This article is TDS Studio’s 34th article on Minority, and it is still the first for all platforms.
After two years, we are back to write about the AirPods semi-in-ear model. At the 2026 Apple Autumn event, the biggest impression AirPods 5 gave us was that the active noise reduction was decentralized to versions priced under a thousand yuan, and was not limited to high-end versions. But whether there is no obvious improvement in battery life or a completely consistent appearance mold, it seems that this product iteration is not so comprehensive. After seeing the first media content later, I can basically determine a problem, that is, there is still a lot of knife skills that should appear, and although the noise reduction is excellent, the tuning evaluation is generally not high. How exactly?
We purchased the standard version of AirPods 5 for the first time, and did not catch up with the first content period. Let us see if this update, which is also based on the H2 chip, is worthy of your attention. It just so happens that we also bought a set of Freebuds 7, so this article will also mention some comparisons between the recent two generations of AirPods and them (especially in terms of noise reduction). In addition, I would like to thank reader The Boy in the Rye for lending his AirPods 4 ANC to assist in the completion of this article.
Package & Accessories | Package & Accessories
The packaging of AirPods 5 is still the same white square carton. Compared with the fourth generation, only the main picture has changed the angle, without any accessories.
Design, Fit & Acoustic Structure | Design, Fit & Acoustic Structure
In terms of appearance alone, there is almost no noticeable difference between this generation of AirPods 5 and AirPods 4. It is still only white, still has the easy-to-scratch glossy plastic, and is still a very small charging box. You can even swap the earphone bodies on both sides for charging… But this does not mean that nothing has changed.
Although both versions of AirPods 5 have the same active noise reduction performance this time, there are obvious differences in the charging box and headphone battery. The basic version does not have the speakers and wireless charging coils in the box, so it looks more integrated visually, but the functions are indeed reduced. The wireless charging version retains the box speaker and wireless charging coil on the 4 ANC. The box body feels exactly the same when opening the lid, with slight elastic feedback. There are some changes in the workmanship details of the USB-C port, please see the picture for details. Pairing is still done by tapping the front twice, and the hidden LED lights are exactly the same.
The headphone body is still quite stable in the box, but the inconvenient removal that has existed since the fourth generation has also continued. If you have thick fingers like me, you need to get used to this process. The earphones have a typical short-handled pods style, and are no different in appearance from the fourth generation. However, according to Apple’s press conference, there should be a new structure in the inner cavity to improve the ventilation of the unit. It is still the same relatively full long oblate cavity as the fourth generation, which is stretched longitudinally, and the opening position is still offset, rather than the more regular opening used in the AirPods 3 era (and most current semi-in-ear TWS). When worn properly, sound leakage and air leakage are better controlled.
In actual wearing, we did not notice any difference from the AirPods 4 series. They are both relatively fit and have low wearing pressure. For most users with medium and large auricles, AirPods 4 / 5 should have a more solid and stable wearing experience than the conventional semi-in-ear form, and they will not fall off easily during regular-intensity exercise. Users with small auricles are still advised to try them on before making a decision. Since the appearance of the two generations is the same, if you have been able to wear AirPods 4 series before, you don’t have to worry about 5.
Compared with AirPods 4, which is IP54 dust-proof and splash-proof, the entire AirPods 5 series, like the Pro 3, supports IP57 dust-proof and splash-proof earphones and the charging box, which is a significant upgrade. Now they can stay underwater up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes, making them more secure to use in general sports scenes and light rain.
Operation and software functions | Control & APP
The body operation of AirPods 5 still relies on the touch area of the handle, and the identification area has a special groove for blind operation. The operation feedback sound is relatively clear and the response is quick. Can recognize single, double, triple press and long press operations. The fourth generation eliminated the up and down sliding operation, while the fifth generation added it back. Unfortunately, only the version with five hours of battery life and wireless charging supports it. It is really “strictly hierarchical”. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about the operation recognition accuracy and recognition efficiency of the AirPods series. It is still very easy to follow and quite accurate. The sound volume and wear recognition performance are at the top level of the first echelon in the industry.
