AirPods 5 bring Active Noise Cancellation to Apple’s most affordable current AirPods while pushing the open-ear design closer to capabilities previously associated with more expensive models. The new generation starts at $129 and uses redesigned acoustics and computational audio to remove up to 50% more external noise than AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.

Apple is also splitting the range into two versions. The standard $129 AirPods 5 include ANC and USB-C charging, while a $149 model adds a Wireless Charging Case, longer battery life, a case speaker for Find My, and volume adjustment directly from the stems.

Both models are available for preorder ahead of their September 18 release in the U.S. and more than 65 other countries and regions.

The changes make the distinction between Apple’s entry-level AirPods and its more advanced headphones less dependent on headline software features. Adaptive Audio, Transparency, Conversation Awareness, Personalized Spatial Audio, Live Translation, and Siri AI are all part of the AirPods 5 experience.

AirPods 5 push open-ear ANC further

Active Noise Cancellation is particularly difficult to implement in an open-ear earbud because there is no silicone tip forming a physical seal inside the ear canal.

Apple has approached that limitation with a new multiport acoustic architecture, revised computational audio algorithms, and the H2 headphone chip. The company says AirPods 5 can cancel up to 50% more noise than AirPods 4 with ANC.

That improvement does not turn the design into an AirPods Pro-style sealed earbud. AirPods 5 remain open-ear headphones, retaining the fit preferred by people who dislike the pressure or isolation associated with in-ear tips.

The acoustic system has also been redesigned around a wider variety of ear shapes. Next-generation Adaptive EQ continuously adjusts sound based on how each earbud sits, while Apple says the revised architecture produces richer and more detailed playback.

Transparency mode has been updated to reproduce voices and environmental sounds more naturally. Adaptive Audio can move between Transparency and noise cancellation according to surrounding conditions, while Conversation Awareness automatically reduces media volume when the wearer begins speaking to someone nearby.

Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking remains supported for compatible music, movies, and other content.

AirPods 5 are rated IP57 for dust, sweat, and water resistance, making them better suited to workouts and changing weather conditions, although they are not waterproof.

Two AirPods 5 models create a meaningful $20 decision

Apple’s pricing makes the $149 Wireless Charging Case version more than a different charging option.

Standard AirPods 5 provide up to four hours of listening on one charge with ANC enabled and up to 20 hours when the USB-C case is included.

AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case increase those figures to five hours from the earbuds and up to 22 hours with the case while ANC is active.

The upgraded case can charge through USB-C, an Apple Watch charger, or a Qi-certified wireless charger. It also contains a speaker that can assist with locating the case through Find My.

The more expensive model introduces another difference directly on the earbuds. Users can swipe up or down on a stem to adjust volume, bringing a control familiar from AirPods Pro to Apple’s open-ear form factor.

That leaves buyers with a relatively straightforward tradeoff. The $129 version provides the central audio experience, including ANC, without requiring a step up for the main listening features. Spending another $20 adds more convenient charging, slightly longer battery life, Find My assistance from the case speaker, and physical volume adjustment.

Placing either AirPods 5 model in its charging case for five minutes provides about one additional hour of listening.

Siri AI and Live Translation extend the earbuds beyond music

AirPods 5 arrive as Apple makes voice interaction a larger part of the AirPods experience.

When paired with a compatible iPhone, Siri AI can be accessed hands-free. The assistant can work with personal context from information such as messages, emails, and photos, respond to open-ended questions, and perform supported actions in apps.

Head gestures remain part of the experience. Users can nod to accept certain Siri prompts or shake their head to decline them, allowing calls and notifications to be handled without speaking or touching the earbuds.

Live Translation provides another use for the microphones and ANC system.

After compatible languages are downloaded and the feature is configured through Apple’s Translate app, a user can hear another person’s speech translated through AirPods. Translation can be started through Siri, the iPhone Action button, the Translate app, or by pressing and holding both AirPods stems simultaneously.

When two people are each using compatible AirPods and supported iPhones, both participants can hear translated versions of the conversation in their chosen languages.

Live Translation requires an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone 15 Pro or later, compatible AirPods, current software, and the latest AirPods firmware, with availability varying by language and region. Apple also notes that generated translations can contain errors, making verification appropriate when accuracy is especially significant.

AirPods 5 narrow the gap within the lineup

The fifth-generation model represents a different kind of upgrade from simply adding another listening mode.

ANC is now standard across both AirPods 5 configurations, instead of requiring buyers to choose a separate ANC version as they did with AirPods 4. Apple has then moved the pricing distinction toward charging, battery endurance, Find My hardware, and physical controls.

The earbuds continue to use Bluetooth 5.3 and the H2 chip, with dual beamforming microphones, an inward-facing microphone, optical in-ear detection, motion and speech accelerometers, and force sensors built into the stems.

