Apple debuts $129 AirPods 5 with better noise cancellation and transparency mode

Apple has debuted the new AirPods 5 with improved active noise cancellation and sound quality—aiming to provide improved listening and user features at a lower launch price than the predecessor AirPods 4.

The newest AirPods will go on sale for $129 in stores starting on September 18, according to an Apple press release accompanying the company’s “Surprise and Shine” event. Customers can also purchase AirPods 5 with a wireless charging case that provides longer battery life and on-stem volume control for $149. Preorders are already open.

This is looking like a solid deal compared to the predecessor AirPods 4. The older AirPods debuted in 2024 with a starting price of $129, but users had to pay $179 for the version with active noise cancellation.

The new AirPods 5 come with active noise cancellation that supposedly removes up to 50 percent more noise in comparison with the AirPods 4—an improvement that Apple credits to a new multiport acoustic architecture and better computational audio algorithms.

Improved transparency mode for the AirPods 5 also allows users to more naturally hear nearby sounds in their immediate vicinity, like people’s voices.

The device’s adaptive audio automatically shifts between active noise cancellation and transparency mode depending on the background noise, said Dave Pakula, VP of hardware engineering for Apple, during the Apple presentation.