AirPods 5 with ANC just launched at Apple's event — worth upgrading from my AirPods 2?
Apple just announced the AirPods 5 with active noise cancellation at their event and I am SO tempted! I have had my AirPods 2 since 2019 and the battery dies in like 20 minutes now lol. But do the new ones actually cancel noise well if they do not seal in your ear? A friend says open-fit ANC is mostly marketing. Should I just grab these, or is it smarter to wait for a sale or get discounted Pro 2s?
2 answers
- Wait six weeks and pay $60 less
Nobody should buy Apple audio at launch. AirPods always drop $40-60 by Black Friday — every year, guaranteed. Your AirPods 2 are seven years old and the batteries are toast, which is totally normal, but paying full price in September for something that will be discounted in November is a tax on impatience. Wait it out.
- ANC without a seal is physics-limited
ANC works by generating anti-noise inside a sealed chamber. Open-fit buds cannot seal, so the low-frequency cancellation tops out quickly — the H-series chip helps, but look at any lab ANC graph for open-fit buds versus sealed ones and the gap is obvious. If you want real quiet for commutes or the office, sealed Pro 2s are measurably better. If you mostly want awareness with a little hush, the 5s will be fine for you.