iOS 27 brings GymKit to iPhone for treadmills, ellipticals, bikes and stair-steppers, with AirPods Pro 3 heart rate and no Apple Watch required.
AirPods
AirPods are Apple’s Bluetooth earbuds. Initially released December 13, 2016, they used the special W1 chip to make pairing easier with other Apple devices, handling a common pain point for users of third-party Bluetooth headphones.
In 2019, Apple released AirPods pro, adding a fully-sealed earpiece allowing for noise isolation, cancelation, and more.
Do AirPods 4 Cases and Accessories Fit AirPods 5? Same 46.2 x 50.1 x 21.2 mm Case, Same 4.3 g Buds
Apple lists AirPods 5 with the same 4.3 g earbuds and 46.2 x 50.1 x 21.2 mm case as AirPods 4, so here is what carries over and what does not.
AirPods Case Charging Methods Compared: Lightning, USB-C, MagSafe, Qi and Apple Watch Chargers
AirPods cases have used Lightning, USB-C, MagSafe, Qi and Apple Watch chargers. Here is which method each model supports, from AirPods 2 to AirPods 5.
AirPods Battery Life History: AirPods 2, 3, 4, 5, Pro 2 and Pro 3 Hours Compared
The longest single-charge rating Apple publishes for any AirPods earbud is up to 8 hours, on AirPods Pro 3 with Active Noise Cancellation running. AirPods 5 is rated at up to 4 hours with ANC on and up to 6 hours with noise control off, rising to 5 and 7 hours on the $149 Wireless…
AirPods 5 Compatibility: Which iPhones, iPads, Macs and Watches Work, and Which Features Need Apple Intelligence
AirPods 5 work with an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV or Apple Vision Pro running the latest operating system, and that is the only device requirement Apple’s tech specs list for the earbuds. The shorter list is the second one: hands-free Siri AI and Live Translation need an Apple Intelligence device, which rules…
AirPods 5 vs AirPods 3: Same Open-Ear Shape, Now With Noise Cancellation
AirPods 5 costs $129, or $149 with the Wireless Charging Case, and it adds Active Noise Cancellation, an IP57 water rating and the H2 chip to the open-ear shape AirPods 3 introduced in 2021. AirPods 3 launched at $179 with a MagSafe case, runs the older H1 chip, and Apple’s spec sheet for it records…
AirPods 5 vs AirPods Pro 2: Open-Ear ANC at $129 or the Older Pro
AirPods 5 costs $129, or $149 with the Wireless Charging Case, and Apple’s tech specs rate it at up to 4 hours of listening with Active Noise Cancellation switched on. AirPods Pro 2 launched at $249 in September 2022, is rated at up to 6 hours with ANC on, and Apple no longer sells it.…
AirPods 5 as a Microphone: Voice Isolation and Studio-Quality Recording Explained
AirPods 5 pick up your voice with dual beamforming microphones, an inward-facing microphone and a speech-detecting accelerometer, and Apple’s tech specs list two features built on that hardware: Voice Isolation for calls and what Apple calls studio-quality audio recording. Both are listed for the $129 AirPods 5 and the $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging…
AirPods 5 and Find My: Separation Alerts on Both Models, but Only the $149 Case Can Play a Sound
Both AirPods 5 models support Find My with separation alerts, according to Apple’s tech specs, but only the $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case has a speaker in its case, so it is the only one that can play a sound to help you find it. The $129 AirPods 5 ships with a USB-C…
AirPods 5 Full Specs: H2 Chip, IP57, 4.3 g Buds, Every Battery Figure With and Without ANC
Apple’s tech specs page for the AirPods 5 lists an H2 chip, an IP57 rating for sweat, water and dust, 4.3 g earbuds, a 32.3 g or 34.7 g case, Bluetooth 5.3 and four different battery ratings depending on whether Active Noise Cancellation is on and which case you buy. The base model is $129…
How to Set Up AirPods 5: Pairing, Head Gestures, Adaptive Audio and Live Translation
AirPods 5 arrive on Friday, September 18 at $129, or $149 with the Wireless Charging Case, and they bring four features that need a minute of setup: pairing, head-gesture replies, Adaptive Audio and Live Translation. Apple’s press release says hands-free Siri AI also needs iOS 27 and an Apple Intelligence iPhone. AirPods 5 cost $129,…
AirPods Price History: How AirPods 5 at $129 Compares With AirPods 4 and Earlier Models
AirPods 5 launch at $129, the same starting price as AirPods 4 two years ago, but this time Active Noise Cancellation is included rather than reserved for a $179 model. The wireless-charging tier is $149, $30 less than the equivalent AirPods 4 with ANC configuration cost at launch. Apple’s earbud prices have held at $129…
Every AirPods Model Apple Sells Now: AirPods 5, AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3 Compared
Apple’s AirPods earbud range now spans $129 to $249 across five products: AirPods 5 and AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, both new today, alongside AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC and AirPods Pro 3. Every one of them except the base AirPods 4 has Active Noise Cancellation. That is the biggest change to the…
AirPods 5 vs AirPods Pro 3: $129 or $249, Which Noise-Cancelling AirPods Should You Buy?
