In this guide, we’ll talk about seven reasons why the newest AirPods 5, priced at $129, and AirPods 5 with a Wireless Charging Case, priced at $149, may be worth considering.
Apple announced the new AirPods 5 on 9th September 2026 at its Surprise and Shine event, along with the new foldable iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, and Apple Watch Ultra 4.
These are base AirPods with an open-ear fit design that will not sound as good as the more expensive AirPods Pro 3 or the super expensive AirPods Max 2.
But if you have older AirPods like AirPods 3 or 4, don’t like the silicone ear tip design of the Pro model, or don’t want bulky, sweaty over-ear headphones, AirPods 5 can be an excellent choice.
Even though the new AirPods 5 come with next-gen adaptive EQ for richer, more detailed sound, it still isn’t as good as AirPods Pro or Max. That said, beyond sound quality, they offer nearly everything else you like about AirPods, including seamless pairing across all your Apple devices, automatic device switching, water protection, and more.
Here’s why AirPods 5 are excellent wireless earphones you can consider buying.
Both models have ANC
Like AirPods 4, the new AirPods 5 also come in two flavors. However, unlike the predecessor, both the standard and slightly more expensive versions of AirPods 5 have Active Noise Cancellation. This means every AirPods lineup now supports Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio, and Transparency modes.
More noise cancellation
The new AirPods 5 offer up to 1.5 times more noise cancellation than AirPods 4 with ANC. So, if you often need to drown out ambient sound while listening to music, watching videos, or working, the new AirPods 5 will be an upgrade over older non-Pro and non-Max models.
Note: Thanks to sound-dampening silicone tips in AirPods Pro 3, its noise cancellation is up to 3 times better than AirPods 5!
Volume control
Like the expensive AirPods Pro 2 and Pro 3, the new AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case let you increase and decrease the volume by swiping up or down on the touch-sensitive stem. The base AirPods 5 don’t have this luxury!
Longer battery life
Compared to AirPods 4 with ANC, the new AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case lasts an hour longer with Active Noise Cancellation enabled.
But if you don’t use Active Noise Cancellation, then the overall battery life provided by the charging case to both buds may be less on AirPods 5 compared to AirPods 4 (even though Apple has not published this exact number). This aligns with last year’s AirPods Pro 3 charging case, which offered less listening time (24 hours) than the AirPods Pro 2 charging case (30 hours).
Better water resistance
Both models of AirPods 5 have an IP57 dust, sweat, and water resistance, which is the same as the expensive AirPods Pro 3.
This means AirPods 5 should be fine even when submerged in water for a short while (more on it below). AirPods 4 were IP54 rated, which only protects against water splashes, not temporary submersion.
IP rating has two numbers. The first tells you the dust/solid-particle protection level, while the second is for water/liquid protection. The dust protection level (5) of both IP57 and IP54 is the same. But for water protection:
- 7 (water resistant) = Can withstand temporary immersion in water, typically up to 1 meter for 30 minutes.
- 4 (splash resistant) = Protected against water splashing from any direction, but not designed for immersion.
Note:
- These numbers are for controlled lab test conditions.
- Water resistance isn’t a permanent trait and can diminish with use.
- Most importantly, Apple does not honor the warranty for water-damaged iPhones, AirPods, and other devices. You can learn more about it here: 6 things to do after dropping your AirPods in water
Supports all niche features
Just like other models, AirPods 5 also support the following:
- Live Translation with Siri AI
- Camera Remote feature to use them as a shutter button for your iPhone camera
- Spatial Audio for an immersive sound experience
- Option to adjust the EQ (equalizer) as you want
Cheaper than previous model
Finally, unlike the iPhone, the AirPods have not seen any price increase.
The base AirPods 5 still come in at $129, which is the same as the base AirPods 4.
However, unlike the previous AirPods 4 with ANC, which cost $179, the new AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case is $30 cheaper, at just $149.
You can learn more about them or compare them with previous models on Apple’s website.
What do you think of these? Will you be getting one?
Remember that pre-orders are already live. And if you’re looking to save some money, consider waiting, since, like previous models, these should also get discounted on Amazon after a month or two.