This article is TDS Studio’s 34th article on SSPAI, and once again it’s a first release across all platforms.
Two years later, we’re back to writing about an AirPods half-in-ear model. At Apple’s fall 2026 event, the biggest impression AirPods 5 left on us was actually that active noise cancellation had been brought down to the sub-1000-yuan version, rather than being exclusive to the high-end model. But whether it’s the lack of any obvious battery life improvement or the completely identical exterior mold, this product iteration doesn’t feel entirely well-rounded. After seeing the launch media content later, we could basically confirm one issue: the expected segmentation was still very much present, and although the ANC is excellent, the tuning reviews are generally not high. So how is it really?
We bought the standard version of AirPods 5 at launch, didn’t rush to publish during the launch content period, and are here to show you whether this update, also based on the H2 chip, is worth your attention. We happen to have also bought a Freebuds 7, so this article will also mention some comparisons between the recent two generations of AirPods and it (especially at the ANC level). Additionally, we need to thank reader The Boy in the Rye for lending his AirPods 4 ANC to help complete this article.
Packaging & Accessories | Package & Accessories
The AirPods 5 packaging is still that white square paper box; compared with the fourth generation, only the main image has changed to a different angle, and there are no accessories at all.
Design, Fit & Acoustic Structure | Design, Fit & Acoustic Structure
Judging purely from appearance, the AirPods 5 generation actually has almost no visually perceptible difference from AirPods 4: still only white, still that easily scratched glossy plastic, still a very small charging case, and you can even swap the two earbuds themselves for charging… But this doesn’t mean nothing has changed.
Can you tell which one is AirPods 5?
Although both AirPods 5 versions have the same active noise cancellation performance this time, there are obvious differences in the charging case and the earbud battery section. The base version has no speaker in the case body and no wireless charging coil, so visually it looks more integrated, but functionality is indeed reduced. The wireless charging version retains the case-body speaker and wireless charging coil from the 4 ANC. The lid-opening feel of the case is completely identical, with slight elastic feedback. There are some changes in the manufacturing details of the USB-C port; see the images for specifics. Pairing is still triggered by tapping the front twice, and the hidden LED light is also completely identical.
The USB-C port craftsmanship is not the same
The earbuds themselves are still held quite securely in the case, but the situation that has persisted since the fourth generation of not being very easy to take out has also continued. If you, like me, have relatively thick fingers, you’ll need to get used to this process. The earbuds are a typical short-stem pods-style shape, with no difference in appearance from the fourth generation, but according to what Apple said at the launch event, the internal cavity should have a new structure to improve driver ventilation. It is still the same relatively full long flattened oval cavity as the fourth generation, stretched vertically, with the opening position still offset, rather than the more regular opening used in the AirPods 3 era (and also in most current half-in-ear TWS). With a reasonable fit, sound leakage and air leakage are both well controlled.
In actual wear, we also didn’t perceive any difference from the AirPods 4 series; both are relatively snug with low wearing pressure. For most users with medium-to-large ear conchas, AirPods 4 / 5 should provide a more solid and stable wearing experience than conventional half-in-ear forms, and they won’t easily fall out during exercise of normal intensity. Users with small ear conchas are still advised to try them on before deciding; since the two generations look identical, if you could wear the AirPods 4 series well before, you don’t need to worry about the 5.
Compared with the IP54 dust and splash resistance of AirPods 4, the entire AirPods 5 lineup, like the Pro 3, has both the earbuds themselves and the charging case supporting IP57-level dust and water resistance, a significant upgrade. They can now stay underwater at a maximum depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes, making general sports scenarios and light rain more worry-free.
Control & APP | Control & APP
Body controls on the AirPods 5 still rely on pinching the touch area on the stem, and the recognition area has a dedicated groove for blind operation. The operation feedback sounds are relatively clear and the response is quick. It can recognize single, double, triple presses, and long presses. The fourth generation cut the up/down swipe operation, while the fifth generation has brought it back; unfortunately, only the version with five-hour battery life and wireless charging supports it—truly “strict hierarchy.” Fortunately, with the AirPods series’ operation recognition accuracy and efficiency, you don’t need to worry; it is still very responsive and quite accurate, and the prompt sound volume and wear detection performance are all at the top tier of the industry.
