Choose the AirPods 5 that are right for you.

Both models of AirPods 5 deliver incredible sound with exceptional Active Noise Cancellation. Here are the key differences:

AirPods 5

Up to 6 hours of listening time¹

Up to 4 hours of listening time with Active Noise Cancellation¹

Up to 20 hours of total listening time with Active Noise Cancellation with the case²

Force sensor to manage playback and calls

Charging Case (USB‑C)³

AirPods 5

Wireless Charging Case

Up to 7 hours of listening time⁴

Up to 5 hours of listening time with Active Noise Cancellation⁴

Up to 22 hours of total listening time with Active Noise Cancellation with the case⁵

Force sensor with volume swipe to manage playback and calls

Wireless Charging Case (USB‑C) with speaker for Find My⁶

1. Testing conducted by Apple in July and August 2026 using preproduction AirPods 5 paired with preproduction iPhone 18 Pro units, all with prerelease software. The playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store (256-Kbps AAC encoding). Volume was set to 50%, Spatial Audio and Conversation Awareness were off, and Noise Control was set to Active Noise Cancellation. With Noise Control turned off, listening time was up to 6 hours. Testing consisted of full AirPods battery discharge while playing audio until the first AirPod stopped playback. Battery life depends on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.
2. Testing conducted by Apple in July and August 2026 using preproduction AirPods 5 and charging case paired with preproduction iPhone 18 Pro units, all with prerelease software. The playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store (256-Kbps AAC encoding). Volume was set to 50%, Spatial Audio and Conversation Awareness were off, and Noise Control was set to Active Noise Cancellation. Testing consisted of full AirPods battery discharge while playing audio until the first AirPod stopped playback. The drained AirPods were charged to 100 percent, then audio playback was resumed until the first AirPod stopped playback. This cycle was repeated until both the AirPods and charging case were fully discharged. Battery life depends on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.
3. Charging requires a compatible USB-C charger.
4. Testing conducted by Apple in July and August 2026 using preproduction AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case paired with preproduction iPhone 18 Pro units, all with prerelease software. The playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store (256-Kbps AAC encoding). Volume was set to 50%, Spatial Audio and Conversation Awareness were off, and Noise Control was set to Active Noise Cancellation. With Noise Control turned off, listening time was up to 7 hours. Testing consisted of full AirPods battery discharge while playing audio until the first AirPod stopped playback. Battery life depends on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.
5. Testing conducted by Apple in July and August 2026 using preproduction AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case paired with preproduction iPhone 18 Pro units, all with prerelease software. The playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store (256-Kbps AAC encoding). Volume was set to 50%, Spatial Audio and Conversation Awareness were off, and Noise Control was set to Active Noise Cancellation. Testing consisted of full AirPods battery discharge while playing audio until the first AirPod stopped playback. The drained AirPods were charged to 100 percent, then audio playback was resumed until the first AirPod stopped playback. This cycle was repeated until both the AirPods and charging case were fully discharged. Battery life depends on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.
6. AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation support wireless charging, which requires a Qi‑certified wireless charger or Apple Watch charger. Charging case also works with the USB‑C connector.