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 and the Wireless Charging Case model is $149, with both shipping September 18.
The press release focused on the noise cancellation, which Apple’s product page rates at up to 1.5x more than the previous generation, meaning AirPods 4 with ANC. The spec sheet adds the numbers the release skipped: exact dimensions, weights, the full sensor list and the ANC-off battery figures. Our AirPods 5 announcement story covers the launch; this is the spec-only companion.
AirPods 5 chip, sensors and audio hardware
Both AirPods 5 models use Apple’s H2 chip. The sensor list is dual beamforming microphones, an inward-facing microphone, an optical in-ear sensor, a motion-detecting accelerometer, a speech-detecting accelerometer and a force sensor. On the Wireless Charging Case model only, Apple lists that force sensor as supporting volume swipe.
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The audio hardware is a custom high-excursion Apple driver, a custom high dynamic range amplifier and a vent system for pressure equalization. Software features on the sheet include next-generation Adaptive EQ, Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking and studio-quality audio recording.
Noise control covers Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness and Voice Isolation. Apple’s product page calls this the industry’s best Active Noise Cancellation in an open-ear design.
Every AirPods 5 battery figure
| Battery rating | AirPods 5 ($129) | AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case ($149) |
|---|---|---|
| Listening, ANC on (single charge) | Up to 4 hours | Up to 5 hours |
| Listening, ANC off (single charge) | Up to 6 hours | Up to 7 hours |
| Total with case, ANC on | Up to 20 hours | Up to 22 hours |
| 5-minute charge | Around 1 hour of listening | Around 1 hour of listening |
| Talk time | Apple has not published | Apple has not published |
| Case charging | USB-C | USB-C, Apple Watch charger, Qi |
| Case speaker for Find My | No | Yes |
The two models do not share a battery rating. Apple’s tech specs give the $129 AirPods 5 up to 4 hours of listening with ANC on and 6 hours with it off, rising to 5 and 7 hours on the $149 model. Total listening with the case, ANC on, is 20 hours for the base model and 22 hours for the wireless model. Apple has not published an ANC-off total for either.
A five-minute charge gives around 1 hour of listening on both. Apple’s pages differ here: the AirPods 5 spec page says about 1 hour, while a fetch of Apple’s compare page returned about 1.5 hours. We are using the spec page figure. Apple has not published a talk time rating.
IP57, weight and dimensions
AirPods 5 are rated IP57 for sweat, water and dust, up from the IP54 rating of AirPods 4. That is the same rating Apple gives the AirPods Pro 3.
Each earbud measures 30.2 by 18.3 by 18.1 mm and weighs 4.3 g. The case is 46.2 by 50.1 by 21.2 mm. The USB-C case weighs 32.3 g and the Wireless Charging Case weighs 34.7 g, a 2.4 g difference for the wireless coil and speaker. Those earbud and case figures are identical to AirPods 4 on Apple’s tech specs, so the physical design has not changed.
Apple says the product is 40 percent recycled material by weight. Apple has not published color options on the spec page.
Connectivity, software features and what is in the box
Bluetooth is version 5.3. Software features listed on Apple’s pages are hands-free Siri AI, Live Translation, which requires the latest OS and Apple Intelligence, Siri Interactions for nodding yes or shaking no, Voice Isolation, Live Listen, Headphone levels, Headphone Accommodations, Find My with separation alerts and Listen together for sharing audio between two sets of AirPods. Siri AI needs iOS 27, which arrives September 14 as covered in our iOS 27 release date story.
The $129 box holds AirPods 5, a Charging Case (USB-C) and documentation. The $149 box holds AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, described as a Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker, and documentation. Apple has not listed a cable in either box on the spec page.
Pre-orders are open now and both models are available September 18. Apple has not published regional prices on the pages we checked, only the US figures of $129 and $149.
