Every fall, when the Wan household gathers around for the holidays, I’m often asked three questions: “Should I buy the latest iPhone?” “Should I buy the latest Apple Watch?” and “Should I buy the latest AirPods?” My response is usually very simple: If your current device is holding up, then you don’t need to upgrade yet.

But with this year’s AirPods, the decision tree is a little more complicated. Apple now has four AirPods configurations available for purchase: AirPods 5, AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2. The Max model is the easiest to hold off, as you either prefer the over-ear design or not. But between the $129 AirPods 5 and the $249 AirPods Pro 3, the better of the two depends on several factors.

I’ve been an AirPods Pro owner since the very first pair launched in 2019, as the cushioned, in-ear design makes them ideal for noise canceling and a secure fit. Those aspects are mandatory when you’re living in the hustle and bustle of New York.

But over the past month, while testing the new AirPods 5, I’ve discovered a level of elegance and maturity in Apple’s more modestly priced earbuds. They have stronger noise canceling now, are more durable and even support wireless charging, earning them a CNET Editors’ Choice by resident audio reviewer, David Carnoy. That’s all great for a pair of earbuds that costs nearly half as much as the Pro model.

Given the price difference, which one should you buy based on raw capability? Here’s the breakdown, based on our extensive testing.

AirPods 5 vs. AirPods Pro 3: Design and fit

The most noticeable difference between the AirPods 5 and AirPods Pro 3 is the design. The AirPods 5 have an open-ear design with no tips, unlike the AirPods Pro 3, which have a cushioned, in-ear design. This means the former rests loosely on your earbuds for a more comfortable, less pressure-inducing fit than the latter, which has a tighter seal.

I’ve found both designs beneficial, but in different environments and situations. As I mentioned earlier, the tighter seal of the AirPods Pro 3 makes them better for noisy settings, like the city or the subway. The passive noise cancellation of the foam-infused silicone tips helps a lot.

While everyone’s ear shape is different, Apple redesigned the latest AirPods Pro to fit more naturally against the earlobe. My colleague, David Carnoy, can attest to that, mentioning in his review last year that “the buds felt noticeably different in my ears than the AirPods Pro 2 — snugger and more secure.”

I should mention now that the AirPods Pro 3 come with multiple ear tip sizes, including extra-extra small and large. Whereas the AirPods 5 are one-size-fits-all.

That said, there’s still an argument for why the AirPods 5 may be better suited for you. The biggest reason is that you do not prefer the jammed-in experience of wearing the Pro. My wife, for example, despises the pressure buildup from the cushioned design, so the AirPods 5’s open-ear design is ideal for her.

The loose design also gives the AirPods 5 a more natural-sounding transparency mode, blending what you’re listening to with external sounds and noises more seamlessly. That’s great if you’d rather not be locked in and fully immersed in what your device is playing.

If you really need a tiebreaking reason to decide which design is better for you, the AirPods 5 now support pinch-and-swipe gestures and wireless charging using a Qi charger or an Apple Watch charger, but you have to buy the more expensive $149 configuration to get those benefits. The $249 AirPods Pro come with those features by default — and have a lanyard loop, too.

AirPods 5 vs. AirPods Pro 3: Sound and audio quality

Both models have good sound quality. In fact, Apple trickled some of the AirPods Pro 3’s acoustic architecture upgrades to the AirPods 5 this year, giving the latter a boost in bass performance and clarity, according to Carnoy. I’m in agreement, as I was surprised by how engulfing the open-ear buds sounded on first listen.

The kick and girth, as Carnoy would say, are still a notch below the AirPods Pro 3’s bass, but are sufficient enough to give you an audio experience that you can jive to.

It’s a similar story with active noise cancellation performance: the AirPods 5 are 50% more effective at blocking out external sounds than their predecessor, but less capable than the AirPods Pro 3. The AirPods Pro 3’s passive cushioning seal certainly helps tip the scales in their favor.

Still, both Carnoy and I have found the AirPods 5 to easily be the best noise-canceling earbuds in their design class. The fact that they can block out most mid-frequency noise without being in your ears is a testament to how well Apple has tuned its microphones.

It helps that with iOS 27, there’s now a three-band equalizer that you can use to fine-tune the low, mid and high frequencies of either AirPods model. It’s a free way to bump up the bass or even trebles (for a crisper sound). Adaptive EQ, which is turned on by default, is also available on both models.

AirPods 5 vs. AirPods Pro 3: Health tracking and special features

Apple’s been expanding the health-sensing capabilities of the AirPods Pro over the past few years, so much so that they can nearly replace the Apple Watch today. Unsurprisingly, the standard AirPods 5 are less capable, lacking the built-in custom heart-rate monitoring and audio sensors of the AirPods Pro 3, which allow them to double as a fitness tracker and an FDA-authorized hearing aid.

This is a big deal if you regularly track your heart rate, whether it’s during workouts or for general monitoring, or you require the audio enhancement but want to avoid wearing actual hearing aids (and the steep cost associated with them).

While the AirPods 5 may not have those capabilities, they are powered by the same H2 chipset as the AirPods Pro 3, giving them some parity in audio features like Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation and Personalized Spatial Audio.

Both AirPods models are also rated IP57, meaning they can survive temporary immersion in water up to one meter deep for 30 minutes. They’re also dust and sweat-resistant.

AirPods 5 vs. AirPods Pro 3: Battery life

Head-to-head, the AirPods 5 have a lower battery life rating (between 4 to 5 hours with ANC on) than the AirPods Pro 3 (up to 8 hours with ANC on). With the AirPods 5, you’ll get up to 4 hours of ANC listening if you’re on the base model, while the wireless charging model gets you an extra hour of battery life.

The endurance gap between the two AirPods models is likely due to the higher energy required to deliver audio from an open-ear design while maintaining effective ANC. The battery case on the AirPods Pro 3 is also larger, giving the earbuds up to 24 hours of additional battery life compared to the AirPods 5 case’s 22-hour rating.

However, if you plan to use the AirPods Pro 3’s health-tracking features, don’t expect the battery to be as reliable, as discovered by Carnoy. “Using the heart-rate monitor does affect the AirPods Pro 3’s battery life — dropping from 8 hours with noise canceling on to 6.5 hours — which is likely why Apple didn’t design it to be always on.”

Fortunately, we’ve found both models charge relatively quickly, with a 5-minute top-up yielding around an hour more listening time.

Should I get the AirPods 5 or AirPods Pro 3?

While there’s a clear separation in features and sound performance between the $129 AirPods 5 and $249 AirPods Pro 3, the overall experience of the two pairs has never been closer. That’s thanks in part to iOS 27 and the helpful software modifications that Apple has enabled across its AirPods models, while the hardware of the lower-end AirPods 5 has significantly improved, too.

The AirPods Pro 3, with their more effective noise cancellation and cushioned design that fits snuggly in my weird-shaped ears, is the better choice for me. And they often get discounted by $50 to $70 when they go on sale. But for many others, like my wife, who prefer a less invasive yet still great-sounding pair of earbuds, the AirPods 5 will serve just as well.

You should also ask yourself whether you need the wireless charging case and stem-based gestures on the AirPods 5. The $20 upcharge is easy to justify for me, especially considering that the audio quality is the same for both configurations. But if budget is holding you back, it won’t hurt to be on standby for just a few more weeks; it’s likely that all AirPods models will be discounted during the holiday season.