AirPods 5 Hands-On: Better Noise Cancellation, Lower Price

The useful part

After Apple introduced the AirPods 5 last week, we got a set to take home and review. We've been testing the AirPods 5 for the last week and have some initial thoughts. The ‌AirPods 5‌ have the same overall design and fit as the AirPods 4, so they're just as comfortable as the prior-generation model.

How it works

• The ‌AirPods 5‌ don't have silicone ear tips so you might not expect ANC to work as well as earbuds with a tighter fit, but there is a noticeable improvement over the ANC version of the AirPods 4.
• Active Noise Cancellation has been improved through new internal acoustic architecture, and it's surprisingly good.
• Apple says the ‌AirPods 5‌ use low-noise microphones and a new compressor tuned for open-ear ANC.
• The compressor is tuned to a wider frequency range and can react faster than before when conditions change.
• Sound is measured for the left and right ears independently, correcting for fit leaks to further improve ANC.

What to take from it

Sound quality on the ‌AirPods 5‌ was muddier than on the AirPods Pro 3, especially in the low mids. The ‌AirPods 5‌ support Adaptive Audio and Transparency, so they have most of the same audio features as the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌. Apple used to limit ANC to the higher-end version of the AirPods 4, but with the ‌AirPods 5‌, it's universal.

Details worth keeping

iOS 27 has custom EQ, though, which allows for adjustments. You can now get AirPods with ANC for just $129.