaches your ears naturally, and Apple’s processing makes the effect feel very natural. Calls on the AirPods 5 don’t have the artificial, microphone-amplified quality that some transparency modes produce.
Putting them through my usual testing playlist, starting with Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy”, the sub-bass drop at the 30-second mark hit with surprising authority. Open-ear designs usually leak low-end completely, but here, the kick has real thump and stays cleanly separated from her whispery close-mic vocals without any mid-bass bloat.
The overall sound experience on the AirPods 5 is far better than the AirPods 4
During the iconic bass break in Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain,” the soundstage felt surprisingly expansive for non-sealed buds—Mick Fleetwood’s kick drum sat firmly in the centre. At the same time, the cymbals decayed naturally to the sides without getting shrill. Moving to Amit Trivedi’s “Nayan Tarse” (Dev.D), the drivers kept pace with the synth-rock wall of sound, dodging the harsh sibilance on sharp vocal consonants that plagues cheaper TWS competitors.
Overall, the AirPods 5 handle music and presentation cleanly, with a balanced and surprisingly composed sound. Vocals have good clarity; instruments don’t blur into one another. These aren’t designed to impress with exaggerated bass. Instead, they favour a relatively natural presentation that works across a wide range of music.
Call quality is equally dependable, and the combination of beamforming microphones and Apple’s voice-processing tech keeps speech clear; the open design also means you don’t need to take the earbuds out to talk to someone beside you.
Battery life, unfortunately, is where the AirPods 5 lose some momentum. Apple rates the standard model for up to 4 hours with ANC enabled and up to 6 hours with ANC turned off. The Wireless Charging Case version increases this to 5 and 7 hours, respectively. The case provides up to 20 hours of ANC listening on the standard model and up to 22 hours on the Wireless Charging version. Those numbers look great on paper, but they’re noticeably behind some rivals. In real-world use, the AirPods last roughly 3.5 hours of continuous music with ANC on, which brings it very close to the claimed figure.
The Wireless Charging Case model makes more sense if you spend long periods listening to music or podcasts, especially since 5 minutes in the case gives you around an hour of extra listening.
For that reason, the extra Rs. 3,000 for the Wireless Charging Case model feels justified, even though the audio itself doesn’t improve.
Close-up of the AirPods 5 charging case and its USB-C charging port
AirPods 5 Verdict
Apple hasn’t changed the basic AirPods formula, but it has refined almost every part of it enough to make the fifth generation feel like a meaningful upgrade.
Of course, the star of the overall package is ANC. Getting this level of noise cancellation from an open-fit earbud is impressive, and it changes the way I think about the standard AirPods. You no longer have to choose between the comfort and awareness of an open design and the noise reduction of an in-ear model. There is still a gap between these and the AirPods Pro, but it is shrinking.
As for sound quality, it is very good, with a clean, balanced output that suits everything from podcasts and YouTube to music and movies. Transparency mode is excellent, and the lightweight design remains one of the biggest reasons to choose these over sealed earbuds.
There are compromises: the fit will never be universal, battery life is average, and Bluetooth 5.3 feels dated on a 2026 audio product. The standard and Wireless Charging Case versions are so similar that it is hard to see why Apple doesn’t include the better case as standard. For Rs. 14,900, the standard AirPods 5 are now Apple’s most accessible route into ANC. But if you’re already spending this much, I’d lean towards the Rs. 17,900 Wireless Charging Case model. The extra battery, wireless charging and stem-based volume control make it the more complete package.
