Several of the features Apple advertises on AirPods exist on exactly one model in the range, and one of them exists on only one of the two AirPods 5 versions. Heart rate sensing and the hearing features are AirPods Pro 3 alone, MagSafe charging is Pro 3 alone, and the force sensor with volume swipe is listed only for the $149 AirPods 5.
That matters because the products look closely related on paper. Apple lists the H2 chip and Bluetooth 5.3 across everything it sells, so the real dividing lines are sensors, cases and the shape that goes in your ear.
Key facts at a glance
| Feature | Which current models Apple lists it on |
|---|---|
| Active Noise Cancellation | AirPods 5, AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Max 2 |
| Heart rate sensor for workouts | AirPods Pro 3 only |
| Hearing test, Hearing Aid, Hearing Protection | AirPods Pro 3 only |
| Silicone ear tips (five sizes) | AirPods Pro 3 only |
| MagSafe case charging | AirPods Pro 3 only |
| Second-generation Ultra Wideband in the case | AirPods Pro 3 only |
| Force sensor with volume swipe | AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case |
| Case speaker for Find My | AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, AirPods Pro 3 |
| Live Translation | AirPods 5, both models, and AirPods Pro 3 |
Heart rate is a Pro 3 exclusive, and iOS 27 leans on it
AirPods Pro 3 is the only model Apple lists with a heart rate sensor, rated for up to 6.5 hours of workout use. Neither AirPods 5 model has one, and Apple does not list a route to adding one.
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This is not a specification-sheet curiosity. Apple’s health announcement says the VO2 max test requires an Apple Watch, AirPods Pro 3 or a third-party heart rate sensing device, which means an AirPods 5 buyer reading about that feature needs different hardware to use it.
Hearing health has never crossed into the open-ear shape
Apple’s comparison page marks the hearing test, the hearing aid feature and hearing protection as present on AirPods Pro 3 and absent on AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC and both AirPods 5 models. Automatic Conversation Boost sits in the same column.
AirPods 5 does get the accessibility and volume features Apple lists for the wider range, including Live Listen, Headphone levels and Headphone Accommodations. Those are not the same as the hearing aid feature, and Apple does not present them as substitutes.
One dividing line runs inside the AirPods 5 line itself
Apple’s spec sheet gives the $129 model a force sensor and the $149 model a force sensor with volume swipe. Apple’s press release calls swipe volume control a first for the open-ear form factor, and the $20 version is the only place it appears.
The same $20 decides wireless charging from an Apple Watch charger or a Qi charger, and whether the case has a speaker. The $129 case charges over USB-C and nothing else, as our launch-day coverage laid out.
Features that do not travel backwards
| Feature | AirPods 4 | AirPods 4 with ANC | AirPods 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Noise Cancellation | No | Yes | Yes |
| Live Translation | No | No | Yes |
| Water and dust rating | IP54 | IP54 | IP57 |
| Listening, noise control off | 5 hours | 5 hours | 6 hours, 7 with the $149 case |
| Force sensor with volume swipe | No | No | $149 model only |
Live Translation is the one to read carefully. It needs iOS 27 and an Apple Intelligence iPhone, and Apple’s feature availability page lists the AirPods version of Live Translation as a subset of the Phone and FaceTime language list, excluding Italian in Switzerland and Portuguese in Brazil.
What Apple has not said
- Apple has not said whether the volume swipe could reach the $129 AirPods 5 in a firmware update, or why the two models differ here at all.
- Apple has published nothing about bringing hearing test, hearing aid or heart rate features to an open-ear design.
- The AirPods Max 2 feature rows we read sit on Apple’s comparison page rather than on a tech specs page of their own, so several of its columns are thinner than the rest of the range.
- Apple does not explain why Live Translation on AirPods supports fewer languages than Live Translation in Phone and FaceTime.
- No firmware version numbers or update schedules have been published for any AirPods model in this launch.
iOS 27 arrives on Monday, September 14, which is the first day the Siri AI and Live Translation features can be tested at all. AirPods 5 reaches stores on Friday, September 18, alongside Apple Watch Series 12 and iPhone 18 Pro.
