Apple AirPods 5 vs Apple EarPods (Lightning Connector)

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AirPods 5 compared with EarPods (Lightning Connector)

	AppleAirPods 5	AppleEarPods (Lightning Connector)
Overview
Released
Released	September 2026	September 2016
Sound
Type
Type	Open-ear	Open-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	No
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	–
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	Yes	–
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	None (wired)
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	–
Chip
Chip	H2	–
Drivers
Drivers	Custom high-excursion Apple driver and custom high dynamic range amplifier in a new multiport acoustic architecture	–
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Up to 1.5x more Active Noise Cancellation than AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation; Adaptive Audio, Transparency and Conversation Awareness	–
Audio features
Audio features	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Voice Isolation; studio-quality audio recording; Live Translation; lossless audio with Apple Vision Pro	–
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 4 hours	No battery (wired)
With the case
With the case	Up to 20 hours	–
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	No	–
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 6 hours per charge with noise control off	–
Charging case
Charging case	Charging Case (USB-C), charged by USB-C cable only	–
Fast charging
Fast charging	5 minutes in the case gives around 1 hour of listening	–
Design
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	–	No
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	4.3 g	–
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	IP57	–
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.3	–
Controls
Controls	Force sensor on the stems (press to play, pause, answer calls and skip; press and hold to switch listening modes); camera remote; “Hey Siri” or just “Siri”; Siri Interactions by nodding or shaking your head	Inline remote for volume, music and video playback, and answering or ending calls
Microphones
Microphones	Dual beamforming microphones and an inward-facing microphone; speech-detecting accelerometer	Inline microphone
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Open-ear design with no ear tips	Non-sealing earbuds with a fixed shape and no ear tips
Case weight
Case weight	32.3 g	–
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	IP57 (IEC 60529) for the AirPods and charging case	Apple states protection from sweat and water but does not publish an IP rating
Works with
Works with	Full features with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro on the latest software; works as Bluetooth headphones with other devices, with limited features	Devices with a Lightning connector and iOS 10 or later, including compatible iPod touch, iPad and iPhone models
Colours
Colours	White	White
In the box
In the box	AirPods 5 and Charging Case (USB-C), documentation; no USB-C cable or power adapter	EarPods with Lightning Connector