There has always been a trade-off inherent in open-ear headphones. They are wonderfully comfortable and unobtrusive, but without the physical seal created by silicone ear tips, genuinely effective noise cancellation is considerably harder to achieve. With the new AirPods 5, Apple has set out to narrow that gap.
Visually, little has changed. AirPods 5 retain the familiar open-ear form of their predecessors, but beneath the surface Apple has substantially reworked their acoustic capabilities. The result is a deceptively significant upgrade, with richer audio, more natural Transparency and, most notably, Active Noise Cancellation that is strikingly effective for an earbud that does not seal the ear.
For the first time, ANC is standard across both AirPods 5 models, rather than reserved for the pricier version. Apple says a new multiport acoustic architecture, ultra-low-noise microphones and revised computational audio enable them to cancel up to 1.5 times more noise than their predecessors.
Numbers aside, it works remarkably well. They cannot create quite the hermetic sense of isolation offered by silicone-tipped AirPods Pro, but that is rather the point. I have always preferred the less intrusive feel of traditional AirPods, and being able to substantially subdue the surrounding world without wedging an ear tip into the ear canal is enormously appealing.
The difference is most apparent with persistent background noise: traffic, the rumble of a train or the general cacophony of a busy café. Apple has reworked the system to react more quickly to changing sounds, and in practice it is remarkably adept at taking the edge off an intrusive environment without leaving you feeling entirely cut off from it.
Transparency mode has been refined too, allowing surrounding voices and sounds through with striking naturalness. Adaptive Audio moves automatically between noise cancellation and Transparency according to your environment, while Conversation Awareness lowers whatever you are listening to when you start talking to somebody and restores the volume afterwards. These are the sort of functions which can sound faintly gimmicky on paper but quickly become indispensable in daily life.
Audio quality has taken a noticeable step forward. The AirPods 5 use a new acoustic architecture derived from the AirPods Pro 3 alongside the latest generation of Adaptive EQ, which continuously adjusts what reaches each ear.
Music consequently feels fuller and more nuanced than one might expect from an open-ear pair. Bass has greater depth without becoming overbearing, vocals are beautifully clear and individual instruments are easier to distinguish in densely layered recordings. There is a greater sense of space, too, while Personalised Spatial Audio adds an extra degree of immersion to compatible music and film.
Crucially, Apple has not sacrificed the quality which has always made standard AirPods so pleasant to live with: you can put them in and almost forget you are wearing them. Fit is inevitably personal, especially without interchangeable tips, but the AirPods 5 retain the same basic shape as the AirPods 4, which I find extremely comfortable even over extended periods.
There are two versions. The £119 AirPods 5 include ANC and exactly the same core audio performance as their more expensive sibling, while £139 buys the AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case. For an extra £20, the latter is easily the one I would choose. In addition to wireless charging, it gains a force sensor that lets you alter the volume simply by swiping a finger up or down the stem.
It sounds like a tiny addition, but it addresses one of those longstanding irritations you only really notice once it disappears. Reaching for an iPhone simply to turn the volume down has always felt unnecessarily cumbersome; making the adjustment directly on the AirPod soon becomes second nature.
The £139 model also offers better battery life. Apple quotes up to five hours with ANC switched on, compared with four hours for the standard version, rising to 22 hours with the charging case. Battery endurance is, in fact, one of the few areas in which the AirPods 5 are merely adequate rather than outstanding. For commuting, exercise and everyday listening it is perfectly sufficient, but frequent long-haul travellers may find themselves returning them to the case more often than they would like.
At least recharging is painless. The case works with an Apple Watch charger, a Qi-compatible wireless charger or USB-C, making it gratifyingly difficult to find yourself without a means of topping it up.
AirPods have always made most sense within the wider Apple ecosystem, and that integration is even more pronounced here. Siri can be summoned hands-free, while simple head gestures allow you to nod or shake your head in response to certain prompts. Voice Isolation works to suppress background noise during calls; perhaps less glamorous than some of the headline additions, but considerably more valuable on a windy pavement.
Live Translation is more ambitious. Paired with a compatible Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, the AirPods can translate another language and play the result directly into your ears. Your response can then be transcribed on the iPhone or spoken aloud in the other language. For travellers, it is easy to envisage situations in which this could prove genuinely handy rather than simply technologically clever, although language and regional availability inevitably determine how much use you can currently make of it.
There are thoughtful touches elsewhere. An IP57 rating gives the AirPods 5 greater resistance to dust, sweat and water, while iOS 27 introduces a simple three-band Custom EQ for those who prefer to tweak bass, mid and high frequencies themselves.
Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, is the price. Consumer technology has a tiresome habit of becoming incrementally more expensive with every iteration, so there is something refreshing about Apple upgrading the specification while bringing ANC to a £119 pair of AirPods. At just £20 more, the wireless-charging version, with its longer battery life and volume controls, feels like particularly good value.
AirPods 5 do not attempt to reinvent a product which never needed reinvention. Instead, Apple has concentrated on the details that make a tangible difference: richer audio, far more capable noise cancellation, wonderfully natural Transparency and more intuitive everyday controls.
For devotees of Apple’s open-ear format, this is its most accomplished incarnation yet. There is no single feature that radically alters the experience; rather, a succession of thoughtful refinements makes the AirPods 5 appreciably better every time you put them in your ears.
Apple AirPods 5
Price: £119
AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case: £139
Colour: White
Key features: Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio, Transparency mode, Conversation Awareness, Personalised Spatial Audio, Live Translation, Siri AI and IP57 dust, sweat and water resistance
Battery life: Up to 4 hours with ANC (AirPods 5); up to 5 hours with ANC (Wireless Charging Case model)
Charging: USB-C; £139 model also supports Apple Watch and Qi wireless charging
Available from: Apple UK
