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 4 with ANC. AirPods 5 bring it to the $129 tier and, according to Apple’s press release, remove up to 50 percent more external noise than AirPods 4 with ANC did.
AirPods 5 vs AirPods Pro 3: noise cancellation and fit
The two products cancel noise in different ways. AirPods 5 are open-ear with no ear tips, and use what Apple calls a new multiport acoustic architecture, inspired by AirPods Pro 3, plus improved computational audio.
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AirPods Pro 3 seal the ear canal with foam-infused tips in five sizes, including an XXS option. Apple’s claim for the Pro 3 is up to twice the noise removal of the previous AirPods Pro; Apple has not published a direct comparison between AirPods 5 and AirPods Pro 3.
The rest of the listening feature set overlaps more than the prices suggest. Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Personalized Spatial Audio, Live Translation and head-gesture replies are on both.
AirPods 5 vs AirPods Pro 3 specs compared
| AirPods 5 | AirPods Pro 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| US price | $129, or $149 with Wireless Charging Case | $249 |
| Design | Open-ear, no ear tips | In-ear, five sizes of foam-infused tips |
| Noise cancellation | Yes; up to 50 percent more than AirPods 4 with ANC | Yes; up to 2x the previous AirPods Pro |
| Battery, ANC on | Up to 5 hours; up to 22 hours with case | Up to 8 hours; up to 24 hours with case |
| Heart-rate sensing | No | Yes, for 50-plus workout types |
| Hearing Test and Hearing Aid | Not mentioned | Yes |
| Water resistance | Improved; Apple has not published an IP rating | IP57 |
| Volume control on stem | Swipe, $149 model only | Yes |
| Case charging | USB-C; $149 model adds Qi and Apple Watch chargers | MagSafe, USB-C |
| Release | September 18, 2026 | September 19, 2025 |
What $120 more buys with AirPods Pro 3
Battery is the clearest gap. AirPods Pro 3 run up to 8 hours with ANC on, against 5 hours for AirPods 5, and Apple rates the Pro 3 at up to 10 hours in Transparency mode.
- Heart-rate sensing through a custom PPG sensor, feeding the Fitness app
- Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features, plus Hearing Protection in the EU and UK
- IP57 dust and water resistance, where AirPods 5 have an unspecified improvement
- A sealed fit that blocks noise passively before ANC does anything
AirPods 5 have one feature the Pro 3 do not: the open-ear shape, which some people prefer for comfort and for hearing their surroundings. Apple has also not said which chip is inside AirPods 5, while AirPods Pro 3 use the H2.
Which noise-cancelling AirPods to buy
If you want ANC, dislike ear tips, and mostly listen for a few hours at a time, AirPods 5 at $129 cover most of the feature list for about half the price. If you want the strongest isolation, all-day battery, heart-rate data or hearing features, AirPods Pro 3 remain the only option.
AirPods 5 pre-orders opened today, September 9, with stores stocking them Friday, September 18, in the US and more than 65 countries. Pre-event expectations are in our AirPods 5 rumor round-up, and our Apple event live blog covers the rest of the keynote, including the iPhone 18 Pro that pairs with both models.
