# The cheaper AirPods 5 matches the battery of the pair it replaces

Source: https://idevice.com/the-cheaper-airpods-5-matches-the-battery-of-the-pair-it-replaces
Published: 2026-09-10

> Only the $149 AirPods 5 beats AirPods 4 with ANC on every line. The $129 model carries the same two battery ratings and a case with no wireless charging and no Find My speaker.

Apple is selling [AirPods 5](https://idevice.com/earbuds/apple-airpods/roadmap) in two versions, at $129 and $149, and the difference between them is the case. Both run the H2 chip, both keep the open-ear shape that puts nothing into your ear canal, and both are rated IP57 for dust and water, up from IP54 on [AirPods 4](https://idevice.com/earbuds/apple-airpods/roadmap/airpods-4). [The Mac Observer went through Apple’s spec pages](https://www.macobserver.com/tips/round-ups/airpods-4-anc-owners-airpods-5-149-wireless-charging-case-upgrade/) and lined the two generations up. The $129 model is rated at up to four hours of listening with noise cancellation on and up to 20 hours with the case, which are the same two figures Apple already publishes for AirPods 4 with ANC.

So for anyone already wearing that pair, the $20 step up is the whole upgrade. Apple’s press release puts the dearer model at “up to five hours of playback with ANC on a single charge, one hour longer than AirPods 4 with ANC”, and only that case takes a Qi pad and carries the speaker Find My pings. We wrote yesterday that [Apple had moved the AirPods upsell from noise cancellation to the case](https://idevice.com/apple-moved-the-airpods-upsell-from-noise-cancellation-to-the-case), and the spec sheet is where that shows up. The buds have not changed shape either: 4.3 g each in a 46.2 x 50.1 x 21.2 mm case, the same figures Apple gives for AirPods 4, so the sleeve and the charger you already own still fit.

## Sources

- [The Mac Observer](https://www.macobserver.com/tips/round-ups/airpods-4-anc-owners-airpods-5-149-wireless-charging-case-upgrade/) (The Mac Observer)