AirPods 5 will be available starting at $129 on September 18.
Although the latest iPhone is the star of Apple’s event, the company also upgraded its entry-level AirPods with a fifth-generation model that offers 50 percent improved noise reduction over its predecessor. Apple said it designed the AirPods 5 with a new acoustic architecture that resulted in best-in-class open-ear active noise cancellation.
Like the AirPods 4, Apple has split the AirPods 5 into two options. This time around, the entry-level option for the AirPods 5, starting at $129, also includes ANC, as well as an improved adaptive EQ that makes Apple’s custom spatial audio “more immersive and dynamic.” For the slightly more expensive AirPods 5 at $149, users will get a wireless charging case, battery life of up to five hours of ANC listening expandable to 22 hours with the case, and the addition of a volume control on the stem, as seen on the AirPods Pro.
Apple hasn’t introduced any new features in the AirPods 5, but both models still work with its Adaptive Audio feature that can switch between ANC and Transparency modes based on background noise, as well as Conversation Awareness that automatically reduces the volume when it detects speech. Like the previous model, AirPods 5 work with Live Translation when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone. Both versions of AirPods 5 are available for pre-order today, with AirPods 5 arriving in stores on September 18.
As the AirPods 5 were the only wireless earbuds Apple announced today, we’re still waiting for official news on the rumored AirPods with a built-in camera, which were spotted in an accidental leak earlier this year. Instead, we expect Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods to launch next year, at least according to Bloomberg.
