Apple AirPods 5 review: Apple’s best open-fit earbuds yet are held back by one ageing weakness

I’ve always had a soft spot for the AirPods Pro series, thanks in no small part to their volume slider feature, which has made countless rival earbuds feel unnecessarily awkward ever since.

Being able to swipe up or down on the stem to adjust the volume sounds like a small addition, but compared to the various button-and-touch implementations from brands like Bose, Sony, and Huawei, Apple’s approach remains the gold standard for me in on-bud control.

Bringing this feature to the more affordable AirPods 5 is therefore a huge deal for fans of Apple sound tuning on a budget. It is a huge deal for me, in particular, as I wasn’t the biggest fan of the new shape of the AirPods Pro 3. It felt bulkier in my ears than my beloved AirPods Pro 2, which made me appreciate all the improvements less.

In addition to adding volume control to the buds, Apple has redesigned the internal acoustic architecture, improved Adaptive EQ, strengthened ANC and increased water resistance to IP57. Battery life has also improved slightly, but not to the level I would like to see it in 2026.

To clarify, this review is of the model that Apple confusingly calls “Apple AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case.” This is the version with the volume slider and slightly longer battery life. The cheaper version also offers ANC but lacks the volume slider and the wireless charging case.

Apple AirPods 5 review

Price and availability

Apple announced the AirPods 5 in early September 2026, with the earbuds going on sale on 18 September. They are available directly from Apple UK, Apple US, Apple EU, Apple AU and third-party retailers now.

There are two versions. The standard AirPods 5 cost £119 / $129 / €149 / AU$219 and, unlike the base AirPods 4, include Active Noise Cancellation. The AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case reviewed here cost £139 / $149 / €169 / AU$249 and add on-stem volume control, wireless charging and slightly longer battery life.

The £139 model is £40 cheaper than the AirPods 4 with ANC was at launch, despite adding the excellent volume slider and improving sound and noise cancellation. Considering the relatively small £20 premium over the standard AirPods 5, I think the Wireless Charging Case version is comfortably the better buy.

Design and comfort

Before trying the AirPods 5, I wasn’t entirely convinced that Apple’s volume slider would translate particularly well to this form factor. In my head, the AirPods 4 had a noticeably shorter stem than AirPods Pro 3. Putting the AirPods 5 and AirPods Pro 3 side by side quickly corrected that assumption.

The stems are almost the same length, and the volume groove is essentially the same, which gives you plenty of room for the swipe gesture. Sliding a finger up or down adjusts the volume smoothly, while squeezing the stem handles playback and other functions. To my delight, it works just as well here as it does on AirPods Pro.

That’s a huge win because the volume slider remains one of my favourite design innovations on any pair of in-ear headphones. Nothing irks me more than trying to control button-sized earphones by pressing them further into my ear canal. Stem-based control lets you access all the important control functions without straining your ears.

The bigger physical difference between AirPods 5 and AirPods Pro is the earpiece itself. The AirPods 5 head is considerably smaller, and because there are no silicone tips, there is no passive seal in the ear. This makes the buds more comfortable to wear for longer periods (if only battery life would support this feature).

I wasn’t particularly keen on the larger shape of the AirPods Pro 3, whereas the AirPods 5 are reminiscent of the AirPods Pro 2 and almost disappear once they’re in. If you dislike the plugged-up feeling of silicone-tipped earbuds, that remains one of the biggest advantages of standard AirPods.

Apple has also improved water resistance, giving the AirPods 5 an IP57 rating. That’s a significant upgrade for anyone planning to use them as running headphones, as they should be considerably more resistant to sweat, rain and other wet conditions.

I didn’t intentionally dunk the earbuds to test that claim, but the increased protection should make them a more reassuring option for running, gym sessions and generally wet conditions.

Sound performance

Noise cancellation

Apple says the AirPods 5 offer 50% more noise reduction than the previous generation, and by the sound of things, there is definitely an improvement. However, the open-fit design places a hard limit on what ANC can achieve.

Without an ear tip creating a passive seal, ambient noise will always find its way in. Sitting on a train, for example, announcements over the tannoy found their way to my ears without an issue, even with ANC switched on.

That’s not to say ANC is poor, though, especially compared to the AirPods 4. Low-level background noise and general rumble are suppressed impressively well, and the AirPods 5 do a very good job by open-fit standards.

Of course, “open-ear” covers several very different designs. AirPods 5 sit much closer to the ear canal than something like the Shokz OpenDots 2, so they naturally block more external sound even before ANC gets involved.

The point is that they still don’t create the passive seal you get from silicone-tipped earbuds. That said, anyone expecting the isolated, cocoon-like effect of AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 or AirPods Max 2 will be disappointed by the noise cancellation prowess of the AirPods 5. In practice, the effect often feels closer to active noise reduction than complete isolation.