After the iOS 27 update, you can now implement more complex function settings through Settings. It still retains features such as Personalized Volume and Conversation Awareness, and you can also toggle ear detection and personalize Spatial Audio, as well as customize operation logic, etc. Head gesture sensing still works well, and there is now a setting item for using it as a camera remote.
Right, in the version we have on hand without wireless charging support, Apple not only didn’t provide a speaker on the charging case, but even cut Precision Finding… You can only get Precision Finding by buying the wireless charging version priced at 1149 yuan. So for the 999 version, its assisted-finding prompt sound relies entirely on the earbuds. When outside the case, this volume is actually okay—it’s relatively easy to notice in a quiet room—but in slightly noisier places it’s hard to say (though still louder than most other brands’ earbuds that rely on the earbuds to make sound for assisted finding). When placed inside the case, this volume is basically of no practical use.
ANC, Transparency & Call | ANC, Transparency & Call
Compared with AirPods 4, the cavity appearance of AirPods 5 has no obvious changes, but the internal structure has some changes. Coupled with the characteristic that half-in-ear designs cannot truly couple stably with the ear concha, we can broadly judge that the passive isolation capability of the two generations is actually similar, but under similar wearing conditions, the 5 will have slightly less high-frequency noise than the 4.
As a half-in-ear ANC earphone, the various active noise cancellation-related mode options provided by AirPods 5 are actually the same as the Pro series. After updating to iOS 27, AirPods 4 ANC, 5, Pro 2, and Pro 3 all have an adaptive adjustable-level slider. Experiencing it with ANC on, AirPods 5’s suppression of steady low-frequency noise is very obvious; even among in-ear TWS it belongs to the first tier. The reduction in the lower-midrange of vocals is also very significant. Comparing simultaneously with AirPods 4 ANC and Freebuds 7 (with Smart ANC enabled), AirPods 5’s mid-low frequency ANC advantage is very large, even approaching the level of AirPods Pro 2. Although without AB comparison, both Freebuds 7 and Galaxy Buds4 can perform well during daily commuting, they are still somewhat behind AirPods 4 ANC, let alone the 5.
In terms of frequency bandwidth coverage, limited by the fact that half-in-ear designs cannot achieve good high-frequency isolation, the ANC performance in the effective frequency band almost entirely requires active noise cancellation to participate. AirPods products with the H2 chip all have very good ANC bandwidth coverage, and AirPods 5 is the same. Its suppression capability in the fundamental frequency band of vocals is actually not obviously a tier better than 4 ANC, but it further weakens the details of vocal articulation, so in noisy cafes, shopping malls, and similar places you will perceive a further reduced proportion of vocals. The intensity of background music will also decrease somewhat. This is close to or even reaches the level of the lower end of the first tier among many in-ear models—very impressive.
Unstable coupling in half-in-ear designs also brings another problem: adaptive capability is likewise affected. Although it uses the same H2 chip, the AirPods 5 compensates very quickly for fit loosening caused by adjusting the fit or chewing, noticeably faster than the AirPods 4 ANC—almost instantly after a fit adjustment. At present, the fastest adaptation in the half-in-ear field basically comes from the AirPods 5. In terms of ear pressure, there isn’t actually much difference from the AirPods 4 ANC. Especially in environments with steady low-frequency noise such as subways and airplanes, the AirPods 4 gives you the feeling that it is constantly calculating and adapting, while the 5 is noticeably more natural and doesn’t miss some things.
In terms of wind noise resistance, the AirPods 5 is similar to the 4 ANC: after enabling noise cancellation, both produce some wind noise when wind sources blow from the front or the side, but the impact from behind is not significant. Compared with the Freebuds 7’s smart dynamic noise cancellation state, these two are not as efficient at identifying wind sources. However, after enabling Adaptive mode, the AirPods 5’s wind noise is reduced somewhat; although not completely clean, it no longer really affects normal listening.