Each earbud weighs 4.3 grams, preserving the lightweight character of the open-ear line despite the additional capabilities.

The new acoustic architecture may be the more consequential change over time. Open-ear earbuds cannot rely on a tight seal to block surrounding sound, so gains in ANC depend heavily on microphone placement, acoustic design, fit, and real-time processing. Apple’s claim of up to 50% more noise removal over the previous generation represents a substantial step for that format rather than simply matching the behavior of sealed earbuds.

AirPods 5 start at $129, while AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case cost $149. Both reach stores on September 18, giving the open-ear AirPods line a standard feature set that now includes noise cancellation without pushing buyers to a higher-priced model to get it.

The post AirPods 5 bring stronger open-ear noise cancellation and smarter listening features appeared first on AppleMagazine.

Power banks are getting smarter, with the latest models at IFA 2026 using active cooling to sustain faster wireless charging while keeping heat under control.

(via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)

Chinese researchers are using laser technology to vastly extend the flight time of drones, marking a significant shift in UAV capabilities.

The achievement was reported by researchers from China’s Civil Aviation University, who reported their findings in laser-based drone charging technology in a recent article published in Matter & Light.

The new drone concept utilizes a lightweight receiver, repurposing solar cell technology to absorb laser light and convert it into electricity to power a device.

Endless Drones

“Imagine a future where drones inspecting forests, monitoring disasters, or delivering packages no longer need to land frequently to replace batteries,” said senior author Jianhua Han of Civil Aviation University of China. “As drones take on longer missions, battery life has become one of the biggest barriers.”

At the core of the breakthrough is perovskite, a class of synthetic compounds with a crystalline structure highly conducive to solar power applications. The team developed a perovskite laser cell-thermoelectric (PLC-TE) tandem device that optimizes a solar cell to accept laser energy.

The cell’s perovskite converts laser energy into electricity, which can be a messy process, as some of the power is lost as heat. The thermoelectric layer addresses this problem by capturing heat and converting it into electricity via the temperature differential between its warmer, laser-facing side and its cooler side. However, that contrast requirement can be an issue when the laser uniformly heats the entire drone, reducing the efficiency of that heat-to-energy conversion.

Managing Overheating

“When we tested the device under a high-power laser, the thermal camera showed temperatures of 80 to 90 degrees Celsius,” Han said. “That was much higher than we expected and made us realize that heat buildup was a far more serious problem than we had imagined.”

To mitigate overheating concerns, the receiver was mounted on the drone’s wings, kept separate from other components, and paired with heat-blocking technology to enable laser-to-electric energy conversion without overheating sensitive electronics.

This heat-blocking technology included nanocrystals embedded in the PLC-TE tandem device, which acted as a thermal barrier due to their poor thermal conductivity. With the nanocrystals in place, the researchers tested the conversion device on its own and observed a significant slowdown in heat flow during prolonged laser exposure, which would cool the drone overall.

This PLC-TE device was bombarded with a green laser in a laboratory experiment and converted 38.49% of the beam’s energy into electricity, a high percentage compared to other wireless charging systems in similar scenarios.

Drone Tests

Next, the team integrated the energy conversion system onto a stationary lab drone and also added airflow channels to the wings. In subsequent laboratory tests, laser bombardment supplied sufficient energy to power the drone’s propeller, while the airflow channels effectively cooled the thermoelectric layer’s cold side, maximizing heat-to-electricity conversion.

“Previous studies largely focused on the materials or the device itself,” Han explained. “We wanted to think beyond the laboratory, to how the system could actually be integrated into an aircraft, cooled during operation, and made compatible with flight. It isn’t just a materials science problem; it’s an engineering one.”

Work continues on this wireless drone charging system, with outdoor flight tests on a lightweight frame scheduled. These will be paying particular attention to the system’s reliability under real-world outdoor conditions. However, the team notes that energy conversion efficiency will not be their sole research area, as the accuracy of laser tracking will be essential to the system’s safe operation.

“Our work demonstrates the possibility of ‘refueling aircraft with light,’” Han concluded. “Going from 1 to 100 will require solving many engineering challenges, but we hope this provides a starting point for future development.”

The paper, “Sb2Se3 Nanocrystals Enable Efficient Perovskite-Thermoelectric Tandem Devices for Laser-Powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,” appeared in Matter & Light on July 29, 2026.

Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org.

Xiaomi has unveiled a home robotic arm charger that autonomously plugs and unplugs your EV — delivering on a concept that Tesla prototyped over a decade ago but never brought to market.

The compact device, only 152 mm wide, is designed to fit in tight home garage parking spaces and integrates into Xiaomi’s smart home ecosystem for smartphone control.