The best running headphones have to strike an almost impossible balance. They need to fit well and sound great, but also offer some awareness of your surroundings and be robust enough to handle sweat and rain.
In-ear buds tend to offer the best sound, but less awareness, while open headphones are great for staying aware but don’t sound as good, and can be drowned out when you’re running by a busy road in my experience.
Enter the Apple AirPods, which tread the line between open and in-ear, and for me offer the best of both worlds — they have better sound quality than fully-open designs and still allow for enough awareness, especially when using the transparency mode.
I’ve been using the Apple AirPods 5 on all my runs over the past week or so and they’ve replaced the Shokz OpenDots 2 as my go-to buds.
However, there’s a big caveat to this, which is the fit of the AirPods, which won’t work for everyone on the run.
I’ve run around 50 miles while wearing the AirPods 5; here are my likes and dislikes.
Like #1: The fit is comfortable and secure enough
The main reason I love the AirPods is the fit, which I find more comfortable than in-ear headphones and less fussy than earhook or clip-on buds.
I actually find that the AirPods 5 fit more securely on the run than the Apple AirPods Pro 3, though this is something that will vary depending on the shape of your ear.
The lightweight design and the fact they don’t put pressure on any part of the ear means I can wear the AirPods 5 for long stretches without any discomfort, and even when I wore a headband over them during runs they didn’t push into my ear uncomfortably.
Like #2: You can stay aware of your surroundings
I prefer to use open headphones for all my runs just to have a better idea of what’s going on around me. Whether I’m running by busy roads or in my local forest, I don’t like the closed-off feeling of using in-ear buds.
The AirPods 5 allow for this because of the semi-open design, especially if you also use the transparency mode on the headphones.
I also find that the semi-open design removes two of the more annoying features of in-ear buds when running; I don’t hear the sound of the wind rushing over the headphones, and I don’t experience the occlusion effect.
The latter is the sound of your feet pounding, which often happens when running with in-ear headphones that fully block the ear canal.
Like #3: The sound quality is excellent and the ANC is good
You can get the benefits of a secure, comfortable fit and awareness with most open headphones, but the AirPods 5 have a key advantage over them, which is their sound quality.
The AirPods 5 offer better sound quality than any fully-open headphones I’ve tried, and when I turn to my running playlist for a motivational boost during hard runs they offer more power and bass in particular.
They’re also simply a bit louder, which certainly helps at times — I used them at a busy half marathon race in London and could clearly hear my podcasts and music even in the crowds.
When the situation calls for it, they also offer the best ANC I’ve come across in open headphones, so they’re more useful for traveling. When I use the OpenDots 2 on trains they’re easily drowned out, but the AirPods 5 filter out a lot of the background noise.
Like #4: The IP57 rating
Past models of the AirPods have offered an IPX4 or IP54 water and dust resistance rating, which is enough for regular running in my experience, but the IP57 rating on the AirPods 5 is a welcome improvement on this front.
The final number in an IP rating refers to the water resistance, and while past AirPods models were resistant to splashes, the AirPods 5 can handle being submerged for 30 minutes in depths up to one meter — you still shouldn’t do this, but it gives more confidence that they’ll easily resist sweat and rain during runs.
According to Apple’s support pages this IP57 rating also applies to the case on the AirPods 5, which is handy because it means I can slip it into a pocket or running belt for long runs without worrying about it getting damaged by sweat. The fact that it’s so small also helps for this.
Dislike #1: The battery life
There is a drawback to the small size of the AirPods 5 and their case, which is that the battery life is shorter than most other headphones I test.
Even the more expensive AirPods 5 headphones with a MagSafe charging case only offer five hours of battery life with the ANC or transparency mode enabled, and 22 hours in total with the case.
The Shokz OpenDots 2 I have been using offer 10 hours of battery life and 40 hours with the case, and I’ve noticed the need to charge the AirPods 5 more already.
That said, they charge extremely quickly, and I don’t plan to do any runs longer than five hours any time soon so it’s not a huge problem for me.
Dislike #2: The fit isn’t as secure as other designs
The biggest reason the AirPods 5 won’t work for everyone is the fit. It’s great for me, but I know that isn’t the case for everyone, and if they bounce out while running all the other benefits of the design become somewhat moot.
If you need a more secure fit, then the clip-on design of the OpenDots 2 or open headphones with an earhook like the Shokz OpenFit line-up will suit you better.
The other option is to buy third-party silicone wings that fit onto the AirPods 5, which I’ve done in the past. You have to take these off to get the buds back into the case though, so it’s not the most elegant solution.
If the fit does stick for you, however, the Apple AirPods 5 are pretty much perfect running headphones in my opinion.
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