After the iOS 27 update, you can now achieve more complex function settings through settings. It still retains functions such as personalized volume and dialogue perception. You can also turn on and off human ear detection and personalize spatial audio, and customize operation logic. The head movement sensing performance is still easy to use, and there are now settings for using it as a camera remote control.
Yes, in the version we have without wireless charging support, Apple not only does not provide a speaker on the charging box, but even accurate search is castrated… You can only get accurate search by purchasing the wireless charging version priced at 1,149 yuan. So as for the 999 version, the sound to assist search is all emitted by the earphones. When outside the box, the volume is actually not bad. It can be easily detected in a quiet room, but it is difficult to say in a slightly noisy place (but it is still louder than most other brands of earphones that rely on earphones to assist search). When placed in the box, this volume is basically useless.
Noise reduction/transparency/call | ANC, Transparency & Call
Compared with AirPods 4, the appearance of the cavity of AirPods 5 has not changed significantly, but there are some changes in the internal structure. In addition, the semi-in-ear cannot truly couple with the auricle stably. We can generally judge that the passive sound isolation capabilities of the two generations of products are actually similar. However, when the wearing status is similar, the 5 will have slightly less high-frequency noise than the 4.
As semi-in-ear noise-canceling headphones, AirPods 5 offers the same active noise-canceling related mode options as the Pro series. After updating to iOS 27, AirPods 4 ANC, 5, Pro 2, and Pro 3 all have adaptive adjustable gear sliders. We experienced it with noise reduction turned on. AirPods 5’s suppression of stable low-frequency noise is very obvious. Even if it is placed in an in-ear TWS, it is at the first-tier level. The weakening of the middle and lower parts of the human voice is also very significant. We compared it with AirPods 4 ANC and Freebuds 7 (with smart noise reduction turned on). AirPods 5 has a great advantage in mid- and low-frequency noise reduction, even close to the level of AirPods Pro 2. Although both Freebuds 7 and Galaxy Buds 4 can perform well in daily commuting without going through ab, they are still a bit far away from AirPods 4 ANC, let alone 5.
In terms of bandwidth coverage, due to the inability to obtain good high-frequency sound isolation due to the inability of semi-in-ears, active noise reduction is almost always required for effective noise reduction performance in the frequency band. AirPods products with H2 chips have good noise reduction bandwidth coverage capabilities, and the same goes for AirPods 5. Its suppression ability in the fundamental vocal band is actually not significantly better than 4 ANC, but the details of vocal enunciation will be further weakened, and the proportion of vocals will be further reduced in places such as noisy cafes and shopping malls. The intensity of background music will also be reduced. This is close to or even reaching the level of the first gear of many in-ear models, which is not easy.
The unstable coupling of the semi-in-ear will also cause a problem, that is, the adaptive ability will also be affected. Although it also uses the H2 chip, AirPods 5 can compensate for looseness caused by wearing adjustments or chewing very quickly. It is significantly faster than AirPods 4 ANC, and it is completed almost instantly after the wearing adjustment. Currently, the fastest adaptation in the semi-in-ear field basically comes from AirPods 5. In terms of ear pressure, it is actually not very different from AirPods 4 ANC. Especially in environments with stable low-frequency noise, such as subways and airplanes, AirPods 4 will give you the feeling that it has been calculating and adapting, while AirPods 5 is obviously more natural and will not miss anything.
In terms of anti-wind noise, AirPods 5 and 4 ANC are similar. After turning on noise reduction, there will be a certain amount of wind noise when wind sources blow from the front or side, but the impact behind them is not significant. Compared with the smart dynamic noise reduction state of Freebuds 7, these two are not as efficient in identifying wind sources. However, after turning on adaptation, the wind noise of AirPods 5 will be reduced. Although it is not completely clean, it will not affect normal listening.
In terms of transparency mode, AirPods 5 still maintains the excellent level of AirPods 4 ANC under the new system. The naturalness and conversation usability are high enough, with only weak high-frequency attenuation. Compared with the state of noise reduction turned off, there will be a more natural high-frequency complement, and there is no emphasis on a single frequency band. The wind noise performance in the transparency mode is very weak. This is also related to its different design from the in-ear TWS, which needs to be transparent in the whole frequency band. It basically only works at high frequencies, avoiding the main frequency band where wind noise is located.
