AirPods 4 owners, most of you can skip the AirPods 5

If you already own the AirPods 4, you probably don’t need to upgrade to the AirPods 5. That’s not to say Apple hasn’t improved its unsealed earbuds in a few meaningful ways, but the overall experience hasn’t changed all that much.

The AirPods 5 now include ANC on both models, along with better water resistance, some changes to sound, and slightly better noise canceling. If you have the AirPods 4 with ANC, that’s a pretty tough sell. If you have the standard AirPods 4 without ANC, there’s a better case for upgrading.

So, which AirPods 4 owners should actually spend $129 or $149 on the AirPods 5? Let’s take a look.

The AirPods 5 are a lot like the AirPods 4

Put the AirPods 4 and AirPods 5 next to each other, and you’d be forgiven for mixing them up. Apple hasn’t changed the basic formula much, so they essentially look identical. Both are unsealed earbuds with short stems, both use the H2 chip, and both lean heavily on Apple’s ecosystem for their best features. If the AirPods 4 fit your ears well, the AirPods 5 should feel pretty familiar.

There are a few upgrades, however. Apple bumped the AirPods 5 from an IP54 to an IP57 rating, so they offer better protection from dust and water. More importantly, active noise canceling now comes standard. The $129 AirPods 5 include ANC, whereas previously you had to pay extra for the AirPods 4 with ANC.

Apple still sells two versions of the AirPods 5, but the differences are smaller this time around. Spending $149 gets you the Wireless Charging Case, a Find My speaker in the case, about an extra hour of battery life with ANC, and volume swipe controls on the stems. Otherwise, the two AirPods 5 models use the same drivers and ANC system.

Fit, however, remains the big wildcard. We had mixed experiences with the AirPods 4, and that hasn’t really changed with the AirPods 5. Since neither pair uses ear tips, comfort and stability depend heavily on the shape of your ears. In my testing, the AirPods 5 aren’t overly secure, and the plastic housing began to hurt my ears after about 30 minutes. If the AirPods 4 never fit you properly, I wouldn’t expect the AirPods 5 to suddenly solve that problem.

Do the AirPods 5 sound better than the AirPods 4?

That depends on what you prefer. Our frequency response measurements show some significant differences between the AirPods 4 with ANC and AirPods 5, but I wouldn’t call either approach universally better.

Both have limited bass depth compared to our preference curve, though the AirPods 5 have even less bass strength in our measurements. The biggest difference is higher up: the AirPods 4 have more output around 2-3kHz, while the AirPods 5 have less treble strength at the highest frequencies.

There are a couple of important caveats here. Neither pair creates a seal, so the response you get will depend heavily on how the earbuds fit your ears. The AirPods 5 also adjust their sound based on listening volume (LDEQ), which means a single measurement can’t represent exactly what everyone will hear.

Basically, I wouldn’t upgrade from the AirPods 4 for sound quality alone. The AirPods 5 are different, but whether those differences are an improvement will come down to your ears and preferences. Plus, if you’re running iOS 27, Apple’s three-band EQ lets you make small adjustments to the bass, mids, and treble. Our MDAQS testing tells a similar story.

The AirPods 5 earns an overall score of 3.7 out of 5, compared to 3.6 out of 5 for the AirPods 4 with ANC. In plain terms, that’s basically a wash. The AirPods 5 score slightly higher, but the difference is far too small to make sound quality a compelling reason to upgrade.

Do the AirPods 5 have better noise canceling?

Yes, but not by much. In our testing, the AirPods 5 reduce the perceived loudness of outside noise by an average of 59%, compared to 53% for the AirPods 4 with ANC. That’s a six-percentage-point difference.

As you can see above, the difference varies quite a bit depending on the frequency. The AirPods 5 generally come out ahead, but both are still unsealed earbuds, and neither does much to isolate you from lower-frequency noise.

The much bigger upgrade is for anyone using the standard AirPods 4, which don’t have ANC at all. Since ANC now comes standard on the $129 AirPods 5, you can add noise canceling for less than Apple charged for the AirPods 4 with ANC at launch.

If you already have the AirPods 4 with ANC, I wouldn’t upgrade for the modest improvement in noise canceling alone. If you have the standard AirPods 4 and have been wishing they could block out more outside noise, though, the AirPods 5 make a lot more sense.

What about the AirPods Pro 3?

If noise canceling is the main reason you’re considering an upgrade, I’d also consider the AirPods Pro 3. And yes, I know the naming is confusing. I get asked all the time whether the AirPods 5 are better because there’s a “5” in the name instead of a “3,” but that’s not how Apple’s lineup works.

The AirPods 5 are Apple’s unsealed earbuds, while the AirPods Pro 3 use ear tips to create a seal. That sealed fit gives the AirPods Pro 3 much better isolation, particularly against the lower-frequency noise that the AirPods 4 and AirPods 5 struggle with. If blocking outside noise is your priority, the AirPods Pro 3 make more sense.

Of course, the sealed fit isn’t for everyone. Personally, I use the AirPods Pro 3 as my daily earbuds and prefer their sealed fit, especially since the AirPods 5 start to hurt my ears after about 30 minutes. If you hate ear tips, you may feel exactly the opposite. Just don’t assume the bigger number makes the AirPods 5 better. They’re different branches of the AirPods lineup built for different people.