Apple AirPods 5 (Wireless Charging Case): A3439 / A3440 / A3441; A3529 wireless case; white
Sony WH-1000XM5: WH-1000XM5; colours vary by region: black, silver, midnight blue, pink and platinum. The later WH-1000XM6 is a separate product.
| Specification | Apple AirPods 5 (Wireless Charging Case) | Sony WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Release year | 2026 | 2022 |
| Announcement / availability | 9 / 18 September 2026 Apple | — |
| Chip | Apple H2 Apple | — |
| Noise control | ANC, Adaptive Audio, Transparency Apple | — |
| Audio | Custom dynamic driver; Adaptive EQ Apple | — |
| Spatial audio | Dynamic head tracking Apple | DSEE Extreme upscaling; 360 Reality Audio support Sony |
| Sensors | Optical in-ear sensor; motion and speech accelerometers Apple | — |
| Microphones | Dual beamforming and inward-facing microphones Apple | — |
| Controls | Press controls; swipe volume adjustment Apple | — |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 Apple | — |
| Earbud battery life | Up to 5 hours ANC on / 7 hours off Apple | — |
| Total with case | Up to 22 hours with ANC on Apple | — |
| Quick charge | 5 minutes in case: about 1 hour listening Apple | — |
| Charging case | USB-C; Qi and Apple Watch chargers Apple | — |
| Find My | Speaker in case Apple | — |
| Protection | IP57 Apple | — |
| Earbud size / weight | 30.2 × 18.3 × 18.1 mm; 4.3 g each Apple | — |
| Case size / weight | 46.2 × 50.1 × 21.2 mm; 34.7 g Apple | — |
| Other devices | Bluetooth audio; some features require Apple devices Apple | — |
| Case compatibility | A3529 pairs only with wireless-case AirPods 5 earbuds Apple | — |
| Driver | — | 30 mm dynamic driver, closed back, neodymium magnet Sony |
| Frequency response | — | Bluetooth: 20 Hz–20 kHz (44.1 kHz), 20 Hz–40 kHz with LDAC (96 kHz/990 kbps); wired: 4 Hz–40 kHz Sony |
| Bluetooth and codecs | — | Bluetooth 5.2; SBC, AAC, LDAC; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP; multipoint (two devices) Sony |
| Noise cancelling | — | Active noise cancelling; Integrated Processor V1 and HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1; 8 microphones in total (4 noise-sensing per earcup) Sony |
| Call microphones | — | 4 beamforming microphones; AI-based noise reduction, wind noise reduction Sony |
| Battery | — | 30 hours of music with noise cancelling on, 40 hours off; 24/32 hours of calls Sony |
| Charging | — | Full charge in about 3.5 hours via USB; about 3 hours of playback from 3 minutes with a USB-PD adapter Sony |
| Controls and sensors | — | Touch panel on the right earcup; NC/Ambient button on the left; wear sensor; Speak-to-Chat Sony |
| Impedance and sensitivity | — | 48 Ω when on, 16 Ω when off; 102/100 dB/mW Sony |
| Weight and in the box | — | About 250 g; soft collapsible carrying case, 1.2 m L-shaped cable (3.5 mm), USB charging cable Sony |
| App | — | Sony Sound Connect: equaliser, shortcut settings, listening history, Safe Listening Sony |