Apple now sells earbuds in three shapes, and the shape decides the purchase before the price does. If a silicone tip sealing your ear canal bothers you, AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case at $149 is the best open-ear set Apple makes. If it does not bother you, AirPods Pro 3 at $249 is the buy, because the sealed design is what carries the hearing features and the longer battery ratings.
Apple’s four AirPods prices are $129, $149, $249 and $549. The first two are the same open-ear earbud with different cases, the third is the sealed in-ear set, and the fourth is over-ear. Every figure below is Apple’s own, from the spec pages, the AirPods compare page and the September 9 press release.
Key facts across Apple’s three shapes
| AirPods 5, $129 | AirPods 5 Wireless Charging Case, $149 | AirPods Pro 3, $249 | AirPods Max 2, $549 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shape | Open-ear | Open-ear | Sealed in-ear | Over-ear |
| Ear tips in the box | None | None | Five silicone sizes | Not applicable |
| Chip | H2 | H2 | H2 plus a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip in the case | H2 in each ear cup |
| Listening, noise cancelling on | Up to 4 hours | Up to 5 hours | Up to 8 hours | Up to 20 hours |
| Total with the case | Up to 20 hours | Up to 22 hours | Up to 24 hours | Case has no battery |
| Water and dust | IP57 | IP57 | IP57 | IPX4 on Apple’s compare page |
| Weight | 4.3 g per bud | 4.3 g per bud | 5.55 g per bud | 386.2 g on Apple’s compare page |
| Case charging | USB-C only | USB-C, Apple Watch charger, Qi | MagSafe, Apple Watch charger, Qi, USB-C | Smart Case, no charging |
Open-ear: what $129 and $149 actually differ on
The two AirPods 5 models are the same earbud. Both use the H2 chip, weigh 4.3 g each, are rated IP57 and measure 30.2 by 18.3 by 18.1 mm, and Apple’s noise cancellation claim covers both: up to 1.5 times more Active Noise Cancellation than the previous generation, and what Apple calls the industry’s best Active Noise Cancellation in an open-ear design.
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The $20 buys four things: a case that charges over Qi and an Apple Watch charger as well as USB-C, a speaker in the case for Find My, a force sensor with volume swipe, and one extra hour of playback. That battery split is the figure most people get wrong. Five hours with noise cancelling on and 22 hours with the case belong to the $149 Wireless Charging Case model, while the standard $129 model is rated at four hours and 20 hours.
The catch is the qualifier inside Apple’s own claim. Apple’s best-in-class wording stops at open-ear designs, no decibel figure is published for any AirPods, and neither model ships with ear tips, so the amount of noise the earbud blocks before the electronics start work is not something Apple quantifies.
Sealed: what the $249 set adds
| Feature | AirPods 5 at $129 or $149 | AirPods Pro 3 at $249 |
|---|---|---|
| Hearing Test | No | Yes |
| Hearing Aid feature | No | Yes, Apple describes it as FDA-authorized |
| Hearing Protection | No | Yes |
| Automatic Conversation Boost | No | Yes |
| Heart rate sensor for workouts | No | Yes |
| Transparency with the Hearing Aid feature | Not applicable | Rated up to 10 hours |
| Spatial Audio with head tracking | Not separately rated | Rated up to 7.5 hours |
| Listening with heart rate sensing on | Not applicable | Rated up to 6.5 hours |
Every row in that table follows from the seal or from hardware only the Pro set has. The hearing features need a fit that holds a measured level in the ear, and the heart rate sensor is the reason Apple lists AirPods Pro 3 as an accepted source for a VO2 max reading in the new movement evaluations alongside Apple Watch, and as the AirPods that can sync heart rate with compatible gym equipment through GymKit. Apple’s compare page also places Pro 3 above AirPods 5 for noise cancellation, at up to three times more, though that multiplier appears in the compare wording rather than on the spec sheet.
The catches are size and price. Pro 3 buds are 5.55 g against 4.3 g, the case is 43.99 g against 32.3 g, and $249 is $100 more than the dearer AirPods 5. Neither set includes a USB-C cable in the box.
Over-ear at $549, and the rows Apple has not confirmed
AirPods Max 2 sits at $549 with an H2 chip in each ear cup and a rating of up to 20 hours of listening with noise cancelling on. Its Smart Case holds no battery, which is the structural difference from the earbuds: there is no top-up in your pocket. Apple’s compare page lists IPX4 and 386.2 g, and those two figures come from the compare page rather than a full spec sheet, so treat them as such.
The honest position on this tier is that Apple publishes less about it than about the earbuds. The Max rows we could read were not independently verified against a product spec page, so we are not quoting further numbers for it.
The verdict
Buy AirPods Pro 3 at $249 unless a sealed tip is the thing you dislike about earbuds. It is rated for twice the noise-cancelling playback of the $129 AirPods 5, it is the only set with the hearing features and a heart rate sensor, and its case charges on every standard Apple has. If a seal is out, buy the $149 AirPods 5 rather than the $129 one, because the extra hour, the wireless charging and the findable case are worth more than $20. Buy AirPods Max 2 at $549 only if you want over-ear and accept a case with no battery. All of them arrive alongside the September 9 lineup.
What has not been confirmed
- Any decibel figure for noise cancellation on any AirPods model.
- Talk time for any AirPods model, which Apple does not list on the spec pages we read.
- AirPods 5 colors, which Apple’s spec page does not list.
- A full spec sheet for AirPods Max 2 beyond the compare-page rows.
AirPods 5 reach stores on Friday, September 18. Live Translation, Siri AI and the Custom EQ controls need a device on the latest software, and iOS 27 ships free on Monday, September 14.
