Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to share my honest Apple AirPods 5 review for those who are wondering whether they are WORTH IT. I’ll also be comparing the Apple AirPods 5 vs AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4 ANC, Beats Studio Buds Plus, Soundcore Liberty 5, and more.
I’m going to do my best to share whether these earbuds are worth it, and ideally who these earbuds are for. I bought these earbuds with my own money, and was NOT sponsored, paid, or received a free copy for review. All thoughts are my own.
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist. I also run the RecordingNow YouTube channel with over 25,000+ subscribers and over 5 million views.
Let’s dive right in!
Apple AirPods 5 Review in Short
The Apple AirPods 5 is the most convenient and comfortable earbud for Apple ecosystem users due to its open-ear design, improved noise cancelling over the AirPods 4 ANC, and good sound quality. Competes with AirPods Pro 3, Beats Studio Buds Plus, Soundcore Liberty 5, EarFun Air Pro 4 Plus, and CMF Buds Pro 2.
Watch this Full Review on YouTube!
Have any QUESTIONS for me?
Leave it in the YouTube COMMENTS and I’ll do my best to get back to you 🙂
Pros and Cons
- Comfy open-ear design
- Apple ecosystem connectivity
- Good sound quality
- Surprisingly good noise cancelling
- There’s better noise cancelling
- Battery life is below average
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
Comfort + Features
Comfort
The main appeal of the AirPods 5 is its “open-ear” design, as opposed to the “in-ear” design of the AirPods Pro 3 and other “Pro” series models.
The design is identical and unchanged from the previous AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 ANC.
When it comes to pure comfort, I find that the open-ear design of the AirPods 5 is unbeatable.
In-ear earbuds have a tendency to be uncomfortable due to having to wedge the eartips into the ear canal to get a proper seal.
Instead, the AirPods 5 doesn’t require any of that, and simply sits outside the ear canal with a very ergonomic bulb design that is the best yet (along with the AirPods 4 that shares the design).
The only 2 downsides to this design is that it’s not very secure if you plan to workout with or run with them, and the lack of physical seal translates into less noise cancelling potential.
Features
The AirPods 5 was originally released in September 2026, so it has many modern wireless earbud features:
- IP57 dust and water resistance rating (dust protected, water submersion 1 meter for up to 30 minutes)
- Built-in microphones for taking calls
- Personalized Spatial Audio with Head-Tracking
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Multi-point connection
- Active Noise Cancelling
- Transparency Mode
- Qi wireless charging case (with Speakers for “Find My” feature)
Microphone Quality
Powered by Apple’s H2 chip that is also featured in the AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Max 2, and previous AirPods 4, the microphone quality on the AirPods 5 is decent and largely the same as the previous AirPods 4.
The “stem” design of the AirPods 5 means the microphone can be pointed towards the mouth, which is a physical advantage over the “bulb” design of other earbuds.
On the other hand, the AirPods Pro 3 is one of the best-in-class microphones for the earbuds class, and is a step above the AirPods 5.
If microphone quality is one of your top priorities, there are better earbuds that have bone conduction sensors (like the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro) which are superior.
But for casual usage, the AirPods 5 is serviceable.
Battery Life
- With ANC on: 5 hours on a single charge
- With ANC off: 7 hours on a single charge / 22 hours total with charging case
- Fast Charge: 5 minutes = 1 hour of playback
This battery life is towards the bottom of the class, which tends to be around 6 hours with noise cancelling ON and 24-30 hours with the charging case.
Comfort + Features Score: 9.0 out of 10
Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) Performance
Apple claims up to “1.5x better” noise cancelling performance versus the previous generation AirPods 4 ANC, and I find that to be valid in my testing.
I’ve used the AirPods 4 ANC on a near-daily basis, and it was quickly noticeable that the AirPods 5 has the edge in pure noise cancelling strength and effectiveness.
I did notice a little bit more “pressure” feeling with the AirPods 5, but I started to get used to it after a while.
What is most interesting about the AirPods 5 (and the 4 ANC before it) is that the noise cancelling is much better than I would’ve expected from an open-ear earbud that has no physical seal.
