The AirPods might be on track for an annual release cycle. It's worked for the iPhone for the last 20 years, and now it seems it's time for Apple's world-famous wireless earbuds to get on-board with the plan.
From the rumors and reports surfacing now around the web, it seems like the AirPods 5 are imminent. If that's the case, they'll release ahead of the AirPods Ultra (the ones with the cameras) and the AirPods Pro 4.
It's certainly plausible and, according to Apple insider Mark Gurman, pretty much a given at this stage. Here's what we know about the AirPods 5 so far.
AirPods 5: Potential release date
The bulk of the reporting we have on the AirPods 5's potential release date comes from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In the last six months, lots of Gurman's reporting was focused on the AirPods Ultra, a pair of super-secret wireless earbuds that come with an IR camera that can detect objects near the user.
That all changed back at the end of August when Gurman says Apple changed tacts. Instead of the AirPods Ultra coming out in 2026, Gurman says that Apple will instead launch the AirPods 5.
So when will these new earbuds break cover? All signs point to Apple's September "Surprise and Shine" iPhone 18 Pro event.
If the earbuds get revealed on September 9, we could reasonably expect to see them launch alongside the new phones around September 18.
AirPods 5: Potential features
The beating heart of the AirPods 5, allegedly, is the new H3 Wireless Chip. With it, the earbuds will be capable of better voice isolation when taking phone calls; better active noise cancellation; and better spatial audio.
In addition to the H3 Chip, other publications have speculated that the AirPods 5 will also implement some form of a temperature sensor that can gather important health data. It won't be at the same level of accuracy or depth as the Apple Watch, but the AirPods Pro 3 offer built-in in-ear heart rate monitoring, so it's likely going to be along the same lines as that.
It's also likely that we're going to get two different versions of the AirPods 5: one that has active noise cancellation and one that does not. This division started with the AirPods 4 and will likely continue with the AirPods 5.
In short, the AirPods 5 without noise cancelling should have better sound, but you'll need to pay slightly more for the version that offers both better sound and active noise cancellation.
AirPods 5: Potential price(s)
The good news? Having two different versions means two different price points: $129 for the base model and $179 for the version with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC).
Why those prices? That's the price of the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, and Apple's unlikely to change things up too much given the current state of the economy.
AirPods 5 outlook: Why I'm skeptical
Call me jaded (15 years covering tech will do that to a person) but, if everything I've heard about them so far is true, the AirPods 5 aren't going to blow anyone out of the water.
Remember, these are Apple's affordable in-ear earbuds. They're not the Pro Series that offers the best the company has to offer, and instead focus on delivering great value as an entry-level option.
Now, if Apple can sneak in some new features via the H3 Chip that are above and beyond what we've seen with the H2, I'll be pleasantly surprised.
But given the rumored price point and feature set, I'm not holding my breath.
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