# Noise cancellation is now standard on the $129 AirPods 5

Source: https://idevice.com/airpods-5-bring-noise-cancellation-to-the-129-pair
Published: 2026-09-15

> Upgrading from AirPods 4 with noise cancellation buys you very little. Coming from anything older, the $129 model is the cheapest good AirPods Apple has sold.

Active noise cancellation is now standard on the [AirPods 5](https://idevice.com/earbuds/apple-airpods/roadmap), so the $129 pair does what only the $179 version of the [AirPods 4](https://idevice.com/earbuds/apple-airpods/roadmap/airpods-4) could. The step-up model costs $149 and adds a wireless charging case with a speaker for Find My, swipe volume controls on the stems, and an extra hour of listening. Apple says new internal acoustic architecture and a new algorithm cancel 50% more noise than before, and that upgrade lands on both models instead of only the expensive one. Andrew O’Hara went back and forth between the AirPods 5 and the AirPods Pro 3 across several flights for [AppleInsider](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/09/15/airpods-5-with-wireless-charging-case-review-somehow-both-better-cheaper?utm_source=rss) and rated the open-fit pair the best noise cancellation he has tested on that design. Dust and water resistance is up to IP57 from IP54.

Juli Clover, testing a set for [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/15/airpods-5-hands-on/), found the sound muddier than the AirPods Pro 3 in the low mids, and the custom EQ in iOS 27 is the adjustment Apple offers for it. The $149 pair runs five hours with noise cancellation against eight on the Pro 3, and Raymond Wong’s cross-country flight landed with his below 5%. Only $20 separates the two AirPods 5 models. If you already own AirPods 4 with noise cancellation, there’s nothing here worth buying again. If you skipped AirPods over the price, the $129 pair is the one that changed.

## Sources

- [AppleInsider](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/09/15/airpods-5-with-wireless-charging-case-review-somehow-both-better-cheaper?utm_source=rss) (AppleInsider)
- [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/15/airpods-5-hands-on/) (MacRumors)