# AirPods 5: cheaper, and finally with volume swipes

> Apple cut $30, added stem volume control, and made the best open-ear buds it has shipped.
- Title: AirPods 5: cheaper, and finally with volume swipes · The Verge
- Summary: Apple cut $30, added stem volume control, and made the best open-ear buds it has shipped. Pay the extra $20 for the wireless charging case model, and skip…
- Keywords: airpods, apple, earbuds, audio, reviews, technology, culture, cheaper, finally, volume, swipes, The Verge
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/tech/995273/airpods-5-wireless-charging-case-review
- Author: John Higgins
- Published: 2026-09-15T13:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: airpods, apple, earbuds, audio, reviews, technology, culture
## A rare price drop
The $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case cost $30 less than the AirPods 4 with ANC they replace, while adding better noise cancellation.

> Apple has never made wireless earbuds that offer as much for so little.
## Same shell, new insides
They look identical to the AirPods 4 from the outside. The changes are all internal: reworked acoustic architecture inspired by the AirPods Pro 3.
## Both models get ANC
Last year only one AirPods 4 had noise cancellation. Now both AirPods 5 models include ANC, adaptive audio, transparency, live translation, and an IP57 rating.
## Volume on the stem
Swipe volume control arrives on non-Pro AirPods for the first time. Leaving your phone in your pocket finally works the way wireless earbuds promised.

> omitting volume control on the earbuds themselves defeats the purpose
## Skip the $129 pair
The base model drops wireless charging, volume swipes, and an hour of battery to save $20. At that gap, the reviewer can't see why it exists.

> I wouldn't even bother with the less expensive AirPods 5.
## Denser mesh, quieter world
Apple claims up to 50 percent better ANC than the AirPods 4. Denser port mesh adds passive attenuation, audible on airplane drone and in a busy restaurant.
## Still not a seal
Best-in-class for open-ear, but nowhere near sealed buds. The AirPods Pro 3 often sell for only $50 more and isolate far better.
## Transparency you forget
There's barely a perceivable difference between transparency mode and wearing nothing at all. On a 5K run it beat ANC, with awareness and no wind noise.
## More bass, clearer vocals
The bass the AirPods 4 lacked is here, and voices sit forward instead of muffled. On the Pixies' Surfer Rosa, instrument separation genuinely impressed.

> The AirPods 5 sound better than other open-ear earbuds I've heard.
## A 3-band EQ arrives
iOS 27 adds EQ sliders that also work with AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2. The bands won't transform the sound, but tinkerers finally get a dial.
## Calls hold up
Voices sound slightly compressed on the other end but stay clear, and traffic noise disappears. A strong breeze or passing conversation slips through occasionally.
## The battery is the flaw
Five hours with ANC won't cover a cross-country flight, and case total fell from 30 hours to 22. Five minutes in the case buys another hour.
## Who should buy them
The Soundcore Liberty 4 NC and Nothing Ear 3A cancel more noise for around $100, but both seal your ear canal and neither talks to an iPhone like this.
## Key takeaway

Pay the extra $20 for the wireless charging case model, and skip the base AirPods 5 entirely.