AirPods 5 vs AirPods Pro 3

Apple announced AirPods Pro 3 on 9 September 2025 and AirPods 5 a year later, on 9 September 2026, with AirPods 5 in stores from 18 September 2026. The newer pair changes what the Pro is for. On AirPods 4, noise cancellation came only with the AirPods 4 with ANC model; AirPods 5 have it at both prices, using the H2 chip and a multiport acoustic design that Apple says was inspired by Pro 3 and reworked for an open ear. Paying for the Pro now buys the seal and the extras that come with it, not noise cancellation itself.

AirPods 5 and AirPods Pro 3 side by side

Spec	AirPods 5	AirPods Pro 3
Announced	9 September 2026	9 September 2025
US price	$129 with the USB-C case; $149 with the Wireless Charging Case	$249
Fit	Open, one size, no tips	Sealed; foam-infused tips in five sizes, XXS to L
Chip	H2	H2
Noise cancellation	Yes, on both models	Yes
Hearing Test, Hearing Aid, Hearing Protection	No	Yes
Heart-rate sensor	No	Yes, for workouts
Listening, noise cancellation on	Up to 4 hours; 5 with the Wireless Charging Case	Up to 8 hours
With the case	Up to 20 hours; 22 with the Wireless Charging Case	Up to 24 hours
Case charging	USB-C; the wireless model adds an Apple Watch charger and Qi	MagSafe, Apple Watch charger or Qi
Volume swipe	Wireless Charging Case model only	Yes
Case extras	Speaker on the wireless model	Speaker, lanyard loop, second-generation Ultra Wideband
One bud	4.3 g; 30.2 × 18.3 × 18.1 mm	5.55 g; 30.9 × 19.2 × 27.0 mm
Case weight	32.3 g (USB-C) or 34.7 g (wireless)	43.99 g
Dust and water	IP57, buds and case	IP57, buds and case
Bluetooth	5.3	5.3
USB-C cable in the box	No	No, sold separately

Start with the fit

AirPods 5 rest in the outer ear and leave the ear canal open. There’s one size, nothing to swap, and each bud weighs 4.3 grams. If silicone tips have always ached or worked loose for you, these are the AirPods to try.

AirPods Pro 3 seal the ear with foam-infused tips in five sizes, from XXS to L. Each bud weighs 5.55 grams, and the case is 43.99 grams against 32.3 or 34.7 for AirPods 5. Settle the fit first: if in-ear tips don’t suit you, none of Pro 3’s other features will make up for it.

Hearing Aid and heart rate are Pro 3 only

AirPods Pro 3 have Apple’s full set of hearing features: a Hearing Test, an FDA-authorized Hearing Aid that turns on Conversation Boost automatically, Hearing Protection and Loud Sound Reduction. The Hearing Aid is meant for adults 18 and older with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, and where you can use it depends on your country. None of these features is a diagnosis.

AirPods 5 have none of these. For hearing, they offer Live Listen, headphone levels and Headphone Accommodations.

Pro 3 also carry a heart-rate sensor that tracks your heart rate during workouts in the Fitness app on iOS 26 or later. With it running, Apple rates listening at up to 6.5 hours instead of 8. AirPods 5 have no heart-rate sensor.

Battery: Pro 3 lasts up to twice as long

Mode	AirPods 5, $129	AirPods 5, $149	AirPods Pro 3
Noise cancellation on	Up to 4 hours	Up to 5 hours	Up to 8 hours
Noise control off	Up to 6 hours	Up to 7 hours	Not published
Spatial Audio with head tracking	Not published	Not published	Up to 7.5 hours
Heart-rate sensing	No sensor	No sensor	Up to 6.5 hours
Transparency with Hearing Aid	No Hearing Aid	No Hearing Aid	Up to 10 hours
With the case, noise cancellation on	Up to 20 hours	Up to 22 hours	Up to 24 hours
Five minutes in the case	About an hour	About an hour	About an hour

With noise cancellation on, Pro 3 last twice as long as the $129 AirPods 5 and three hours longer than the $149 model, which matters on a long flight more than on a commute. Apple’s AirPods 5 ratings assume AAC playback at 50 percent volume.

Cases, controls and the $20 step

The $149 AirPods 5 add an hour of listening per charge and two hours in total, volume swipe on the stem, a speaker in the Wireless Charging Case so Find My can play a sound from it, and charging on an Apple Watch charger or a Qi pad. The $129 model’s case charges over USB-C only, and Apple lists no MagSafe charging for either AirPods 5 case. Both AirPods 5 models let you answer Siri with a nod or a shake of the head.

AirPods Pro 3 come in one version, with volume swipe on the stem and a MagSafe case that also charges on an Apple Watch charger or Qi. The case has a speaker, a lanyard loop and a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, which neither AirPods 5 case has.

What you get on both

The listening modes match: Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness are on both, and Personalized Spatial Audio needs an iPhone with a TrueDepth camera on either. Apple says AirPods 5 cancel up to 1.5× as much noise as AirPods 4 with ANC, or up to 50 percent more, citing IEC 60268-24. It says Pro 3 cancel up to 2× as much as AirPods Pro 2 and 4× as much as the original AirPods Pro.

Both are rated IP57 for the buds and the case. Both use Bluetooth 5.3, and Apple doesn’t publish a codec list for either, so neither is a pick for LDAC on an Android phone. Live Translation is on both as a beta with region limits, and Find My needs iOS 27 or later on both.

One software difference: Apple lists Siri AI for AirPods 5 but doesn’t list it for Pro 3. It’s a beta in iOS 27, in English first, not at first in the EU, and not for users under 13.

Price

AirPods 5 cost $129, or $149 with the Wireless Charging Case, and AirPods Pro 3 cost $249. Neither comes with a USB-C cable. Within AirPods 5, the extra $20 buys convenience, not hearing features. The jump to $249 buys the sealed fit, Hearing Aid, heart rate, the longer battery, MagSafe and Ultra Wideband. Those are Apple’s own prices, so check apple.com and your usual retailer before you buy.