CUPERTINO — Apple has made a decision that quietly erases one of the most annoying choices in consumer audio: starting September 18, there is no such thing as cheap AirPods without noise cancellation.
The company unveiled AirPods 5 on Tuesday at its “Surprise and Shine” event, the first public test for new chief executive John Ternus, and both models of the new earbuds ship with Active Noise Cancellation as standard equipment. The base model costs $129. The version with a MagSafe wireless charging case costs $149. The feature that used to cost an extra $50 over the base AirPods 4 now comes in the box at every price point.
That flattening of the product line is the real story behind AirPods 5. Apple ran two versions of AirPods 4 for the past two years: a $129 model without ANC and a $179 model with it. The entry to noise cancellation was real friction, and Apple is removing it. Buyers who previously picked up the cheaper model and later wished they had paid more for quiet now have no such decision to regret.
The $20 gap between AirPods 5’s two models has shifted entirely to the charging case. Base model: USB-C, plug it in. Higher model: MagSafe, drop it on an Apple Watch charger or any Qi pad. If you own MagSafe accessories, the $20 is a straightforward upgrade. If you do not, the $129 model is the buy; the ANC is identical in both.
Apple has put its H2 chip inside the AirPods 5, the same processor that has powered the AirPods Pro 2 since 2022 and one generation behind the H3 chip used in today’s AirPods Pro 3. The company claims the new earbuds deliver 50 percent more noise reduction compared with the previous generation of standard AirPods.
That figure deserves the same scrutiny as any vendor-supplied performance claim. Apple is comparing the AirPods 5 with the older, non-ANC AirPods 4, rather than with the sealed, in-ear AirPods Pro 3 that many buyers are more likely to consider as an alternative. The more meaningful comparison — between the open-ear design of the AirPods 5 and the sealed in-ear design of the AirPods Pro 3 — will have to wait until reviewers can test both models side by side after the AirPods 5 ships on September 18.
Battery life is rated at five hours of listening with ANC enabled, one hour longer than the AirPods 4 with ANC. With the charging case included, Apple claims up to 22 hours of total listening time.
Apple has also redesigned the acoustic architecture of the earbuds, promising what it describes as “richer, more detailed sound.” As with the noise-reduction claim, however, that description remains a manufacturer assertion until independent testing can establish how the AirPods 5 perform against competing models. Measurement labs and reviewers will ultimately provide the more useful evidence by testing both earbuds under comparable conditions and examining their acoustic performance objectively.
Tuesday’s event was structured around bigger announcements: the iPhone Ultra, iPhone 18 Pro, and the foldable iPhone Duo that Ternus spent the most time on during his debut keynote. AirPods 5 landed in the middle of that presentation as a clean, competent product that solves a clearly defined problem without generating much drama. That is appropriate for what it is: an update to the world’s best-selling wireless earbuds, designed to sell in large numbers to people who do not follow Apple event coverage and simply walk into a store looking for earbuds.
The open-ear fit carries over from previous generations. AirPods 5 sit in the outer ear canal using the same stem configuration Apple has held to since AirPods 3. For buyers who find that design uncomfortable over long sessions, or who want the noise isolation that a physical seal provides, AirPods Pro 3 still makes its case at $179. AirPods Pro 3 hit a record low of $179 this summer, narrowing the gap above the MagSafe AirPods 5 to $30.
What Tuesday’s announcement did not answer: whether AirPods 5’s noise cancellation is close enough to the Pro line to make the in-ear seal feel unnecessary for most buyers, or whether the H2 chip will be audible to listeners who have compared both. Ternus’s first event as chief executive answered the product question clearly: AirPods 5 exist, cost $129, and go on sale September 18. The performance question, the one that determines whether they complement AirPods Pro 3 or quietly cannibalize it, will take a few weeks of real-world listening to settle. Preorders are open now.
