AirPods 5 Include ANC as Standard, Pricier Variant Now Gatekeeps Wireless Charging Instead

[MacRumors]

Apple no longer charges extra for Active Noise Cancellation on AirPods, folding it into the $129 AirPods 5 instead of reserving it for the higher-end model.

Apple today announced the AirPods 5. ANC now comes standard on the base model rather than being exclusive to its pricier variant, as it was with the outgoing AirPods 4, which cost $129 without ANC and $179 with it.

There is still a pricier version of the AirPods 5, called "AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case." This model starts at $149 and includes a force sensor with swiping volume controls, an hour of additional battery life with ANC enabled, and wireless charging. The AirPods 4 with ANC were priced at $179.

AirPods 5 are available for pre-order starting today, with both the $129 and $149 models arriving in stores on Friday, September 18.

Article Link: AirPods 5 Include ANC as Standard, Pricier Variant Now Gatekeeps Wireless Charging Instead

 

[Saberon2014]

And the speaker in the case is exclusive to the $149 model

 

[Dulcimer]

What does the Pro have that these don’t besides the silicone tips? This even has the volume control.

I’m worried that silly rumored camera update will be the main differentiation which would be unfortunate and a waste of resources/battery capacity for those that don’t want it.

 

[svish]

Great to see the base model getting ANC and the wireless charging case model is now cheaper. Surprised to see Apple reducing price.

 

[woliparada]

"instead" as if the 4th gen didnt do that as well

 

[coachgq]

Seems like an easy choice if you’re trying to decide between the 2. Better battery and wireless charging for $20.

 

[JPack]

Seems fine to me. ANC is far more valuable than wireless charging.

 

[GMShadow]

What does the Pro have that these don’t besides the silicone tips? This even has the volume control.

I’m worried that silly rumored camera update will be the main differentiation which would be unfortunate and a waste of resources/battery capacity for those that don’t want it.

I'm assuming better audio. The Pros still have longer battery life as well, both in the buds and in the case.

 

[I7guy]

ANC vs wireless charging. I’ll take anc for $100.

 

[emulajavi]

Just for $20 they couldn’t release a single variant with all at $129??

Or even just selling a single variant with for $139…

 

[GMShadow]

Seems like an easy choice if you’re trying to decide between the 2. Better battery and wireless charging for $20.

The non ANC version of the 4 went on sale much more regularly. My guess is the same will apply here - the wireless charging model will stay around $149 while the base will dip to sub $100 by Black Friday.

 

[mazz0]

Odd choice isn’t it, given Apple seem to want to push everything towards wireless charging

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

Honestly all of that for $20 is odd. It's just so close together..... i'm sure there's a reason. But just seems like AirPods could just be AirPods, not decision to make. Just all the latest and greatest stuff

 

[leon44]

“Pricier Variant Gatekeeps”
Slightly unnatural LLM phrasing, AI loves to put verbs after inanimate nouns.

 

[jarman92]

Apple over here slashing prices despite persistent high (and rising) inflation and a global RAM crisis—now I've seen everything!

What does the Pro have that these don’t besides the silicone tips? This even has the volume control.

I’m worried that silly rumored camera update will be the main differentiation which would be unfortunate and a waste of resources/battery capacity for those that don’t want it.

Looks like just audio and NC quality and a few random features like hearing aid functionality.

 

[un_homme]

Honestly all of that for $20 is odd. It's just so close together.....

See post above: The lower-end product is likely to be discounted more often. Difference in street price will be greater.

 

[ipedro]

Such an odd split of the AirPods entry tier. The confusion this causes in the lineup is not worth the $20 bucks difference.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Apple’s also gatekeeping the larger screens with the iPhone Pro Max. Also Gatekeeping the faster chips in the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. Sure, it’s essentially you pay more you get more, but isn’t gatekeeping so much more clickable? 😀

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Such an odd split of the AirPods entry tier. The confusion this causes in the lineup is not worth the $20 bucks difference.

Anyone confused between wireless charging and non-wireless charging has likely been parted from their money looong ago.

 

[alexandr]

What does the Pro have that these don’t besides the silicone tips? This even has the volume control.

I’m worried that silly rumored camera update will be the main differentiation which would be unfortunate and a waste of resources/battery capacity for those that don’t want it.

Don't confuse AirPods ANC with AirPods Pro ANC. 🙂

 

[alexandr]

I can't believe  goes back to a non-wireless charging case, this is so second gen)))

 

[hieranonymous]

“Gatekeeps” is a weird word to use in this context. Wireless charging increases Apple’s component costs. Are its suppliers gatekeeping too?

 

[Dulcimer]

Don't confuse AirPods ANC with AirPods Pro ANC. 🙂

I’m still on AirPods Pro 2 and ANC has noticeably degraded (seems to be a common complaint). So I’m a bit skeptical the Pros have significantly better ANC anyway.

 

[PsykX]

Everyone will have ANC : this is a life changing feature.
The regular AirPods are the ONLY earphones that are not in-ear that I can tolerate and the only ones that actually work. Even AirPods Pro didn't work for me.

 

[johntw]

I can’t believe my favorite tech product ever was updated earlier than expected with exactly the features I wanted and at a lower price.