Apple has revealed the AirPods 5, which add a major feature to its cheapest wireless earphones.
The new AirPods get active noise cancellation, which uses microphones and other technology to block out the sound from around their wearer. They also get better sound quality, and the option to pay slightly more for additional features including the ability to adjust volume by touching the AirPods themselves.
Apple offers noise cancellation on all of its other earphones and headphones. But the cheapest AirPods have always been left out, despite the fact that Apple says that it is one of its “most beloved features”.
Now the lowest-end AirPods will get access to that feature. It also includes other related features such as transparency mode, which adds more subtle noise cancellation to dampen loud sounds.
The new AirPods cost $129, or the same in pounds, which means they avoid the price increase that has affected almost every other new Apple product. Apple will also offer a version for $149 that comes with a wireless charging case and the ability to change the volume by sliding up and down on the stems.
They can be pre-ordered now and will be available from Friday, 18 September.
Apple previously offered noise cancelling on a special version of the previous AirPods 4, but users had to pay for that upgrade. The company says that the performance of the new earphones is better than those previous ones, removing up to 50 per cent more noise.
Rumours have suggested that Apple is working on a range of other upgrades to the AirPods – including a new version that includes cameras, so that Siri can use context from the world around to offer help.