Apple is finally refreshing the regular AirPods. Not the Pro models, not the Max. The entry-level earbuds that most people actually buy.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple plans to announce AirPods 5 at its September 9 event, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and the foldable iPhone that everyone keeps discussing. There are two versions: a standard model and one with active noise cancellation. That is the same split Apple used for AirPods 4.
Price is the other half of this story. Memory chip costs are pushing the iPhone 17 up as well, so this fall could get expensive on more than one front.
I did not expect this quite this soon. AirPods 4 arrived in September 2024, only two years ago, and Apple usually stretches the non-Pro line to three years. But here we are.
Here is what actually matters: ANC is coming down to the regular AirPods line. Before this, if you wanted noise cancellation, you paid up for the Pro model. Now the choice exists inside the cheaper lineup. That is a bigger deal than it sounds, because the distance between regular AirPods and AirPods Pro is shrinking.
A bit of background helps. The two models carry internal codenames B868M and B868E, the same pattern as AirPods 4’s B768M and B768E. The M is likely the standard version, and the E is probably the one with ANC. Apple has confirmed none of this, but the code does not lie.
What about the real upgrades? Not much is known yet. The rumor mill says they get an H3 chip, Apple’s next audio processor, which should mean better sound and lower latency. A few reports mention a possible body temperature sensor. That sounds like Pro territory to me, because Apple usually reserves health features for the premium tier.
On price, expect roughly $129 for the base model and $179 for the ANC version. Apple did not raise prices when memory costs climbed in June, so there is a reasonable chance it holds the line here too.
But the camera AirPods aren’t coming
This is where I get a bit skeptical.
The camera-equipped AirPods, the ones with Visual Intelligence and Siri integration that everyone got excited about when that macOS 26.7 video leaked, are not arriving until 2027. Gurman confirmed it. Apple is reportedly running two separate camera-AirPods projects internally, and neither is ready for prime time. Software issues, hardware challenges, the whole effort pushed back.
I went through what Apple’s code actually revealed about how those camera AirPods would work when the leak first surfaced. Short version: the cameras are not for taking photos. They are for giving Siri eyes. Each earbud carries its own sensor, they capture synchronized images, and there is on-device processing so the data is not shipped to the cloud.
But that is 2027 material, maybe later. The AirPods 5 launching next month are just normal earbuds with a chip upgrade and an ANC option.
To be fair, this makes sense. Apple needs something to sell this fall. The camera AirPods are not ready, the regular AirPods are due for a refresh, so we get a modest update that adds choice without rocking the boat.
So is the ANC version actually worth it?
That depends on one factor that never shows up on a spec sheet: the seal.
AirPods Pro use silicone tips that plug your ear canal. Regular AirPods rest in your ear without sealing it. Noise cancellation is far easier when you have physically blocked the outside world with a rubber tip, because the electronics only have to clean up what leaks through. Put the same ANC feature into an open-fit earbud and it can only do so much.
It will take the edge off a plane engine and an air conditioner. It will not silence a crying baby two rows back the way Pro earbuds do.
So the honest framing is not “$179 instead of $250, same feature.” It is “some noise cancellation, in a shape that cannot seal.”
Is it worth waiting for? If you are still on AirPods from 2022 or earlier, yes. The ANC version is a real upgrade if you commute or work somewhere loud. If you already have AirPods 4, probably skip it, because this does not sound like a big leap.
The larger question is whether this eats into AirPods Pro sales. Why pay $250 for Pro 3 when the regular line has ANC for $179? My guess is Apple keeps the meaningful extras exclusive to Pro: better sound, stronger ANC, the health sensors, and eventually the cameras. But the gap is closing, and that is the actual story here, not the earbuds themselves.
I am still unsure how I feel about the camera ones. Siri seeing what you see is a genuinely useful idea. But wearing cameras on your ears is going to raise eyebrows, with privacy concerns, people nearby not knowing whether they are being seen, all of it. Apple supposedly added a status light that turns on when the cameras are active. Still, we will see how that lands.
For anyone choosing between the two new models, the math is straightforward. The $50 step up to ANC only pays off if you spend time in noisy places. If your AirPods mostly live in a quiet office or at home, the base model is the smarter buy, and the H3 chip is the part you will actually notice day to day.
There is also the timing to consider. AirPods 5 arrive alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and the foldable iPhone, so Apple is counting on a full fall lineup to pull people into stores. The earbuds are the entry point: cheaper, lower commitment, and a gentle push toward the ecosystem. That approach has worked for Apple before, and the ANC option makes the purchase easier to justify this time.
The one thing I would not do is preorder blindly. Wait for the first wave of real reviews, because open-fit ANC is the kind of feature that looks great in a keynote and disappoints on a subway platform.
The short version: AirPods 5 next month, camera AirPods next year. I will probably pick up the ANC version and compare it to my Pro 2s, and report back on whether the open-fit ANC is worth the premium over the standard model.