Transparency mode

Transparency mode, on the other hand, is exceptional. Apple has been excellent at Transparency for years, and the AirPods 5 might be one of the best showcases for it. Voices and environmental sounds come through clearly and naturally, without the processed or amplified quality you sometimes hear from rival earbuds.

Combine that with the lightweight open-ear design, and the result is a barely-there sensation that sealed earbuds struggle to replicate. You can hear what's happening around you almost as though you weren't wearing headphones at all, while your music or podcast continues playing in the background. I love it.

Sound quality

Sound quality has taken another noticeable step forward. Apple says it has redesigned the AirPods 5 internally with a new acoustic architecture informed by lessons learned from developing the AirPods Pro 3, along with a newer generation of Adaptive EQ.

I liked what Apple did sonically with AirPods Pro 3, but I wasn’t particularly fond of their larger physical shape, which made me enjoy everything else a lot less. The AirPods 5 let me enjoy some of that improved acoustic performance in a much smaller and more comfortable package.

They sound full-bodied and surprisingly substantial for such small open-fit earbuds. Bass has plenty of weight without becoming overwhelming, while the midrange is rich and treble has enough presence to keep things lively and detailed. There is also an impressive sense of space.

Open-fit earbuds naturally have some advantages here, but the AirPods 5 create a surprisingly broad sonic landscape given their compact size. The AirPods Pro still have the edge for outright clarity, separation and finer detail, but the gap has certainly narrowed.

They sound full-bodied and surprisingly substantial for such small open-fit earbuds. Bass has plenty of weight without becoming overwhelming, while the midrange is rich and the treble has enough presence to keep things lively and detailed. There is also an impressive sense of space.

Open-fit earbuds naturally have some advantages here, but the AirPods 5 create a surprisingly broad sonic landscape given their compact size. The AirPods Pro still have the edge for outright clarity, separation and finer detail, but the gap has certainly narrowed.

Custom EQ

After years of begging the company, Apple has finally given one of the most requested features to AirPods users. With iOS 27, compatible AirPods – including not just the new AirPods 5, but also the AirPods 4 and certain Pro and Max models – now get Custom EQ.

Apple hasn’t gone overboard by offering a massive library of genre presets or a complicated multi-band equaliser, but you get Apple's standard tuning or a Custom option with three simple controls that let you adjust the frequency response while previewing the changes live

The tuning is stored on the AirPods themselves and the settings follow them across compatible apps and devices, which is nice.

Personally, I haven’t felt much need to use it, as I’m generally happy with Apple's default tuning on the AirPods 5. After some experimenting with Custom EQ, I quickly returned to the standard setting, but I appreciate that Apple has listened to its customers for once.

Battery life and charging

Battery life is easily my biggest frustration with the AirPods 5. Apple promises up to five hours of listening with ANC enabled (on the £139 model), and my testing broadly backed that up.

After around four and a half hours of continuous listening with noise cancellation switched on, my AirPods battery was down to 12%.

Apple partly offsets the short runtime with fast charging, with five minutes in the case providing roughly another hour of listening. My pair went from 12% to 80% after around 30 minutes in the case.

That sounds reassuring, but I think it misses the real problem. Quick top-ups only work properly when the battery already lasts long enough to fit naturally around your day.

The AirPods Pro 3 are a good example. Their eight-hour ANC battery life is enough to cover a morning commute and several hours at work. You can then put them back in the case over lunch for a quick top-up, and comfortably get through the afternoon and journey home.

The AirPods 5’s five hours means you can already be approaching empty before lunch, forcing you to think about charging during normal use, which makes the battery life feel limiting.

The £139 model at least supports USB-C, Qi, and Apple Watch wireless charging, so putting power back in is easy. But fast charging only makes things less inconvenient, as it doesn’t offer a like-for-like substitution for decent battery life.

Verdict

Apple is the granddaddy of iterative design, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the AirPods 5 look almost identical to their predecessors. In use, though, the improvements add up to something considerably more substantial.

Sound is fuller and more spacious, noise reduction is stronger, Transparency mode is outstanding, and the open-fit design remains exceptionally comfortable. Most importantly for me, the £139 version finally gets the AirPods Pro's excellent volume slider.

The AirPods 5 don't turn standard AirPods into cheaper AirPods Pro, nor should they. They're arguably better at simply being AirPods; as in, a lightweight, comfortable and almost invisible pair of headphones that sound considerably better than before.

The biggest compromise remains battery life. Five hours with ANC isn't unusable, and Apple makes charging quick and easy, but it isn't long enough to disappear into the background of a normal workday in the way the eight-hour AirPods Pro 3 can. Fix that, and Apple would have an exceptionally difficult pair of open-fit earbuds to fault.