AirPods 5 cost $129, or $149 with the Wireless Charging Case, and AirPods Pro 3 cost $249. Both now have Active Noise Cancellation, which makes the $120 gap between Apple’s cheapest and most expensive earbuds harder to read than it was a year ago. Until today, ANC on an open-ear AirPods model meant the $179…
AirPods 5 Multiport Acoustic Architecture: The AirPods Pro 3 Idea Behind the New Noise Cancellation
AirPods 5 introduce a multiport acoustic architecture, a design Apple says was inspired by AirPods Pro 3, and Apple credits it, together with improved computational audio, for Active Noise Cancellation that removes up to 50 percent more noise than AirPods 4 with ANC. The earbuds cost $129, or $149 with the Wireless Charging Case. Open-ear…
AirPods 5 Hands-Free Siri AI: What It Can Do and Which iPhone You Need
AirPods 5 support hands-free Siri AI, Apple’s new Siri, but the feature carries two requirements: iOS 27 and an Apple Intelligence iPhone. iOS 27 arrives Monday, September 14 as a free update, four days before the $129 earbuds reach stores on September 18. Siri AI launches in beta, and in English only at first. That…
AirPods 5 Force Sensor: How Swipe Volume Works, and Why Only One Model Gets It
AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case add a force sensor with swipe volume control, which Apple calls a first for its open-ear earbuds. The feature is exclusive to the $149 model; the $129 AirPods 5 do not get it. Volume adjustment has been the gap in the standard AirPods control scheme, with wearers reaching for…
AirPods 5 Personalized Spatial Audio and Adaptive EQ: What Changed in the Sound
AirPods 5 arrive with next-generation Adaptive EQ and Personalized Spatial Audio, two sound features Apple listed alongside Active Noise Cancellation in its September 9 press release. The earbuds start at $129, or $149 with the Wireless Charging Case, and reach stores on Friday, September 18. Most of the attention has gone to the noise cancellation,…
AirPods 5 Adaptive Audio, Transparency and Conversation Awareness Explained
AirPods 5 bring Adaptive Audio, Transparency mode and Conversation Awareness to Apple’s open-ear earbuds alongside the headline Active Noise Cancellation, according to Apple’s press release. The three listening modes ship on both the $129 AirPods 5 and the $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, in stores on Friday, September 18. The reason these modes…
AirPods 5 Water Resistance: What Apple's Improved Dust, Sweat and Water Protection Means for Workouts
AirPods 5 have improved dust, sweat and water resistance, Apple said in its press release today, and Apple’s AirPods 5 spec page rates them IP57. The $129 AirPods 5 and $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case pre-order today, September 9, and reach stores on Friday, September 18. The wording matters. The release itself gives…
AirPods 5 Wireless Charging Case: Apple Watch Charger, Qi and USB-C Explained, Plus Swipe Volume
The $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case charges from three kinds of power source: Apple Watch chargers, Qi wireless chargers and a USB-C cable, according to Apple’s press release. The case also carries a force sensor with swipe volume control, which Apple calls a first for the open-ear form factor. That combination is what…
AirPods 5 Head Gestures: Nod to Answer, Shake to Decline, and the Siri AI Connection
AirPods 5 let you reply to a prompt with a nod or a shake of the head, Apple confirmed in today’s press release. The head-gesture feature arrives on both the $129 AirPods 5 and the $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, which pre-order today and reach stores on Friday, September 18. The gestures sit…
AirPods 5 Live Translation: How It Works and What You Need to Use It
AirPods 5 support Live Translation, Apple confirmed in its press release today, placing the feature alongside hands-free Siri AI and head-gesture replies as the software additions on its $129 and $149 open-ear earbuds. Pre-orders opened today, September 9, with stores stocking the earbuds on Friday, September 18. Live Translation was one of the features pre-event…
AirPods 5 Battery Life: 5 Hours With Noise Cancellation, 22 With the Case, and What Changed
Apple says AirPods 5 last up to five hours on a single charge with Active Noise Cancellation switched on, and up to 22 hours in total once you count the charging case. The five-hour figure is one hour more than AirPods 4 with ANC, according to Apple’s press release. The extra hour matters because AirPods…