In terms of Transparency mode, the AirPods 5 still maintains the excellent standard of the 4 ANC under the new system, with sufficiently high naturalness and conversational usability, and only a slight high-frequency attenuation. Compared with the noise-cancellation-off state, it provides more natural high-frequency compensation, without emphasizing any single frequency band. Wind noise performance in Transparency mode is very slight, which is also related to the fact that, unlike in-ear TWS transparency, which needs to act across the full frequency range, it basically only needs to work at high frequencies, avoiding the main frequency band where wind noise lies.
In terms of calls, the AirPods 5 is equipped with dual beamforming microphones. We actually made calls in a carrier environment; the AirPods 5’s call reception loudness is not much different from the previous generation, clarity is relatively consistent, the timbre is only slightly muffled, suppression of environmental noise is still fairly obvious, and the intervention is also fairly easy to perceive. In terms of call wind noise resistance, perhaps due to the initial firmware? At present, with wind sources from the side and from behind, there is still a fairly obvious wind noise impact, a gap compared with the AirPods 4 under the current firmware and with the Freebuds 7, and further optimization is needed.
The AirPods 5’s various noise cancellation capabilities go a step further on the already excellent 4 ANC foundation, doing better in low-frequency noise cancellation depth, mid-to-high-frequency depth, and adaptive optimization. Compared with the recent Freebuds 7, which still shows slight high-frequency noise increase, the last two generations of AirPods half-in-ear models still have some advantages. The AirPods 5’s overall noise cancellation performance is still the strongest model among current half-in-ear noise-cancelling earphones, and is even better than many first-tier in-ear TWS in frequency bandwidth coverage, adaptive capability, and transparency performance, but its call wind noise resistance still needs further optimization. It can still enter the In-Ear Skyline Level of the TDS Noise Cancellation Comprehensive Capability Pyramid, ranking higher than the AirPods 4 ANC, but there are still some in-ear models that take priority ahead of it.
One additional note: the current half-in-ear noise cancellation landscape is basically that the AirPods 5 and 4 ANC are in the first tier, the Freebuds 7 in the second tier, at most plus the Galaxy Buds4, and almost all other currently produced mid-to-high-end models are not in a usable state. You can still have a psychological expectation when purchasing such devices.
Connection & Battery
With Bluetooth 5.3 and basic codecs, we believe the AirPods 5 should not have problems with basic signal stability. Connecting to the standard test devices iPhone 17 and Xperia 1 V, with WLAN on or off, stuttering and packet loss are very unlikely in the near field; packet loss begins to appear through a wall at a distance of about 11m, and stuttering problems begin to appear beyond 12m. Basically, it can be said that AAC signal stability is fairly excellent in conventional environments.
When switching between Apple ecosystem devices, the AirPods 5 still offers very high smoothness, so there is no need to worry about any reduction in this respect. In terms of latency, we connected to the iPhone 17 using the AAC codec in the default state and watched streaming video and local video; latency was roughly controlled to less than half a character at normal speech rate, similar to the AirPods Pro 2/3 and AirPods 4 ANC, all maintaining very good in-ecosystem latency control.
In terms of battery life, the AirPods 5’s official rated battery life is 4h/6h (ANC on/off) for the wired charging version and 5h/7h (ANC on/off) for the wireless charging version, and with the charging case it can reach 20h and 22h respectively with ANC enabled. Apple disabled Spatial Audio and Conversation Awareness during testing, and the specific measurement process is detailed on the official website—this has always been done well. After my own standard-process testing, based on the wired charging version, with optimized battery charging disabled, Active Noise Cancellation enabled, Spatialize Stereo fixed, Adaptive Volume not enabled, connected to the iPhone 17 with the AAC codec, at 50% volume (the iOS audio background real-time display showed loudness stable at 58–64 dB), continuously playing streaming music (Apple Music Lossless) and podcast programs (Xiaoyuzhou), the earbuds-only battery life was 4 hours 44 minutes, slightly exceeding the official description.
In terms of charging, since we purchased the wired charging version, we could not test wireless charging. The wired version can charge fairly stably at around 1.4W, later dropping to around 0.9W, and PD support is no problem. It also supports emergency charging of 5 minutes for 1 hour of battery life.
