Apple AirPods 4 Vs. AirPods 5: How Do They Compare?

Apple announced AirPods 5 on September 9, replacing both AirPods 4 models in the lineup. The biggest improvement is that Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) now comes as standard at $129, with a second, slightly more expensive model at $149 that adds a wireless charging case and on-stem volume control.

Anyone shopping for new AirPods right now might be wondering which model to pick. While Apple has stopped selling AirPods 4 directly, third-party retailers are still offering the buds, and have already started to discount them.

Amazon cut the base AirPods 4 from $129 to $99 and the ANC model from $179 to $149 the day after the announcement, which puts the outgoing pair at or below what the new one costs. Here's how the two AirPods generations actually differ and which one you should pick.

Physically, these are the same earbuds. Apple lists identical dimensions and weights for both AirPods generations, at 4.3 grams per bud and 30.2x18.3x18.1mm. The open-ear shape carries over unchanged, and neither pair uses silicone ear tips, so nothing seals your ear canal from outside noise. Both pack Apple's own H2 audio chip and offer Bluetooth 5.3, both use a force sensor on the stem for playback and calls, and both charge fast enough that five minutes in the case buys around an hour of listening.

The audio feature list is largely the same, too. Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, Adaptive EQ, Voice Isolation, dual beamforming microphones, and Automatic Switching between your Apple devices all appear across both generations. Some of those settings come switched off out of the box, and the AirPods features worth enabling manually apply equally to either pair.

Even the software experience is largely the same across both. Apple says hands-free access to Siri AI works on all AirPods, and Live Translation now runs across the entire AirPods lineup rather than just the newest model. Both these features arrive with iOS 27, which Apple is releasing on September 14. Fortunately, buying the older pair doesn't lock you out of Apple's newest earbud software.

At this point, you might be wondering what's actually different between the AirPods generations. Noise cancellation is the biggest difference. AirPods 4 splits ANC across two models, making the $179 AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation the only way to get it.

Meanwhile, the $129 pair come without ANC, Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio, and Conversation Awareness entirely. Whereas both AirPods 5 models include all those features. Apple also says AirPods 5 remove up to 50% more noise than AirPods 4 with ANC, and rates that as up to 1.5 times more cancellation, credited to improved computational audio borrowed from AirPods Pro 3. That also drives next-generation Adaptive EQ and a Transparency mode feature that Apple describes as more natural.

Durability improves as well. AirPods 4 carry an IP54 rating for dust, sweat, and water resistance, against IP57 on both AirPods 5 models. But battery life is one area where the model you pick makes a huge difference. AirPods 4 with ANC manage up to four hours with noise cancellation on and 20 hours in total with the case, and the $129 AirPods 5 match those figures exactly. The $149 model is the one that improves, reaching five hours and 22 hours in total with the case thanks to a redesigned battery. The pricier model also gets a force sensor with volume swipe, letting you slide a finger up or down the stem to change volume, which Apple hasn't offered on an open-ear AirPod before.

AirPods 5 come with quite a few improvements over the previous generation, and still cost $30 less than AirPods 4 with ANC did at launch. That's why most people should buy AirPods 5. I wrote separately about why AirPods 5 have made me reconsider buying AirPods Pro again, and the argument against buying AirPods 4 is even simpler.

Even if you can score the base AirPods 4 on sale for $99, it saves you $30 over the $129 AirPods 5, but gives up noise cancellation, Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and the better water resistance rating. That's a lot of hardware to skip to save $30. The comparison against the more expensive models makes the older generation look even worse. Even on sale at $149, AirPods 4 with ANC costs more than the $129 base model AirPods 5 while cancelling less noise, and costs exactly the same as the $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, which beats it on battery life, water resistance, and stem controls.

AirPods 4 only make sense if you'll never use noise cancellation and the price keeps falling in future sales, such as Prime Big Deals Days or Black Friday. Or if you want to spend more rather than less, our AirPods Pro 3 review covers what the Pro model buys you, beyond the included ear tips.