Apple AirPods 5 - Challenging Everything I Thought I Knew

It's been about a month since Apple's big "Surprise and Shine" product launch.

The Duo, Apple's first folding phone, stole most of the headlines because, well, it's Apple's first folding phone. Hopefully I'll get my hands on one in the coming weeks and we'll be able to find out if it's actually any good.

These September launches are often thought of as iPhone events - but there were also new Apple Watches to pair with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

But there was something else in there that many people may have missed completely. Which is a shame. Because it's completely rocked my world.

The AirPods 5 look a lot like any other AirPods you've ever seen or used.

They're still white. They still have stems. They're still open-ear fit. And they still come in a white charging case.

But a whole lot else has changed.

There are two versions of AirPods 5, the difference being for $50 more, you get a wireless charging case with a FindMy speaker, a bit more battery life and volume swipe control on the force sensor on the stems. As far as I'm concerned, those extras are well worth the extra money, especially being able to charge the case wirelessly. I'm big on wireless charging. In fact, I'm always banging on about it. And when it comes to small devices like AirPods, it just makes so much sense to be able to pop them on a charging pad when not in use.

So obviously, for the sake of this review, I'm reviewing the wireless charging version.

If there's a weak point to the AirPods 5, it might actually be battery life. Up to 5 hours play time on a full charge (or 22 hours including the case) isn't terrible. But it's a lot less than many other options on the market today. And not much better than the previous generation from 2024.

However...

By almost any other measure, the AirPods 5 punch well above their weight.

There are some solid reasons why I've never really been a fan of this open ear form factor. For starters, because they sit more on your ears than in them, it doesn't take much of a jiggle to send them bobbling out. That's just physics.

And the thing that really puts me off is noise cancelling - or the lack of it. Obviously, an open fit means very little passive noise cancelling - there's not much preventing outside sounds getting in. That's just physics. What's more, Active Noise Cancelling can't really work either; without a super tight seal, how is an ANC chip supposed to filter out a whole world of noise? That's just physics.

Well, it seems the team at Apple has had a good hard look at the laws of physics, and decided they no longer apply.

Admittedly, there was a version of the previous generation that had ANC too. And yes, it impressed me two years ago - but this is different. As I sit here typing, listening to the sublime sax and jazz piano on Isaiah J. Thompson's "Higher Calling", that's all I can hear; despite the fact a robot vacuum is going about its business just metres from me. How is this possible? How has Apple managed to all but completely nullify any sound leaking in from this open ear fit?

Not only that, but they've done something to the Transparency mode that makes it sound normal - not like you're hearing the world through a tin can and a piece of string.

It gets better.

I just fired off the 2012 remaster of "The Way You Make Me Feel" Michael Jackson. It starts with one of the most iconic bass riffs in pop music - something I was expecting to be lost or at least thinned-out through the AirPods 5 but no, not only does every element of the King of Pop's exquisite production find its own space, the bass actually sounds phat. Again? How? Just how? Incredible.

Okay, so sonically, we're now really not that far behind what the fully-sealed fit of the AirPods Pro 3 produces. Very impressive. But surely there's one law of physics the AirPods 5 can't bend; gravity.

Except...

I've worn them jumping up and down my way through HIIT classes. I've worn them digging in the garden. I've worn them doing bicycle crunches and side planks during my core workout. They stayed put the whole time. Somehow, the physical design has been ever-so-subtly tweaked and evolved so you still get all the benefits of that super-comfy open ear fit, but now you can put the IP57 sweat, dust and water resistance to the test as you exercise as well.

The AirPods 5 have exceeded all my expectations to the point I no longer know what kind of earbuds I like best! And that's before you get to the new and improved Siri AI, Live Translation and gesture controls - like shaking your head to flick away spoken notifications.

Over the years I've probably reviewed more earbuds than any other kind if device, so I thought I was a bit of an expert. Now I feel like I don't know anything at all. I always knew AirPods were great - but these might just be the greatest. 

Click here for more information and pricing on Apple AirPods 5.