They’ve actually done it! With the AirPods 5 they kept the same small size of the AirPods 4, but added swipe volume controls, slightly better battery, improved IP rating, and on top of that, better noise canceling?
By the end of this review you’ll know whether the AirPods 5’s noise canceling is actually better, and in what other ways is it better than the AirPods 4.
I’m also going to compare them to the AirPods Pro 3 just to see whether it can replace Apple’s flagship as my daily driver, and I’m very tempted to switch because its case is so much tinier.
Microphone Quality
In terms of mic pickup, it is mostly similar to the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4. Super wideband voice pickup on my iPhone with voice isolation is just as clean and crisp, and in noisy conditions, the algo is just as aggressive at noise reduction and voice filtering. However, as you’re about to see, the AirPods 4 is more gentle at voice filtering which means more of of voice is getting through the mics.
👉🏻 Listen to the mic quality samples
Active Noise Cancelling
In terms of active noise canceling, frequency sweeps do show the AirPods 5 has a pretty significant improvement pretty much across the board, up to 10dB difference in noise canceling versus the AirPods 4, except for this particular region between 1.2 - 2.3 kHz where noise canceling doesn’t seem as strong.
In theory, certain higher pitched droning sounds might get through, but from actual usage, it doesn’t feel that way because it is quieter against public transport noises, cafe noise and human chatter.
However, the noise masking also feels more intense, because in quiet conditions I can hear a bit more hiss from its noise canceling compared to the previous model. Of course, the AirPods Pro 3 has the best noise canceling here, pretty much across the board, thanks to its earplug style eartips.
👉🏻 Listen to the ANC quality samples
Transparency Mode
As for transparency mode, the AirPods 5 feels quite identical to the AirPods 4 in that they feel just as transparency as not wearing earbuds, and they even enhance certain sounds to make surrounding noises sound crisper. As for the AirPods Pro 3, due to the eartips they are starting from a point of occlusion, but they do get very close to that clear transparent feeling of the open ear AirPods.
Sound Quality
In terms of sound quality, Apple says on their website that the AirPods 5 has an improved acoustic architecture and so should sound better. Frequency sweeps do show that they share largely the same tuning except that the AirPods 5 has higher bass and lower mid levels, and more emphasis above 2khz.
So it should sound fuller and crisper on their default settings, closer to the tuning of the AirPods Pro 3. The audio also does sound a bit more distant on both open ear models compared to the tight, compact signature of the Pro 3 which also locks in the bass better. But by and large, the difference is very marginal, and all three models share almost the same sound signature.
And because the difference is so marginal, I was able to take the same approach with its custom EQ, the 3-band one that came with iOS 27, and I made an EQ setting which really opened up the sound of the AirPods 5. If you want that setting, I’ve posted it on my Instagram, go check it out. And yes, all the bands seem to behave the same way as on the AirPods Pro 3 which I explained in-depth in the video below.
Conclusion
So the AirPods 5 is better than the 4 in that sense that it’s a lot more in line with what the AirPods Pro 3 offers, while keeping it the same size as the AirPods 4. It may not be a compelling upgrade if you already have the 4, but for people considering switching to AirPods but don’t want that plug in-the ear fit because it’s less comfortable, or maybe it’s the super tiny case, the AirPods 5 now makes more sense because now, compared to the Pro mode, it’s much less of a compromise.
For me, I am keeping the AirPods Pro 3 as my daily driver, because as I like the tinier case which is so cute, I also prefer the added stability that the in-ear fit gives me, plus it’s got better active noise canceling, and better battery life.
So that’s my take on the AirPods 5. But what do you think? Is the AirPods 5 super compelling compared to the Pro model? Let us know in the comments.
Check latest prices:
AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging - https://amzn.to/4yVLGfJ
AirPods Pro 3 - https://amzn.to/4oB4xHL
AirPods 4 with ANC - https://amzn.to/4ylf27F
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