I’ve worn AirPods since 2017, and I’m skipping the AirPods 5

While it’s easy to look past the AirPods 5 for the flashier AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2, Apple’s cheapest wireless earbuds are more attractive than ever. The base-model AirPods include ANC for the first time, and the higher-priced AirPods 5 with wireless charging adds swipe gestures, a case speaker, an extra hour of battery life, and of course, the wireless charging case. It’s a compelling package that costs just $129 or $149, respectively.

As someone who has worn AirPods for almost a decade, I’m skipping the AirPods 5. I like the idea of a basic and affordable pair of wireless earbuds, but I can’t accept the AirPods 5’s compromises. The open-ear design means the sound and noise canceling live or die by how well they fit your ears, and even at their best, they can’t match the seal of earbuds with ear tips. If you truly hate earbuds with silicone or foam ear tips, there are better open earbuds on the market.

AirPods 5 are the wrong kind of ‘one size fits all’

The AirPods 5 are designed to be “one size fits all,” because what you see is what you get. They offer the classic AirPods (and EarPods) design with a white plastic casing and a mesh grille opening that shoots sound into your ear canal. What you won’t find on the AirPods 5 are ear tips, which typically use silicone or foam to create a secure fit or strong seal inside your ears. These ear tips come in multiple sizes, helping you find the right fit.

My left and right ears are shaped differently, so I need a smaller ear tip size on the earbud that nestles into my right ear. That’s no problem with earbuds designed to work with interchangeable ear tips, but it does pose an issue with certain open earbuds like the AirPods 5. It’s the conundrum of the AirPods 5: they’re designed to be one size fits all, but one size can’t fit all.

Comfort and fit are important characteristics of any pair of headphones or wireless earbuds. So are sound quality and isolation, and they actually go hand-in-hand with comfort and fit. For wireless earbuds, physical ear tips are vital. Passive sound isolation is more important than you might realize, because active noise cancelation can only do so much. Additionally, that seal is instrumental in a strong bass response. Without it, some of the sound leaks out.

As noted in our AirPods 5 review, the sound quality and perceived loudness reduction can vary greatly depending on your fit. If the earbuds fit great, the AirPods 5 perform as well as any unsealed earbuds, besting the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4. If they don’t, you’ll be left wondering what the hype is all about.

There’s an important flip side to this. While I can’t comfortably wear the AirPods 5 due to my ear shape, other wearers have the opposite problem. The tight seal created by ear tips causes pain, pressure, or discomfort for some, especially during long listening sessions when ANC is active. This is why the AirPods 5 exist in the first place. They’re not just a budget, entry-level pair of Apple earbuds — they’re made for people who can’t wear the AirPods Pro 3 and similar earbuds.

If you’re inclined to pick the AirPods 5 for their open-ear design, it’s worth exploring the other open and clip-on earbuds out there before automatically picking Apple’s offering.

If silicone ear tips don’t fit, try clip-on earbuds

Minuscule differences in the way our ears are shaped can seriously impact our comfort preferences. It’s important that I seek out earbuds with ear tips, but it may be just as important that you pick unsealed earbuds. However, the AirPods 5 aren’t the only unsealed or open earbuds on the market. Their Apple ecosystem features are attractive to iPhone users, but for the price, you can do better.

I’ve tried earbuds of all form factors, including other unsealed earbuds like the Galaxy Buds 4. They’re solid, but they suffer from some of the same comfort and fit issues as the AirPods 5. Instead, you should look at clip-on earbuds. Like traditional unsealed earbuds, they don’t have silicone ear tips. The open-ear design of clip-on earbuds creates the same pressure- and fatigue-free listening experience you’ll get from AirPods 5, but with more security.

They’re called clip-on earbuds because they latch onto your ear lobe, and this means they won’t slip out of your ears like the AirPods 5 or Galaxy Buds 4 might. The CMF Clip Pro ($79 at Amazon) are a great option at roughly half the price of the AirPods 5 with the wireless charging case. Spend a little more, and you can get the Sony LinkBuds Clip ($229.99 at Amazon), which have optional silicone stabilizers for a secure fit. At the really high end, you have the Bose Ultra Open 2 ($299 at Amazon).

Cip-on earbuds usually don’t offer ANC of any kind, but the AirPods 5 and Galaxy Buds 4 do offer this feature. That’s the appeal of sticking with the AirPods 5, but the question is whether the marginal ANC power available is even worthwhile. Considering the battery life is below average, at just four hours rated for the base model, I think the cons outweigh the pros. I’d be much more inclined to wear clip-on earbuds, even without ANC.

AirPods Pro 3 are worth the splurge

If you don’t have a preference for open earbuds, I’d caution against picking up the AirPods 5 just to save money. The $129 version of the AirPods 5 comes with serious compromises, making them hard to recommend. ANC coming to the base model is nice to see, but the short battery life and missing swipe volume controls are dealbreakers for me. The only AirPods 5 model I’d actually consider is the $149 version, which gets you the basics. Five hours of battery life, a wireless charging case with a Find My speaker, and swipe gesture support are all included.

At $149, you start to think about whether the AirPods Pro 3 are worth $100 more. This is exactly how Apple’s product ladder is supposed to work. You opened Apple’s website to look at the $129 AirPods 5, realized the $149 AirPods 5 with wireless charging case are the better buy, and now find yourself considering the $249 AirPods Pro 3.

In this case, the AirPods Pro 3 really are the best-value Apple earbuds. That’s partially because the AirPods Pro 3 are rarely sold at their full price, which I’ll get to next. For now, the AirPods Pro 3 have a long list of impressive features, from an optical heart rate monitor for workouts to best-in-class ANC. AirPods Pro 3 can reduce the loudness of outside noise by an average of 90%, which blows the AirPods 5 out of the water. The sound is better, too.

Of course, part of the reason AirPods Pro 3 shine in sound quality and ANC performance is their hybrid silicone/foam ear tips. Those that can’t stand wearing earbuds with ear tips won’t want to wear AirPods Pro 3 for long, no matter how good they sound or how much noise they cancel out. Those with indifference to earbud form factors, though, should absolutely consider the AirPods Pro 3.

The best time to buy is almost here

At their full price, the AirPods Pro 3 cost $249. They’re almost never actually sold at that price, which is why they’re a real step-up alternative to the AirPods 5. Right now, the AirPods Pro 3 are  $199 at Amazon. All of a sudden, the AirPods Pro 3 are only $50 more than the only AirPods 5 model worth buying. They’re absolutely worth the extra cost — again, if you can tolerate the ear tip design.

The holiday shopping season is fast approaching, and the AirPods Pro 3 could see even greater discounts. The lowest price we’ve ever seen for the AirPods Pro 3 on Amazon is $169, according to CamelCamelCamel. Yes, that’s only $20 more than the AirPods 5 with wireless charging case’s official retail price.

If I were in the market for a new pair of AirPods, I wouldn’t buy the AirPods 5. I’d be watching AirPods Pro 3 deals like a hawk as Black Friday approaches, or take Amazon up on the $199 offer right now.