Apple AirPods 5 Review: The Best AirPods for Most People, Now With Superb Sound

Apple’s new AirPods 5 (with Wireless Charging Case) costs $149 and replaces the two-year-old AirPods 4 With ANC ($179), aiming to upgrade sound and everyday features while keeping the same overall look. The earbuds’ exterior stays largely unchanged, but Apple says everything inside is new: it recalibrated the audio system for fuller bass and clearer highs, improved noise-cancellation algorithms, and added external volume controls on the charging-case model. Apple also includes Live Translation and a user-adjustable EQ, plus an open, earlobe-resting design without silicone tips—meaning fit varies by ear shape.