That said, the AirPods Pro 3 has the clearly superior active noise cancelling, and it begins with the Pro series’ physical seal with the eartips.
These eartips create a physical seal much like an earplug, and it blocks noise before the ANC is even turned on.
Lastly, one advantage of the AirPods 5’s open-ear design is its natural transparency which allows more outside noise in, keeping you more aware of your surroundings at all times.
Noise Cancelling Score: 6.5 out of 10
Sound Quality
Despite the open-ear design having its acoustic disadvantages compared to in-ear earbuds, I always found the previous-generation AirPods 4 ANC to sound pretty good.
The AirPods 5 seems slightly improved in sound quality to my ears, with higher resolution, better tuning, and better dynamics.
Now, I wouldn’t be surprised if the driver architecture and hardware was nearly identical to the AirPods 4, as they do sound pretty similar.
This is just a guess, but the sound quality improvement seems in line with a headphone amp upgrade, similar to what Apple did with the AirPods Max 2 compared to the original AirPods Max 1.
Or the differences can be attributed to software, as the “Adaptive EQ” feature keeps the sound quality consistent across different environments.
The AirPods 5 seems to have a more refined tuning that is more balanced than the AirPods 4.
I really enjoy the bass response on the AirPods 5 that seems almost impossible for an open-ear design with no physical seal.
Due to the AirPods 5’s balanced tuning, it sounds very good on pretty much any genre you throw at it, and is quite versatile.
That said, I still have the AirPods Pro 3 as in a slight level above the AirPods 5 for sound quality overall, and the in-ear design is a major factor in that.
Having the stronger physical seal and noise cancelling in the AirPods Pro 3 leads to more controlled bass, and higher treble detail that can get lost in the open-ear design of the AirPods 5.
Overall, I’m quite impressed with the AirPods 5’s sound quality despite its open-ear design, and it is above-average for the earbuds class as a whole.
Sound Quality Score: 7.7 out of 10
Value
The Apple AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging case retails at $149 USD, while the version without Wireless Charging case retails for $129 USD.
In isolation, I think both versions of AirPods 5 are worth the price as they offer a truly unique product that is hard to replicate elsewhere, even against the AirPods Pro 3.
The open-ear design and Apple ecosystem connectivity makes the AirPods 5 arguably the most practical and convenient consumer audio product today.
That said, I do think the AirPods Pro 3 at the current sale price around $199 is a better overall value, due to being a superior earbud as a whole for an extra $50.
Lastly, I have been more impressed by some budget earbuds cheaper than the AirPods 5 when it comes to noise cancelling and sound quality, such as the Soundcore Liberty 5 and CMF Buds Pro 2.
Value Score: 7.5 out of 10
Overall Scoring Breakdown
Comfort + Features (15% of score): 9.0 / 10
Noise Cancelling (25% of score): 6.5 / 10
Sound Quality (50% of score): 7.7 / 10
Value (10% of score): 7.5 / 10
Total: 7.58 out of 10
Is the Apple AirPods 5 Worth it?
Prior to the AirPods 5, I was using the AirPods 4 ANC on a daily basis due to its convenience and practicality, despite having access to dozens of “better” earbuds.
The AirPods 5 improves upon the 4 ANC in every way, most notably with its up to 1.5x better noise cancelling, slightly improved sound quality, more features, and better battery life.
Even if you own the AirPods Pro 3 (like me), I genuinely think the AirPods 5 still has its superior use cases around the house or when you want to have more awareness of your surroundings out in the real world.
If you are an Apple user and own any AirPods other than the AirPods 4 ANC specifically, I do recommend the AirPods 5.
Some very strong alternatives in this class of wireless earbuds are:
- AirPods Pro 3
- AirPods 4 ANC
- Soundcore Liberty 5
- Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro
- Beats Studio Buds Plus
- EarFun Air Pro 4 Plus
- Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
- CMF Buds Pro 2
- JLab Go Air Pop+
- Soundcore Liberty 4 NC
- Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
- Nothing Ear 3
- SoundPEATS H3
Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
Read Next
Best Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds
AirPods Pro 3rd Generation Review
Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Review
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Review
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen Review
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024) Review
Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods 4 ANC Comparison
Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro Review
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Review
