Four hours into the flight home from Apple's event, MacRumors had forgotten the AirPods 5 were in. That's the core of its mini review after nearly a week of wear: the open-ear shape stays put where AirPods Pro 3 tips slowly work loose, and with ANC on both AirPods 5 models, it has a hard time recommending the Pros to most people.
I guess I'm just not a silicone tip guy.
On that flight, with AirPods Pro 3 on hand for a direct comparison, the AirPods 5 seemed to handle the engine drone better. MacRumors hedges the result itself, blaming new-gear hype, a steadier fit, or plain placebo. Apple's own claim is narrower, up to 1.5 times the noise cancellation of AirPods 4, and the video traces it to a multiport acoustic design borrowed from AirPods Pro 3. Pro features trickle down.
Sound took some work. The low end ran too heavy for MacRumors' taste until the three-band Custom EQ, one of the new features in iOS 27, pulled it back. iPhoners choosing between the two models get a blunt steer, since the video doesn't see why the base one exists when the Wireless Charging Case version adds volume swipe and an extra hour of listening, five hours with ANC on.
The advice still hangs on fit, as the video admits. Ears that need a silicone tip to hold a bud in place are still Pro ears.
