Apple’s headphone range is down to three names and four prices, and the choice comes apart cleanly by what you do rather than what you spend. AirPods 5 at $129 or $149 are the open-ear pick for anyone who wants to hear the room, AirPods Pro 3 at $249 are the only model with a heart rate sensor and Apple’s hearing health features, and AirPods Max 2 at $549 are the over-ear option.
The range narrowed this month. As of September 10 the AirPods 4 address on Apple’s store served the AirPods 5 page instead, which leaves those three families on sale. AirPods 5 pre-orders opened on September 9 and the earbuds reach stores on Friday, September 18.
Key facts: what Apple sells and what it costs
| Model | Price | Design | Listening with ANC | Total with case | Water rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AirPods 5 | $129 | Open-ear | Up to 4 hours | Up to 20 hours | IP57 |
| AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case | $149 | Open-ear | Up to 5 hours | Up to 22 hours | IP57 |
| AirPods Pro 3 | $249 | In-ear, five tip sizes in the box | Up to 8 hours | Up to 24 hours | IP57 |
| AirPods Max 2 | $549 | Over-ear | Up to 20 hours | Apple has not published a figure | IPX4 on the compare page |
Read the AirPods 5 rows carefully, because the two models are not the same battery. The five hours of noise cancelling playback and 22 hours with the case belong to the $149 Wireless Charging Case version. The $129 model is four hours and 20 hours, and its case charges over USB-C only, with no speaker for Find My.
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The use-case table
| What you are doing | The published spec that decides it | The pick |
|---|---|---|
| Flights and loud commutes | Up to 8 hours of listening with ANC on a sealed in-ear fit | AirPods Pro 3 |
| Walking, cycling, working in an office | Apple calls AirPods 5 the industry’s best noise cancellation in an open-ear design | AirPods 5 |
| Gym and workouts | A heart rate sensor rated for 6.5 hours of workout listening, plus GymKit sync with gym equipment | AirPods Pro 3 |
| Hearing health | Hearing Test, an FDA-authorized Hearing Aid feature, Hearing Protection and Automatic Conversation Boost | AirPods Pro 3 only |
| Long sessions at a desk | Up to 20 hours of listening with ANC on | AirPods Max 2 |
| Travel and translation | Live Translation, which Apple lists for AirPods 5 and Pro 3 and which needs an Apple Intelligence device | AirPods 5 or Pro 3 |
The $20 step and the $100 step
Two decisions carry the whole range, and both are arithmetic rather than taste. The first is $20. Moving from the $129 AirPods 5 to the $149 version adds wireless charging from a Qi charger or an Apple Watch charger, a speaker in the case so Find My can make it ring, a force sensor with swipe volume control, one extra hour of listening with noise cancellation and two extra hours of total battery.
The second is $100, from the $149 AirPods 5 to the $249 AirPods Pro 3. By our arithmetic that is 1.67 times the price for 60 percent more noise cancelling playback per charge, five hours against eight, plus two more hours with the case, MagSafe charging and the hearing and heart rate hardware. If none of those matter to you, the $100 does nothing.
What only AirPods Pro 3 can do
The Pro 3 is the only model in the range with a heart rate sensor, which Apple rates at 6.5 hours of listening during workouts, and the only one that can act as a hearing aid. Apple lists the hearing stack as a Hearing Test, an FDA-authorized Hearing Aid feature, Hearing Protection and Automatic Conversation Boost, none of which appear on the AirPods 5 spec sheet.
It is also the heaviest earbud at 5.55 grams against 4.3 grams for AirPods 5, and it seals the ear canal with a silicone tip. That fit is the reason the noise cancellation figures are higher, and it is also the reason some people cannot wear them. Apple ships five tip sizes in the box, and the GymKit connection to gym equipment is a Pro 3 feature rather than an AirPods 5 one.
Where AirPods Max 2 still fits
Apple’s store lists AirPods Max 2 at $549 with an H2 chip in each ear cup, up to 20 hours of listening with noise cancellation and a weight of 386.2 grams. That is more than four times the price of the base AirPods 5, so it is a desk and sofa purchase rather than a pocket one.
It is also the weakest spec sheet in the range for anything active. Apple’s compare page shows IPX4 for the Max, while the tech specs page for the previous USB-C AirPods Max listed no water resistance rating at all, and on that model the Smart Case held no battery.
What has not been confirmed
- Apple has not published an AppleCare+ price for AirPods 5. AppleCare One is $19.99 a month for up to three devices, with AppleCare One Family at $49.99 a month from September 14.
- AirPods 5 colors are not listed on Apple’s specifications page, and talk time is not published for any current model.
- Apple publishes no total battery figure with the case for AirPods Max 2, and no carrier or retailer has published an AirPods 5 discount.
AirPods 5 arrive in stores on Friday, September 18 in the US and more than 65 countries. The features that need software, including Live Translation and hands-free Siri AI, wait for iOS 27 on Monday, September 14 and an Apple Intelligence iPhone such as the iPhone 18 Pro. Our event recap covers the rest of the September 9 announcements.
