The latest AirPods 5 have significant improvements

I have a slightly embarrassing relationship with AirPods, and I suspect I’m not alone in this. I keep trying other earbuds, some with better sound, some with better battery life, some that cost considerably less, and yet I find myself inevitably with a pair of AirPods in my ears eight times out of ten. There’s something about their unique combination of comfort, convenience and sheer lack of friction that is tough to replicate.

The latest AirPods 5 understand this assignment – as the non-Pro buds in Apple’s lineup, they look almost exactly as you'd expect and continue to sit in your ears rather than sealing the ear canal with silicone tips. That fit allows one to wear them for hours without that plugged-up feeling, although the open design inevitably means less isolation and bass than the AirPods Pro…and for some folks, a slightly loose fit that is one jostle away from falling out. Matter of preference, really.

The clever bit is the Active Noise Cancellation on the open earbud design, something that sounds counterintuitive, but it actually works. The AirPods 5 do a surprisingly good job of knocking down the low-frequency drone of an aircraft, air-conditioner or noisy commute. Voices and sharper sounds still sneak through, but that's almost the point: you get some peace without feeling sealed off from the world. They’re certainly a step above the AirPod 4’s ANC, and just a shade below the AirPod Pro 3’s due to the silicon tips.

They sound better than their design suggests too, with more bass than I expected, vocals are clear and instruments have decent separation, great for listening to tracks and podcasts on the commute. They’re quite a bit clearer and livelier than the last gen, and with iOS 27’s customisable EQ settings allowing for easy adjustment of low, mid and highs with a simple and intuitive set of sliders, it’s easy to tweak them to your tastes. Then there are the little Apple flourishes: Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, hands-free Siri AI and Live Translation, the latter allowing for real-time translation when you talk to someone speaking another language. The new IP57 rating is particularly welcome, for whenever you need to survive an unexpected downpour.

Just remember: while the base ₹14,900 AirPods 5 ships with ANC, the levelled-up ₹17,900 version adds wireless charging, a Find My speaker, an extra hour of ANC battery life (up from four on the base) and swipe-based volume controls on the stem. Once you've used those controls, it’s hard to opt for the base model.

Rating: 9/10

Price: ₹14,900 / ₹17,900

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