Driver, Sound Modes, Spatial Audio & Codec
The AirPods 5 is equipped with a “custom Apple high-amplitude driver” and a “custom high-dynamic-range amplifier”—in any case, a dynamic driver of unknown diameter that emphasizes excursion, plus fairly capable DAC and AMP circuits. Supported codecs are still SBC / AAC, with no unexpected surprises.
Through the iOS built-in Headphone Accommodations feature, you can achieve compensation based on an audiogram, and you can also make the previous Balanced Tone, Vocal Range, and Brightness adjustments. If you have already unlocked the audiogram feature, it is still recommended to consider enabling it, but the remaining three tuning modes are not recommended. Balanced Tone gives the mid-to-high frequencies an unnatural metallic character, with vocal breathiness too forward; Vocal Range also makes the vocal position feel too close to the face; and Brightness directly sends the high frequencies flying.
iOS 27 also supports an equalizer, but for the AirPods 5, this vaguely defined three-band “low/mid/high” equalizer is really too unusable—half-in-ear designs inherently lack stable coupling and require adaptation, and the equalizer has no scale, so it is also impossible to accurately replicate someone else’s adjustment parameters… problems everywhere. However, for the AirPods Pro 2 and 3, although this equalizer is essentially unchanged, it is still useful for slightly reducing the two ends for beginner users.
Both versions of the AirPods 5 also natively support Spatialize Stereo and Dolby Atmos, so we ran through our own Dolby Atmos testing process.
The following description is based on this scenario configuration: the standard test device iPhone 17 connected via AAC, with the earphones’ Spatial Audio enabled and scan-based adaptation performed, fixed position (head tracking off), paired with listening to native Dolby Atmos sources on Apple Music and Dolby Atmos-adapted videos on Bilibili.
At this point, the Spatial Audio soundstage is in a fairly regular state with a sense of boundaries; the lateral, longitudinal, and height distances are almost equal, with fairly accurate positioning ability, and the positioning accuracy is similar to the AirPods Pro 2 and 3. There is also sufficient information behind the head, the spatial regularity is relatively high, and there is no obvious sense of compression. The clarity of imaging is relatively high and fairly full, making it first-tier in detail clarity among true wireless earphones adapted for Dolby Atmos.
The accuracy and speed of head tracking remain quite excellent; the AirPods 5 is still a qualified tool for listening to Dolby Atmos sources, meeting our expectations, and the full Dolby chain within the Apple ecosystem is still quite usable.
Sound Description
Results obtained based on connection to the iPhone 17 with the AAC codec, with Adaptive Volume not enabled, Headphone Accommodations off, and Spatialize Stereo/Spatial Audio off. Based on system version iOS 27, AirPods firmware version 9A350.
The low-frequency quantity is slightly on the higher side, with fairly substantial thickness and a certain fullness. Elasticity is average, and sub-bass extension is decent. Attack and decay are not particularly fast, retaining a mild amount of reverberation. The sense of atmosphere and bloom is moderate, with relatively high richness. In its default state, the AirPods 5 has a fairly heavy, thick-leaning low-frequency presentation, which is clearly different from the two-ended lift of the AirPods 4 series; the AirPods 5’s handling is more like what some Extra Bass headphones do. This thick lower end appearing in a half-in-ear earphone gives it a more prominent low-frequency presentation for hip-hop and some trap and bass-driven dance-pop, but the overall balance is greatly affected. Instruments whose fundamental lies in the mid-low range also lean slightly forward.
Midrange: vocal distance is moderate, mouth size is moderate, and refinement is not noticeably emphasized. For vocal texture, the presentation is slightly prioritized over line definition; the prominence of line definition is not high, and thickness cannot be said to be clearly lacking, but the upper range indeed lacks a bit of force. The bias between male and female voices is not obvious; it suits voices with more energy, otherwise there is a slight sense of not being sufficiently forward. Graininess is somewhat smoothed. It is hard to say whether it leans warm or cool, but the upper range does have an indescribable oddness, as if an attempt was made to add a bit of brightness to the timbre, yet unlike typical bright-vocal tunings it does not simultaneously emphasize line definition; the vocal fundamental is actually fairly smooth. The solidity of the imaging is somewhat insufficient, making vocals in some tracks (especially those with complex arrangements and more mid-high energy) recede and sound a bit blurry. Throat position is not high, and the proportion of breathiness is moderate. Details such as mouth sounds are somewhat suppressed overall but not completely flattened, still slightly protruding, and sibilance is not abundant. The transparency of the vocal frequency band is average, with a mild sense of brightening.
