Apple's AirPods 5 start at Rs 14,900 in India, and a review from India Today Tech says they come close enough to the Rs 27,900-range AirPods Pro 3 in sound and noise cancellation that the gap between the two is hard to justify on audio alone.
The review, published October 13, calls out one specific change: active noise cancellation is now standard across the AirPods 5 line, not reserved for a pricier variant as before. Apple still sells two versions. The base model costs Rs 14,900. A second version at Rs 17,900 adds a charging case with wireless charging support and a built-in speaker for locating the case through Find My. That pricier version is also the only one with a swipeable stem for volume control, something the reviewer says won't matter much to most people.
According to the review, the AirPods 5 use the same H2 chip found in the AirPods Pro 3, and the reviewer traces the ANC gap between the two models to their physical designs rather than the chip itself. In the reviewer's words, the AirPods 5 offer the best ANC encountered in an open-bud design, enough to dampen office chatter, though not the seal the in-ear AirPods Pro 3 achieve.
Sound quality and features
The review says the AirPods 5 are, in that reviewer's experience, the best-sounding earbuds under Rs 15,000, with controlled bass and the clean, airy mids and highs the reviewer associates with Apple's audio tuning. Beyond sound, the AirPods 5 carry most of what Apple puts into the Pro 3: water and sweat resistance, spatial audio with personalised head tracking, conversation awareness, transparency mode, and compatibility with Siri's Live Translation feature. The one omission the review notes is a heart rate sensor, which it suggests most buyers won't miss.
Battery life, per the review, runs to roughly a week of buds-and-case use for a few hours of daily listening, less with ANC on constantly and more with lighter use.
Fit is where it gets personal
The review's central caution is about fit. The AirPods 5 keep the open design, sitting at the edge of the ear canal rather than sealing inside it like the AirPods Pro 3's silicone tips. The reviewer reports one ear fit snugly while the other needed readjusting every 10 to 15 minutes during jogs and brisk walks, though the buds never fell out. Unlike the AirPods Pro 3, there's no tip-size swap to fix a loose fit here, because there are no tips to swap.
The review's conclusion is conditional: if the open design suits your ears, the AirPods 5 are called a strong, cost-effective way into Apple's audio lineup. If not, no amount of sound quality fixes a bud that won't sit right. The recommendation is to try a pair at a retail or Apple Store before buying, given the roughly Rs 13,000 difference in price against the AirPods Pro 3.
RRFiled by The Reviews Roundup Desk
What the reviews are saying: verdicts on new devices from the outlets that tested them, summarised and credited to each. This desk does not test products itself.
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