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AirPods 5 vs AirPods 4: What's the Difference?

AirPods 5 vs AirPods 4: What's the Difference?

Both AirPods 5 and AirPods 4 feature Apple's H2 headphone chip.

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 10 September 2026 10:06 IST

AirPods 5 vs AirPods 4: What's the Difference?

Photo Credit: Apple

AirPods 5 are claimed to deliver up to 1.5x more Active Noise Cancellation than AirPods 4

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Highlights

AirPods 5 bring a set of upgrades over the AirPods 4
AirPods 5 come with an improved IP57 rating
Both AirPods 5 and AirPods 4 have motion-detecting

Apple's AirPods 5 were launched at the 'Surprise and Shine' event on Wednesday alongside the new iPhone 18 Pro series and iPhone Duo. The new addition to Apple's wireless earbuds lineup brings several upgrades over the AirPods 4. The AirPods 5 feature an open-ear design but come with improved Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). The AirPods 5 come with a USB Type-C charging case, and the higher-end variant includes wireless charging. AirPods 5 are advertised to offer up to five hours of battery life on a single charge.

Here is a detailed look at the price and specifications of the AirPods 5 vs AirPods 4, highlighting their features, specifications, and pricing to help you decide which stands out.

AirPods 5 vs AirPods 4: Price in India

Apple AirPods 5 are priced at Rs. 14,900 in India. The AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case cost Rs. 17,900. In contrast, the AirPods 4 (without ANC) launched in India at Rs. 12,900. The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation were released for Rs. 17,900

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AirPods 5 vs AirPods 4: Chip and Audio

Both AirPods 5 and AirPods 4 feature Apple's H2 headphone chip. They have a custom high-excursion driver and custom high-dynamic-range amplifier. They also feature a vent system for pressure equalisation. They support Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. Both models offer features like Adaptive EQ and Voice Isolation.

Apple states that the AirPods 5 deliver up to 1.5x more Active Noise Cancellation than AirPods 4. They also offer Adaptive Audio, Transparency mode and Conversation Awareness, which are unavailable in AirPods 4.

Both AirPods 5 and AirPods 4 have motion-detecting and speech-detecting accelerometers, optical in-ear sensors and dual beamforming microphones.

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AirPods 5 vs AirPods 4: Durability, Siri Features

The AirPods 5 feature an IP57 rating for dust, sweat and water resistance. The AirPods 4, on the other hand, have an IP54-rated build.

Both models support stem-based controls and Siri, but the AirPods 5 offer AI-enabled Live Translation and Siri AI support. This lets users communicate across languages when paired with compatible Apple devices. Apple has added swipe gestures on the AirPods 5 stem for volume adjustment. This feature is absent on the previous generation model.

AirPods 5 vs AirPods 4: Battery and Charging

The AirPods 5 are rated to deliver up to five hours of battery life with Active Noise Cancellation enabled. The Wireless Charging Case variant is claimed to offer up to 22 hours of battery life with ANC enabled. Apple claims that five minutes in the charging case can provide around one hour of listening time.

The AirPods 4, on the other hand, deliver up to five hours of listening time on a single charge. With charging cases, the AirPods 4 can deliver up to 30 hours of listening time.

The AirPods 5 Wireless Charging Case supports USB Type-C, Apple Watch chargers and Qi-certified chargers. It also includes a speaker for Apple's Find My network.

AirPods 5 vs AirPods 4: Which One Should You Buy?

Overall, the AirPods 5 launched with several upgrades over the last-generation model. Still, both models share the same chip and audio features. Improved ANC, Volume Swipe controls, an IP57-rated build, and longer battery life are the highlights of the new model, and it will definitely impress buyers who like new features and AI-based functionalities. The AirPods 4 will still be apt for buyers who prefer to stick to the basic features.

AirPods 5 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones vs Apple AirPods 4 With Active Noise Cancellation True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones comparison

	AirPods 5 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones	Apple AirPods 4 With Active Noise Cancellation True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones
Key Specs
Colour	White	White
Headphone Type	In-Ear	In-Ear
Microphone	Yes	Yes
Connectivity	True Wireless Stereo (TWS)	True Wireless Stereo (TWS)
Type	Earphones	Earphones
GENERAL
Brand	Apple	Apple
Model	AirPods 5 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones	AirPods 4 With Active Noise Cancellation True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones
Release date	September 9, 2026	September 9, 2024
Colour	White	White
Type	Earphones	Earphones
Headphone Type	In-Ear	In-Ear
Connectivity	True Wireless Stereo (TWS)	True Wireless Stereo (TWS)
PRODUCT DETAILS
Microphone	Yes	Yes
Water Resistant	-	IP54
Weight (g)	-	4.30
Weight With Case (g)	-	34.7
SOUND FEATURES
Active Noice Cancellation	Yes	Yes
CONNECTIVITY FEATURES
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth Version	-	5.3
BATTERY FEATURES
Charging Port	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
Battery Life (Hrs) With Case Total	22	30
Battery Life (Hrs) Earpieces Only	-	5

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Further reading: AirPods 5, AirPods 4, AirPods 5 Price, AirPods 4 Price

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More