AirPods 5 connects over Bluetooth 5.3. That is the exact version Apple published for AirPods 4 two years ago, and it is the same version on AirPods Pro 3’s spec sheet from last year. Apple’s own tech specs pages show the H2 chip and Bluetooth 5.3 pairing has now shipped in three straight AirPods generations, even as noise cancellation, water resistance and battery figures moved around it.
Lined up by year, the wireless radio is the one line on the spec sheet that reads identically across 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Key facts
| Model | Year | Chip | Bluetooth |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirPods 4 | 2024 | H2 | 5.3 |
| AirPods 4 with ANC | 2024 | H2 | 5.3 |
| AirPods Pro 3 | 2025 | H2 | 5.3 |
| AirPods 5 | 2026 | H2 | 5.3 |
| AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case | 2026 | H2 | 5.3 |
Three generations, one radio
Apple’s tech specs for AirPods 4 and the ANC model list an H2 chip and Bluetooth 5.3. AirPods Pro 3, released a year later with a heart-rate sensor and a hearing test Apple had never shipped before, kept the identical pairing. AirPods 5, announced at Apple’s September 9 event, carries the same H2 chip and the same Bluetooth 5.3 into a third straight year. Apple’s iPhone and Apple Watch lines both changed wireless specs this cycle. AirPods did not.
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Apple’s own fact pages do not go back far enough to say when Bluetooth 5.3 first arrived on AirPods. The original AirPods and the third-generation model, both sold years before AirPods 4, list an H1 chip and no Bluetooth version number at all on Apple’s tech specs pages. 5.3 is simply the earliest version figure Apple’s own AirPods pages record, which is what makes three straight generations at that same number notable rather than an unbroken run stretching back further than the pages can show.
Two more lines on Apple’s own pages carry the same pairing forward. AirPods 4 introduced Siri head gestures, a nod for yes and a shake for no, in 2024, and AirPods 5’s own feature list still carries the identical gesture in 2026. Live Translation reached AirPods 4 with ANC by firmware update in 2024, continued to AirPods Pro 3 in 2025, and is a listed launch feature on AirPods 5 in 2026, the third straight generation to carry it. The contents of the box have not changed either: Apple’s tech specs list AirPods, a USB-C charging case and documentation for both the 2024 and 2026 base models, with nothing added and nothing removed.
What moved instead
| Item | AirPods 4 with ANC (2024) | AirPods 5 (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | H2 | H2 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Water and sweat rating | IP54 | IP57 |
| ANC listening, single charge | Up to 4 hours | Up to 4 hours |
| Case charging | USB-C only | USB-C (Wireless Charging Case model adds Qi and Apple Watch charger) |
Set next to the 2024 ANC model, AirPods 5’s water resistance climbed from IP54 to IP57 on Apple’s own spec sheet, and Apple’s marketing page for AirPods 5 claims up to 1.5 times more active noise cancellation than that previous generation. The $149 Wireless Charging Case model also picked up Qi and Apple Watch charger support that the 2024 case never had. The chip and the Bluetooth version underneath all of it carried over unchanged, the same way they carried over from AirPods 4 to AirPods Pro 3 the year before.
A gap opening with the rest of the lineup
iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo both list an N1 chip built for Bluetooth 6 on Apple’s tech specs pages, ahead of the iOS 27 release on September 14. Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 still list Bluetooth 5.3, the same version as every AirPods model on sale. Apple has moved its two newest iPhones onto a newer Bluetooth version this year without moving AirPods off the version they have used since 2024. Whether that changes the next time AirPods update is not something Apple’s current spec sheets say.
What Apple has not said
Apple has not published a reason its AirPods lineup stayed on Bluetooth 5.3 while iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo moved to Bluetooth 6, has not said whether the two versions limit any feature when paired together, and has not stated a date for AirPods to adopt the newer version. AirPods 5 is available for pre-order now, with Apple listing availability in stores starting Friday, September 18, 2026. The next AirPods tech specs page Apple publishes will settle whether the pairing holds for a fourth generation.