For calls, AirPods 5 is equipped with dual beamforming microphones. We actually made calls in the operator environment. The call pickup volume of AirPods 5 is not much different from that of the previous generation, and the clarity is relatively consistent. The timbre is only slightly dull. The suppression of environmental noise is quite obvious, and the traces of intervention are also easier to perceive. In terms of wind noise resistance during calls, maybe it is due to the initial firmware? Currently, there is still a relatively obvious impact of wind noise under wind sources in both side-facing and back-facing directions. There is a gap between the current firmware of AirPods 4 and the state of Freebuds 7, and needs further optimization.
The noise reduction capabilities of AirPods 5 go further based on the already excellent 4 ANC, and do a better job in low-frequency noise reduction depth, mid- and high-frequency depth, and adaptive optimization. Compared with the recent Freebuds 7, which have high frequencies and slightly increased noise, the recent two generations of AirPods semi-in-ears still have some advantages. The comprehensive noise reduction performance of AirPods 5 is still the strongest model of semi-in-ear noise reduction headphones at present. It is better than many first-level in-ear TWS in terms of bandwidth coverage, adaptive capabilities and transparent performance. However, its call resistance to wind noise needs to be further optimized. It can still enter the In-Ear Skyline Level of the TDS noise reduction comprehensive ability pyramid, ranking higher than AirPods 4 ANC, but there are still some in-ear models that take priority in front of it.
In addition, the current semi-in-ear noise reduction capability pattern is basically that AirPods 5 and 4 ANC are in the first level, Freebuds 7 is in the second level, and at most Galaxy Buds4, other current mid-to-high-end models are almost not usable. You can still have some mental expectations when purchasing such equipment.
Signal & Battery | Connection & Battery
The Bluetooth 5.3 version is combined with the basic codec, and we believe that AirPods 5 should not have problems with basic signal stability. When connected to the standard test equipment iPhone 17 and Xperia 1 V, it is difficult to experience lagging and packet loss in the near field when WLAN is turned on or off. Packet loss begins to occur at a distance of about 11m on a partition wall, and lagging begins to occur 12m away. Basically, it can be said that the normal environment has relatively excellent AAC signal stability performance.
When switching between Apple ecosystems, AirPods 5 still has a very high smoothness, so there is no need to worry about any reduction in this aspect. In terms of delay, we connected the iPhone 17 with the AAC codec in the default state for streaming videos and local video viewing. The delay was probably controlled at less than half a word at the normal speaking speed. Similar to AirPods Pro 2/3 and AirPods 4 ANC, they all maintain very good delay control within the ecosystem.
In terms of battery life, the official nominal battery life of AirPods 5 is 4h/6h for the wired charging version (noise reduction on/off), and 5h/7h for the wireless charging version (noise reduction on/off). When combined with the charging box, the battery life can reach 20h and 22h respectively when noise reduction is turned on. Apple turned off the spatial audio and dialogue perception functions during the test. The specific measurement process is detailed on the official website. This has always been done well. After personal testing through the standard process, based on the wired charging version, battery charging optimization is turned off, active noise reduction is turned on, spatial stereo is fixed, adaptive volume is not turned on, the iPhone 17 is connected with the AAC codec, and the volume is continuously played at 50% (the real-time display loudness of the iOS audio background is stable at 58~64 dB). The streaming music (Apple Music Lossless) and podcast program (Little Universe) are continuously played. The battery life of the earphones alone is 4 hours and 44 minutes, slightly exceeding the official description.
In terms of charging, since we purchased the wired charging version, we cannot conduct wireless charging testing. The wired version can be charged relatively stably at about 1.4W, which will drop to about 0.9W in the later period. PD support is not a problem. It also supports emergency charging for 5 minutes of battery life and 1 hour of battery life.
Driver, Sound Modes, Spatial Audio & Codec | Driver, Sound Modes, Spatial Audio & Codec
AirPods 5 is equipped with “Apple’s customized high-amplitude driver unit” and “customized high dynamic range amplifier” – anyway, it is a moving coil unit with an unknown diameter and an emphasis on stroke, as well as DAC and AMP circuits with good performance. The supported encoding is still SBC/AAC, no surprises.
