Apple's new AirPods 5 add real noise cancellation and a pile of Pro features without a price hike.
The AirPods 5 start at $129, the same price as the outgoing AirPods 4, but this time active noise cancellation comes standard instead of costing an extra $50. A $149 version adds a wireless charging case, a swipe-to-adjust-volume touch strip on the earbud stem, and an extra hour of earbud battery life (five hours versus four). Both models inherit a stack of software features that used to be Pro-only, including Conversation Awareness, Adaptive Audio, Transparency, Live Translation, and Siri's AI features, plus a custom EQ arriving with iOS 27. The $149 variant even costs $30 less than last year's ANC-equipped AirPods 4, even as Apple raises prices elsewhere in its lineup.
That pricing move breaks Apple's usual playbook, where the Pro tier justifies its premium by holding back features that make the base model feel unfinished. Here, the gap between the AirPods 5 and the AirPods Pro 3 narrows down to noise-cancellation strength, sound detail, battery endurance, and a few health extras like Hearing Test and heart-rate tracking during workouts. For anyone who doesn't need an in-ear seal or fitness metrics, the case for paying more just got weaker.
It's a rare instance of Apple undercutting itself on purpose, and a reminder that Pro branding is only worth the premium when the cheaper option can't keep up.