AirPods 5 vs. AirPods 4: Which Owners Should Upgrade?
AirPods 5 add ANC to the $129 model and improve noise reduction slightly. AirPods 4 with ANC owners have little reason to switch.
The AirPods 5 make the strongest case for owners of the standard AirPods 4: active noise cancellation is now included in the $129 model. For people who already have AirPods 4 with ANC, the newer earbuds bring modest improvements, but the listening experience and open fit remain familiar. Sound quality alone or a small bump in noise reduction doesn’t make a compelling upgrade.
Familiar design, with ANC in both versions
Apple has kept the AirPods 5 close to the AirPods 4. Both are unsealed earbuds with short stems, use the H2 chip and work best within Apple’s ecosystem. Their appearance and fit are similar, so anyone comfortable wearing AirPods 4 should find the newer pair familiar.
The clearest hardware change is durability: the AirPods 5 carry an IP57 rating, up from IP54 on the AirPods 4. ANC is now standard on both AirPods 5 models. Previously, buyers had to choose the more expensive AirPods 4 with ANC to get noise canceling.
Apple offers two AirPods 5 configurations. The $129 model includes ANC. At $149, the version with a Wireless Charging Case adds a speaker for Find My, volume swipe controls on the stems and about an extra hour of battery life with ANC enabled. The earbuds use the same drivers and ANC system in either configuration.
Fit remains a question mark. Neither model uses ear tips, so comfort and stability depend on the shape of your ears. In testing, the AirPods 5 didn’t feel especially secure, and their plastic housing started to hurt after about 30 minutes. If the AirPods 4 never fit well, the AirPods 5 are unlikely to fix that.
Sound differences are a matter of preference
Measurements show some noticeable changes between the AirPods 4 with ANC and AirPods 5, but they don’t point to a clear winner. Both have less deep bass than the reviewer’s preferred response curve, with the AirPods 5 measuring weaker in the bass. The AirPods 4 produce more output around 2–3kHz, while the AirPods 5 have less strength at the highest treble frequencies.
Those results come with caveats. An open fit means the sound can vary considerably depending on how each earbud sits in your ear. The AirPods 5 also adjust their sound with listening volume through LDEQ, so one measurement can’t represent every listening situation. For devices running iOS 27, Apple’s three-band EQ offers small adjustments to bass, mids and treble.
The reviewer’s MDAQS results reinforce the point: AirPods 5 scored 3.7 out of 5, compared with 3.6 for AirPods 4 with ANC. That gap is too small to make sound quality a good reason to upgrade. The AirPods 5 sound different; whether that sounds better depends on your ears and preferences.
ANC improves, but the open fit still limits it
In testing, the AirPods 5 reduced the perceived loudness of outside noise by an average of 59%, versus 53% for the AirPods 4 with ANC. That’s a six-percentage-point gain. The newer earbuds generally performed better across frequencies, though the size of the difference varied.
Neither pair creates a seal, and both struggle to block lower-frequency noise. Fit also affects how much outside sound gets through. That makes the ANC improvement useful but limited for current AirPods 4 with ANC owners. The bigger step is for standard AirPods 4 users: the $129 AirPods 5 add ANC at a lower price than Apple charged for AirPods 4 with ANC at launch.
Consider the Pro 3 if noise blocking comes first
AirPods Pro 3 take a different approach, using foam-infused silicone ear tips to seal the ear. That fit provides much better isolation, especially against the low-frequency sounds that the AirPods 4 and AirPods 5 don’t block well. If reducing outside noise is your priority, the Pro 3 are the stronger option.
Ear tips aren’t comfortable for everyone, though. People who dislike a sealed fit may prefer the open design of the AirPods 5, even with its weaker isolation. The model numbers don’t indicate a simple upgrade path: AirPods 5 are Apple’s unsealed earbuds, while AirPods Pro 3 serve listeners who want a sealed fit.
For AirPods 4 with ANC owners, the AirPods 5 offer too little change in sound and noise reduction to justify switching on those grounds alone. Standard AirPods 4 owners who want ANC have a clearer reason to consider the $129 model. And if a secure, comfortable fit is already a struggle, trying the earbuds before buying matters more than the new rating or chip.
