AirPods 5 review: Are these really open earbuds?

Hey there, these are the new AirPods 5 and they look identical to the AirPods 4, but Apple has upgraded them on the inside and made an important change to pricing

So let's jump right into my full review to find out how much they've improved and why they're better value

Once again, like their predecessor, the AirPods 5 come in two versions, but it's different this time

Previously, only the step-up model featured active noise cancelling. Now both versions do and it is improved

In a surprise move, Apple has also lowered the price of the step-up model from $179 to $149

Given the fact that the prices for the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max have gone up, that price change seems like an anomaly

The noise-canceling sound quality and voice-calling performance is the same for both models

Alas, they both use Apple's H2 chip, not the next-gen H3 chip, which we're still waiting for and may come to the AirPods Pro next year, along with those rumored tiny infrared cameras

I tested the Step Up model, which has a few extra features. They include wireless charging, swipe volume controls on the stems, and this charging case is equipped with a little speaker

so the case makes a sound when you're trying to locate it using Apple's Find My feature

Also, the Step Up model has an hour more of battery life with noise cancelling on

I should also point out that the earbuds' water resistance rating has improved. It's gone from IP54 to IP57, which means the buds can withstand being fully submersed in water for a short amount of time

You still shouldn't try to swim or shower with them on, though. Most of you are probably aware that the standard AirPods are open earbuds that are designed for people who don't like having eartips jammed in their ears

The size of the buds have changed over the years, and some people who got a perfect fit with the original AirPods and AirPods 2, which were smaller, didn't do as well with the AirPods 3 and AirPods 4

I personally couldn get the early AirPods to stay in my ears securely but I managed to get a pretty secure fit with the fours and 5s by wedging them into my ears in a certain position The bottom line is that while I can guarantee they fit everyone ears equally well if you do get a decent fit they are quite

comfortable to wear, with many people finding them more comfortable than the AirPods Pro 3

The AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation were something of a technological marvel

ANC is a rare feature for open earbuds because it typically doesn't work with an open design

As I said in my review, while the AirPods 4's ANC isn't that great compared to the AirPods Pro 3

and other top noise-canceling earbuds from Bose and Sony, the fact that it works at all and is reasonably effective is kind of wild

And now with the AirPods 5, Apple says it's 50% more effective

Also, the transparency mode sounds a little more natural. You wouldn't think you need a transparency mode with open earbuds

but the buds do cover your ear cs a bit. I tried the 5s on a plane ride in the streets of New York

Once again, I was impressed that the noise cancelling is as effective as it is with the earbuds' open design

It does seem stronger than the 4's noise cancelling, and does a little better job muffling mid-range and higher frequencies, including people's voices

To be clear, the AirPods Pro 3's noise cancelling is significantly better, which is partially due to its eartips passively sealing out a lot of noise

But the AirPods 5 easily have the best noise cancelling for any open earbuds I've tested to date, and it's really nice to have the option to use it

As I said, the step-up model with wireless charging has better battery life. That's not because the battery is bigger

It just has more advanced battery chemistry. It's rated for up to five hours with noise canceling on and up to seven hours with it off

with a little more than three extra charges in the case. The entry-level model has the same battery and battery life as the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation

It rated for up to four hours with ANC on and six hours with it off Those battery life numbers aren great compared to the AirPods Pro 3 and a lot of other earbuds out there but the buds do charge quickly in the case

Five minutes in the case gets you an hour of battery life. Okay, so on to sound quality

Apple has brought over some of the acoustic architecture enhancements it made to the AirPods Pro 3

and that's helped improve the bass performance and clarity of these buds

It's a noticeable difference. While the bass just doesn't have the same kick and girth to it as the AirPods Pro 3's bass, it's punchy and well-defined, and the Bud's overall sound is cleaner and more accurate

At higher volumes, the sound holds together better with a minimal to no distortion

Even with the noise cancelling on, some sound leaks into the Bud's in noisy environments like the Subway, so that does impact sound quality

But in quieter environments, the Bud's sound quite good and are easily among the best-sounding open earbuds out there

compared to a good set of noise-isolating earbuds, you don't feel like you're losing much

which is an achievement. With iOS 27, Apple has added a three-band equalizer

to the settings for those who want to tweak the sound a bit. It's pretty basic and only changes the sound profile a little

but it's worth playing around with to see if you can dial the sound in more to your liking

The AirPods 5 have many of the same features of the AirPods Pro 3, including adaptive audio

spatial audio with head tracking, live translation and conversation awareness. That last feature automatically lowers the volume of your music and shifts the buds from noise cancelling to transparency mode when you start to talk

so you can have a conversation without taking the buzz out of your ears. One feature that's missing is Apple's hearing aid feature, which is only found on the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

The AirPods Pro 3 also have built-in heart rate sensing. This model does not have that

Like the AirPods Pro 3, these have Always-On Siri as well as Siri interactions, which allow you to nod your head or gently shake it to accept or ignore incoming calls and listen to or dismiss notifications Siri sends your way As for voice calling the AirPods 5 delivers strong performance with excellent noise reduction

Callers told me they heard almost no background noise, and my voice sounded clear, though not completely natural

They heard a bit of wind noise, but it was pretty faint. Overall, I'd rate voice calling performance an A

although in noisy environments, I prefer using the AirPods Pro 3 because I can hear callers better thanks to my ears being more sealed off from ambient noise

All right, I'm making a voice recording here in New York City with the entrance of the column tunnel

which is quite noisy, a lot of traffic, a little bit of breeze here

So this should give you an idea of what callers will hear on a call with you

the background noise, and how clear or not clear my voice sounds

While I was kind of hoping they'd have the H3 chip instead of the H2 chip

in the end, the AirPods 5 are pretty much what I expected them to be. I figured they'd have the same design as the 4s, but offer performance upgrades, and that's what's happened

I was a little surprised that both models now have noise-canceling, but the real shock is that Apple lowered the price to $149 for the step-up model

That's still not cheap, of course, but when we start to see discounts around the holiday buying season

the AirPods 5 will be more affordable and easy to recommend to Apple users who don't like having

eartips jammed in their ears. I'd probably spend the extra dough on the step-up model

but the good news is you're not really losing anything from a performance standpoint

except for a little less battery life if you choose to go with the entry-level model

Despite some small reservations about the fit, I give both models CNET Editors' Choice Awards

As always, let me know what you think in the comments section. Hit me up with any questions

and check out my text review on CNET for a little deeper dive into sound quality

and noise cancelling performance. I'm David Conner for CNET. Thanks for watching