Apple AirPods 5 Launched With 50% Better Noise Cancellation, Siri AI And Two Versions

Apple has launched the AirPods 5 at its September event, and the India pricing is already out. The AirPods 5 price in India is Rs 14,900, while the AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case cost Rs 17,900.

Pre-orders open today, and both versions go on sale in stores from Friday, September 18.

This is a bigger update than the usual yearly refresh. It is built around a new acoustic architecture that Apple says cancels 50 per cent more noise than before.

Apple AirPods 5 Launched With 50% Better Noise Cancellation

That is a genuine claim in this form factor. The AirPods 5 are open-ear buds that do not seal into your ear canal like the Pro models, and Apple is calling this the best active noise cancellation it has managed in an open-ear design.

AirPods 5 features

The AirPods 5 deliver richer and more detailed sound along with personalised spatial audio, which tunes the soundstage to the shape of your own ears. Transparency mode has been reworked to sound more natural.

Adaptive audio now switches between noise cancellation and transparency automatically depending on your surroundings. That means fewer trips to the Control Centre when you step out of a metro coach into traffic.

The AirPods 5 also support Apple Intelligence with the new Siri AI. Apple Intelligence arrives with iOS 27 on Monday, September 14, and Siri AI rolls out the same day as a beta in English, with French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish following in October.

Worth noting for Indian buyers that Apple Intelligence works in English here, and no Indian language is on the supported list yet. Live Translation carries over, but it needs a compatible Apple device with the latest software, updated AirPods firmware and Apple Intelligence switched on, and it is not available in every language or region.

Apple has reengineered the build for better durability too, which matters more in Indian conditions than any spec sheet line usually admits. You will also need a paired Apple device running the latest software to get the full feature set.

AirPods 5 price in India and battery

The Rs 14,900 AirPods 5 give you four hours of listening with ANC switched on, and the charging case takes the total to 20 hours. The Rs 17,900 version adds on-stem volume control, five hours of ANC playback and a wireless charging case.

The Rs 3,000 gap buys you an extra hour of ANC playback, volume control on the stem and wireless charging. Most buyers will take it, because fiddling with volume on your phone is the single most annoying thing about cheaper buds.

Both versions can be covered under AppleCare+, or under AppleCare One in markets where that plan is offered, which bundles multiple products into a single plan. Coverage includes drops and spills, battery replacement and priority support.