At Apple’s Surprise and Shine event on Wednesday, the company unveiled its latest wireless headphones, AirPods 5, Introducing several upgrades such as improved audio, stronger noise cancellation, and expanded Siri and Apple Intelligence features.
One of the main upgrades is active noise cancellation. Apple says AirPods 5 can reduce background noise by 50% more than previous models, making them the “industry’s best” in active noise cancellation, according to the company.
“We’re excited to have AirPods 5. Active noise cancellation is now standard across our entire AirPods line. AirPods 5 is a great example of how we’re taking innovation from our most advanced products and bringing them to the rest of the line, making them even more accessible,” CEO John Ternus said at the event.
Apple has also added volume controls to the trunk, a feature previously only available with AirPods Pro. Users can swipe up or down on the trunk to change the volume without reaching for their iPhone.
Like other models with the H2 chip, AirPods 5 also offer hands-free Siri and Apple Intelligence features. Users can interact with Siri without taking out their phone, whether they want to ask questions, find information, perform actions, or ask for directions.
The Siri update, which Apple said will launch in beta with iOS 27, is designed to better understand personal context. It can use data from text messages, emails, photos, and other apps to provide more relevant responses and complete tasks. For example, Siri can find a restaurant mentioned in an email or play music recommended by a friend in a text message.
Transparency mode on AirPods 5 has also been improved, allowing users to hear nearby and more natural sounds. Adaptive Audio can automatically balance noise cancellation and transparency modes, depending on the surrounding environment. At the same time, speech recognition can reduce media volume when the user starts speaking.
Additionally, battery life has been upgraded, with AirPods 5 offering up to five hours of listening time with noise cancellation on a single charge. The charging case provides up to 22 hours of total listening time with noise cancellation enabled.
AirPods 5 prices start at $129, while the version with Wireless Charging Case costs $149. Pre-orders start today, with the headphones arriving on September 18.
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