Through the headphone adjustment function that comes with iOS, you can achieve audiogram-based compensation, and you can also adjust the balance, range, and brightness in the past. If you have unlocked the audiogram function, it is still recommended to consider turning it on, but the remaining three tuning modes are still not recommended. The balanced sound will make the mid- and high-frequency timbre have an unnatural metallic feel, and the human voice will be too forward; the range will also cause the vocal position of the human voice to become closer to the face, and the brightness will directly take off at the high frequency.
iOS 27 also supports equalizer, but for AirPods 5, this vaguely defined “low, medium and high” three-level equalization is too difficult to use. The semi-in-ear itself does not have stable coupling and needs to be adaptive. Plus the equalizer has no scale, so it is impossible to accurately reproduce other people’s adjustment parameters… There are problems everywhere. However, for AirPods Pro 2 and 3, although the essence of this equalizer has not changed, it is still useful to help entry-level users slightly reduce the ends.
Both versions of AirPods 5 also natively support spatial stereo sound and Dolby Atmos, so we ran it according to our own Dolby Atmos test process.
The following description is based on this scene configuration: the standard test device iPhone 17 is connected with AAC, the headset’s spatial audio is turned on and scan adaptation is performed, the position is fixed (head tracking is turned off), and the native Dolby Atmos sound source of Apple Music and Bilibili’s Dolby Atmos adapted video are listened to.
At this time, the sound field of spatial audio is in a quite regular and bordered state. The horizontal, vertical, and height distances are almost the same. It has a very accurate positioning ability, and the positioning accuracy is similar to AirPods Pro 2 and 3. There is also a sufficient amount of information at the back of the head, the space is highly organized, and there is no obvious sense of compression. The image quality is higher and fuller, making it the first level of detail clarity among true wireless headphones adapted to Dolby Atmos.
The accuracy and speed of head tracking are still quite outstanding. AirPods 5 is still a qualified tool for listening to Dolby Atmos audio sources. In line with our expectations, the Dolby Full Link within the Apple ecosystem is still quite easy to use.
Subjective description of sound | Sound Description
Based on the results of connecting the AAC codec to iPhone 17, adaptive volume is not turned on, headphone adjustment is turned off, and spatial stereo/spatial audio is turned off. Based on system version iOS 27, AirPods firmware version 9A350.
The low-frequency volume is slightly more, with a relatively substantial thickness and a certain fullness. The elasticity is average and the diving ability is pretty good. The retraction and retraction speed is not too fast, and a slight reverberation is retained. The smudge effect of the air is moderate and the richness is high. In the default state, AirPods 5 will have a thicker and thicker low-frequency listening feeling, which is obviously different from the two ends of the AirPods 4 series. The processing of AirPods 5 is more like the processing done by some Extra Bass headphones. This thick bottom plate appears in semi-in-ear headphones, which makes it more prominent in low-frequency listening for hip-hop and some dance music based on trap and bass music, but the overall balance will be greatly affected. Instruments with fundamentals in the middle and lower walls also have a slight forward tilt.
In the mid-range, the vocal distance is moderate, the mouth size is moderate, and the sophistication is not obviously emphasized. The expression of the texture of the human voice slightly takes precedence over the depiction of the lines. The prominence of the lines is not high, and the thickness cannot be said to be lacking, but it is true that the upper plate lacks a little strength. The tendency between male and female voices is not obvious, and it is suitable for more energetic voices, otherwise it will feel a little out of the front. The graininess is somewhat polished. It’s hard to say that it has a tendency to be warm or cold, but it does have an indescribable weirdness in the upper plate, as if it is trying to add a bit of brightness to the timbre, but it does not highlight the lines at the same time like some typical bright vocals. The fundamental tone of the vocal is actually quite smooth. The imaging is not solid enough, and it seems that in some tracks (especially those with complex arrangements and a lot of mid-to-high frequency energy) the vocals will be pushed back and a bit blurry. The position of the larynx is not high, and the proportion of breath sounds is moderate. Details such as drooling sounds are somewhat suppressed but not completely smoothed out. There is still a slight forward protrusion, and there is not much sibilance. The transparency of the vocal frequency band is quite satisfactory, with a slight sense of brightness.