For instruments, most also prioritize texture slightly over line definition. Among string instruments, the prominence of bowing and plucking details on violin, viola, guitar, etc. is somewhat suppressed, and cohesion is average. The body of the cello is also a bit diffuse, slightly oversized in proportion within the space. Brass instruments have a lot of grandeur but are somewhat heavy; trumpets and the like that need brightness have a mildly prominent upper range, while the attack is not obvious. The airiness of woodwinds is slightly thickened, and naturalness is not very high. Instrumental overtones also have a slightly contracted feel, though the quantity is actually not small. Among percussion instruments, the kick has strong presence but is diffuse, and the snare does not decay quickly. Cymbals overall have average brightness, with metallic character and harshness somewhat controlled, only mildly perceptible.
Overall high-frequency brightness is not high, and there are no overly prominent high-Q peaks, but there always seems to be a bit of roughness; the texture is not completely smooth. Ultra-high-frequency extension is average, rolling off somewhat early but not excessively fast.
The soundstage size is actually just average; horizontal and vertical distances are similar but neither is far, and the sense of boundary seems more diffuse than the fourth generation. Combined with an average “sense of height,” the AirPods 5’s soundstage is a slightly flattened sphere. Separation between vocals and instruments is so-so, and overall cohesion is okay. Resolution capability is similar to the fourth generation; the amount of information is not bad, and the “sense of resolution” is intentionally suppressed. Dynamics are okay, transients average.
Compared with the AirPods 5, the Freebuds 7’s default tuning, although also pop-leaning, has more solid low-frequency energy and vocal texture. By the way, since the Freebuds 7 was mentioned, we actually suggest you try its “Yuezhang Vocal” mode, which offers a better sense of atmosphere and mid-high transparency while still maintaining good mid-low thickness—altogether more pleasant to listen to than this balanced [tuning] and the AirPods 5’s default tuning. We have also prepared an EQ fine-tuning setting for Freebuds 7 users, see the image below.
Summary and Evaluation | Overall Impression
Over this month of use, my feelings about the AirPods 5 are actually similar to those of many launch-day media: the noise cancellation leaves nothing to criticize in any respect, but battery life and sound tuning are two areas that still make it hard for us to recommend it with full confidence. So the conclusion is simple: if you just need a half-in-ear ANC TWS, the AirPods 5 is undoubtedly the most functionally complete choice at present, and the price is relatively reasonable, but do not place too much hope in its sound performance—unless a subsequent firmware update can adjust it, or you only use it as a tool for watching videos and listening to podcasts, or only use it in noisy outdoor environments, in which case it is fine.
As for the claim that the AirPods 5, as a half-in-ear ANC earphone, can compete with some in-ear flagships—I partly agree, but the fact that half-in-ear designs lack a tight, stable coupling will still bring some discomfort during exercise, chewing, and similar states; no matter how fast the adaptive convergence is, it is currently hard to completely avoid this. Even the best half-in-ear ANC is ultimately different. I hope Apple rethinks its philosophy on earphone tuning; honestly, it would be good if they could at least clearly articulate what their new goals for the past two years have been.
KT MARK of the models involved in this article under the market context at the time:
Apple AirPods 5: IV (Recommend)
Noise Cancellation Comprehensive Capability Pyramid | TDS ANC Pyramid:
Apple AirPods 5: In-Ear Skyline Level
Firmware versions:
Apple AirPods 5: 9A350
Apple AirPods 4 ANC: 9A348
For the KT MARK scoring mechanism and the conflict-of-interest “non-interference evaluation principle,” please search for “TDS Studio Scoring Standards and Content Description V202502”; it can be searched directly in mainstream search engines.
KingTsui, TDS Studio.
Nov 2026
It’s a TDS production.
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