![\"Apple](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/apple-airpods-5-wireless-charging-case-1024x576.jpg\")
The volume swipe and wireless charging are listed only for the $149 AirPods 5. Image: Apple<\/p>\nSeveral of the features Apple advertises on AirPods exist on exactly one model in the range, and one of them exists on only one of the two AirPods 5 versions. Heart rate sensing and the hearing features are AirPods Pro 3 alone, MagSafe charging is Pro 3 alone, and the force sensor with volume swipe is listed only for the $149 AirPods 5.<\/p>\n
The volume swipe and wireless charging are listed only for the $149 AirPods 5. Image: Apple<\/p>\n
That matters because the products look closely related on paper. Apple lists the H2 chip and Bluetooth 5.3 across everything it sells, so the real dividing lines are sensors, cases and the shape that goes in your ear.<\/p>\n
Key facts at a glance
\nFeatureWhich current models Apple lists it onActive Noise CancellationAirPods 5, AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Max 2Heart rate sensor for workoutsAirPods Pro 3 onlyHearing test, Hearing Aid, Hearing ProtectionAirPods Pro 3 onlySilicone ear tips (five sizes)AirPods Pro 3 onlyMagSafe case chargingAirPods Pro 3 onlySecond-generation Ultra Wideband in the caseAirPods Pro 3 onlyForce sensor with volume swipeAirPods 5 with Wireless Charging CaseCase speaker for Find MyAirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case, AirPods Pro 3Live TranslationAirPods 5, both models, and AirPods Pro 3<\/p>\n
![\"Apple](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/apple-airpods-5-lifestyle-1024x576.jpg\")
AirPods 5 add Active Noise Cancellation to the open-ear shape at $129. Image: Apple
\nHeart rate is a Pro 3 exclusive, and iOS 27 leans on it<\/p>\n
AirPods Pro 3 is the only model Apple lists with a heart rate sensor, rated for up to 6.5 hours of workout use. Neither AirPods 5 model has one, and Apple does not list a route to adding one.<\/p>\n
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This is not a specification-sheet curiosity. Apple\u2019s health announcement says the VO2 max test requires an Apple Watch, AirPods Pro 3 or a third-party heart rate sensing device, which means an AirPods 5 buyer reading about that feature needs different hardware to use it.<\/p>\n
![\"Apple](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789229419_234_apple-iphone-18-pro-photos-app-apple-reference-image-260909-1024x576.jpg\")
iOS 27 arrives September 14 and gates several AirPods features behind Apple Intelligence. Image: Apple
\nHearing health has never crossed into the open-ear shape<\/p>\n
Apple\u2019s comparison page marks the hearing test, the hearing aid feature and hearing protection as present on AirPods Pro 3 and absent on AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC and both AirPods 5 models. Automatic Conversation Boost sits in the same column.<\/p>\n
AirPods 5 does get the accessibility and volume features Apple lists for the wider range, including Live Listen, Headphone levels and Headphone Accommodations. Those are not the same as the hearing aid feature, and Apple does not present them as substitutes.<\/p>\n
One dividing line runs inside the AirPods 5 line itself<\/p>\n
Apple\u2019s spec sheet gives the $129 model a force sensor and the $149 model a force sensor with volume swipe. Apple\u2019s press release calls swipe volume control a first for the open-ear form factor, and the $20 version is the only place it appears.<\/p>\n
The same $20 decides wireless charging from an Apple Watch charger or a Qi charger, and whether the case has a speaker. The $129 case charges over USB-C and nothing else, as our launch-day coverage<\/a> laid out.<\/p>\n Features that do not travel backwards Live Translation is the one to read carefully. It needs iOS 27 and an Apple Intelligence iPhone, and Apple\u2019s feature availability page lists the AirPods version of Live Translation as a subset of the Phone and FaceTime language list, excluding Italian in Switzerland and Portuguese in Brazil.<\/p>\n What Apple has not said iOS 27 arrives on Monday, September 14<\/a>, which is the first day the Siri AI and Live Translation features can be tested at all. AirPods 5 reaches stores on Friday, September 18, alongside Apple Watch Series 12<\/a> and iPhone 18 Pro<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Several of the features Apple advertises on AirPods exist on exactly one model in the range, and one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":598244,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[294839,294840,6993,4718,100159,111,139,69,145],"class_list":["post-598243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-airpods-5","tag-airpods-max-2","tag-airpods-pro-3","tag-apple-event","tag-ios-27","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=598243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598243\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/598244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=598243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=598243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=598243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nFeatureAirPods 4AirPods 4 with ANCAirPods 5Active Noise CancellationNoYesYesLive TranslationNoNoYesWater and dust ratingIP54IP54IP57Listening, noise control off5 hours5 hours6 hours, 7 with the $149 caseForce sensor with volume swipeNoNo$149 model only<\/p>\n
\nApple has not said whether the volume swipe could reach the $129 AirPods 5 in a firmware update, or why the two models differ here at all.Apple has published nothing about bringing hearing test, hearing aid or heart rate features to an open-ear design.The AirPods Max 2 feature rows we read sit on Apple\u2019s comparison page rather than on a tech specs page of their own, so several of its columns are thinner than the rest of the range.Apple does not explain why Live Translation on AirPods supports fewer languages than Live Translation in Phone and FaceTime.No firmware version numbers or update schedules have been published for any AirPods model in this launch.<\/p>\n