When I say my AirPods Pro 3 have gotten me through hundreds of miles, I’m not exaggerating — I’ve worn them for two half marathons, a marathon, and all the training miles in between.
Yet last week, Apple announced the new AirPods 5 — starting at $129, with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and sensor controls. Could these be a cheaper alternative for runners?
To find out more, I left my trusty AirPods Pro 3 at home and went for a 22-mile run with the AirPods 5 for company. Read on to find out what happened.
Here are 3 things I liked
They're much better than the AirPods 4
Unlike the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 5 have an open-ear design; in other words, there’s no silicone tip that allows you to customize the fit. I’ve always struggled to get the regular AirPods to stay in my ears, making them next to impossible to work out or run in.
I didn’t have the same issue with the AirPods 5, and they mostly stayed put for the entire three-hour run. They did move slightly when I laughed, alone, listening to my podcast, and again as I moved my head erratically to check for a bike behind me, but I’ll forgive them for both slips.
They also have sensor controls on the buds themselves, which make it much easier to turn the volume up and down mid-run without having to reach for your phone.
They’re a lot more affordable
While I wasn’t thinking about this on my run, it’s worth noting that for a free sport, running is super expensive. Before you’ve even signed up for a race, you’ve probably spent a decent amount on a pair of running shoes and a sports bra or running shorts. If you’re looking for a pair of headphones you’ll wear on your commute, in the office, and for a run, you’ve probably considered AirPods.
There are two different options when it comes to the AirPods 5. You can spend $129 and get them without a wireless charging case, or $149 with wireless charging. The AirPods Pro 3 cost $249.
The noise canceling isn’t as good, but that’s ok
A drawback with the open-ear design is that the ANC isn’t quite as good. However, when you’re running or cycling around the city, I’d argue that this is actually a positive. I could hear bikes coming up behind me, or traffic, as I ran to the trail.
Here are 2 things I missed
The battery life
My AirPods 5 were at 80% charge in the morning, but by the time I’d used them for my son’s daycare drop-off, to walk the dog, then run for three hours, they were making the dreaded low battery sound by my final few miles. The AirPods 5 promise four hours of listening time, six hours without ANC for the $129 option, five hours of listening time, or seven hours without ANC for the $149 option.
When you compare this to the eight hours of playback, or 10 in transparency mode on the AirPods Pro 3, I think I’d still reach for the latter during a marathon. That said, if you’re not running for four hours, the case boosts the AirPods 5 battery life to 20-22 hours.
The heart rate monitor
The big headlines when the AirPods Pro 3 launched were that they featured a heart rate monitor for the first time, and during our testing, it’s pretty darn accurate. While I normally have multiple monitors strapped to every pulse point, it’s a cool feature for when I’m doing a relaxing yoga class or Pilates session screen-free.
So which should you buy?
If you have the budget, the superior ANC and battery life of the AirPods Pro 3 make them a great choice; plus, with the different silicone buds, you’ll almost definitely get a better fit. That said, for $129-$149, the AirPods 5 are a fantastic runner-up, and I’ll definitely be using them when I’m not working out going forward, just probably not for my next marathon.
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