Apple just unveiled the AirPods 5, its newest wireless earbuds. The most-talked-about point is that these are the first open-fit AirPods (no rubber ear tips sealing the ear canal) to include active noise cancellation, at an accessible price.
Let's see how good it really is.
▶︎ New AirPods 5: Everything announced about the best Active Noise Cancellation in an open-ear design (video from Apple)
Better noise cancellation, even without an ear-canal seal
Normally, earbuds that cancel noise well have to be the "sealed in tight" type, because the tighter the seal, the more outside sound is blocked.
But the AirPods 5 pull this off with a loose fit that just rests on the ear — Apple says noise cancellation is up to 50% better than the previous AirPods 4 (which also had ANC).
Behind it is a completely redesigned speaker and microphone assembly, plus smarter audio-processing software. In simple terms, hardware + software work harder together to filter out noise without the earbuds having to seal the ear.
There's also a Transparency mode (a mode that lets ambient sound through, for when you need to hear your surroundings — crossing the street or talking to someone) that's been tuned to make voices sound more natural, plus a feature that automatically lowers the music when you start speaking, so you can talk to someone next to you without taking the earbuds out.
Better sound, with more of an "all around you" feel
Apple brought technology from the AirPods Pro 3 (the more premium model) to the AirPods 5, giving the sound more detail and a better fit to each person's ear shape.
The result is that Spatial Audio (surround-sound technology that makes it feel like sound is coming from all around you, not just left-right) sounds more realistic and immersive than before — good for people who watch movies or listen to music a lot.
A smarter Siri that genuinely works hands-free
What Apple is promoting hard is Siri AI — the new version of the Siri voice assistant, much smarter and more natural to talk to, entering beta alongside iOS 27.
What's different from the old Siri is that it remembers your "context," for example:
• Ask it to play a song a friend recommended in a chat, and it finds it without you naming the song
• Ask it to navigate to a restaurant you booked, and it pulls the details from your confirmation email itself
All of this works hands-free — you never have to pick up your phone and tap — and you can answer Siri silently by nodding (yes) or shaking your head (no).
A limitation to know: this Siri AI feature only works with iPhones that support Apple Intelligence — not every phone can use it — and it supports English only at first, with other languages like Japanese, Korean, or Spanish following later in October.
Live translation right through the earbuds
The Live Translation feature (translating a conversation live as you talk) now works with every AirPods model, not just the top-tier one.
It's simple to use: press the button on both earbud stems at once, or just tell Siri directly, and it translates the other person's speech into the language you've set. Great for traveling abroad.
Long battery, easy charging (wireless-case model only)
The AirPods 5 come in 2 versions:
• AirPods 5 (standard case) — $129 — best value, full ANC included
• AirPods 5 + wireless charging case — $149 — longer battery, plus a volume slider on the stem
The wireless-case model gets up to 5 hours of continuous listening with ANC on (1 hour more than the previous generation), and up to 22 hours combined with the case. The case charges via any standard wireless charger, or USB-C.
On the environment
Apple says the AirPods 5 use an average of 40% recycled material across the whole device, with 100% recycled cobalt in the battery and all-paper packaging that's recyclable at home — part of Apple's goal for every product to be carbon neutral by 2030.
Verdict: should you buy?
Strengths
• Clearly better noise cancellation, while still just as comfortable to wear
• The starting price is lower relative to what you get (ANC + better sound)
• Live Translation now works on every model — no need to buy the most expensive one
Things to consider before buying
• AI features like Siri AI require an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence — if your phone is too old, several of the headline features won't work
• The "50% better noise cancellation" figure is Apple's own test result versus the previous model, not an independent standard — listen for yourself before deciding, if you can
Overall, the AirPods 5 are Apple bringing premium-tier features down to the entry model, giving people who don't want to pay a lot for high-end ANC a clearly better-value option than before.
Pre-orders are open today, on sale September 18.