In terms of musical instruments, most of them have texture slightly taking precedence over lines. Among the stringed instruments, the prominence of the string-plucked details of violins, violas, guitars, etc. is a little suppressed, and the sense of cohesion is quite satisfactory. The shape of the cello is also a bit scattered, and its proportions in the space are slightly larger. Brass pipes have more momentum but are a bit thick. Trumpets that require brightness have a slightly protruding upper plate, but the sound head is not obvious. The airiness of the woodwind instruments is slightly thickened, and the naturalness is not very high. The overtones of the musical instrument also have a slight sense of contraction, but the amount is actually not small. Among percussion instruments, Kick has a strong but scattered presence, while Snare is not very fast. The overall brightness of the cymbals is quite satisfactory, and the metallic and exciting sensations are somewhat controlled, with only a slight perception.
The overall brightness of the high frequency is not high, and there is no overly prominent high-Q value peak, but it always feels a bit frizzy and the texture is not completely smooth. The extension ability of the extremely high frequency is quite satisfactory, and the roll-off is a little early but not too fast.
The size of the sound field is actually quite satisfactory. The horizontal and vertical distances are similar but not too far. The sense of boundary seems to be a little more diffuse than that of the fourth generation. Combined with the decent “sense of height”, the sound field of AirPods 5 is a slightly flat ball. The separation between vocals and instruments is average, and the overall feel is okay. The analytical ability is similar to that of the fourth generation, and the amount of information is not bad. The “analytical sense” is deliberately suppressed. Dynamics are okay, transients are average.
Compared with AirPods 5, the default tuning of Freebuds 7 is also more popular, but the low-frequency energy and vocal texture are more solid. By the way, since Freebuds 7 is mentioned, we actually recommend that you try its “Yue Zhang Vocal” mode, which will have a better atmosphere and mid-to-high frequency transparency, while the mid-to-low frequency thickness is still maintained quite well – it is better than this balance and the default tuning of AirPods 5. We have also prepared an equalizer fine-tuning setting for Freebuds 7 users, see the picture below.
Summary evaluation | Overall Impression
During this month of use, my feelings about AirPods 5 are actually similar to those of many first-release media. That is, there is actually nothing to choose from in terms of noise reduction, but the two aspects of battery life and sound adjustment still make it difficult for us to recommend it with complete confidence. So the conclusion is very simple. If you need a semi-in-ear noise reduction TWS, AirPods 5 is undoubtedly the most complete choice in terms of functionality at present, and the price is relatively reasonable, but don’t have too much hope in its sound performance, unless the subsequent firmware can be adjusted, or you just use it as a tool for watching videos, listening to podcasts, or only use it in noisy outdoor environments, then that’s fine.
As for the fact that AirPods 5 can compete with some in-ear flagships as semi-in-ear noise-cancelling headphones, I partially agree, but the fact that the semi-in-ear headphones do not have tight and stable coupling will still bring you some discomfort during exercise, chewing, etc. No matter how fast the adaptive convergence speed is, it is currently difficult to completely avoid this problem. No matter how good the semi-in-ear noise reduction is, it is still different. I hope Apple will rethink their philosophy on headphone tuning, and to be honest, even if they can explain clearly what their new goals are for the next two years.
KT MARK of the models involved in this article under the market background at that time:
Apple AirPods 5: IV (Recommend)
Noise Reduction Comprehensive Capability Pyramid | TDS ANC Pyramid:
Apple AirPods 5: In-Ear Skyline Level
Firmware version:
Apple AirPods 5: 9A350
Apple AirPods 4 ANC: 9A348
For information about the KT MARK scoring mechanism and the interest-related “non-interference evaluation principle”, please search for “TDS Studio Scoring Standards and Content Description V202502”, which can be directly searched on mainstream search engines.
KingTsui, TDS Studio.
Nov 2026
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