AirPods 5

The AirPods 5 hit all the right notes. They're easy to use, comfortable, sound good and now offer surprisingly capable ANC. There's also a long list of smart extras that make them feel much more advanced than Apple's previous entry-level AirPods.

The AirPods 5 bring Active Noise Cancellation to every configuration at the same $129 starting price Apple charged for the ANC-less AirPods 4, adding the H2 chip's on-device Live Translation and a tougher IP57 rating along the way. Early hands-on coverage is largely positive, though an independent measurement from Headphonesty suggests Apple's advertised 50% ANC improvement may be optimistic, and the open-ear fit still isolates less than the in-canal AirPods Pro 3 or Sony WF-1000XM6. The value proposition -- real ANC at no extra cost over last year's non-ANC starting price -- is a genuine step forward regardless of exactly how the noise-cancellation numbers shake out once full lab testing arrives.