Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event Wednesday brought the announcement of a new iPhone lineup as expected, plus the first-ever foldable iPhone, but true to the name of the event, Apple had another release ready to go: the AirPods 5.
The new earbuds will officially be available on Friday, Sept. 18, but preorders are live as of Sept. 9. The earbuds are available in two models: the AirPods 5 and AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case. Both feature active noise cancellation (a deviation from the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC), and lower price points of $129 and $149, respectively (compared to the AirPods 4's $129 and $179).
New features on these earbuds include:
50 percent more active noise cancellation power than the AirPods 4 with ANC
Lower price points, with the AirPods 5 starting at $129 (the same price as the non-ANC AirPods 4) and the AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case starting at $149 ($30 less than the AirPods 4 with ANC)
New multiport acoustic architecture for improved sound quality
Battery life of up to five hours with ANC and an on-ear volume stem control on the more expensive AirPods 5
We'll update this story as major retailers' preorder listings go live.
Follow our Apple event live blog to catch up on the latest news and announcements from the "Surprise and Shine" keynote, with live updates from Apple Park.