Apple's new AirPods 5 just landed at $129. Before you tap "buy," ask yourself what $129 is actually buying you, because it is not the battery life.
We put AirPods 5 up against our own ANC earbuds (Go Pods ANC, JBuds Pods ANC, and Epic Pods ANC), spec for spec, using nothing but Apple's own published numbers. We did not need to embellish a single one. The story is not close.
The headline numbers
- 3.3x longer on a single charge. Epic Pods ANC run 13 hours with noise canceling on. AirPods 5 tap out at 4.
- $84 less for wireless charging. Apple's wireless case is a $149 add-on. JBuds Pods ANC ship with wireless charging built in, at $64.99.
- Hi-res audio, actually named. Epic Pods ANC support LDAC, the codec built for hi-res wireless sound. Apple has confirmed AAC only.
Three products, three price points, one belief: you shouldn't have to spend more to hear more.
Find your pods
Epic Pods ANC: $104.99. Supreme confidence, no asterisk. This is where the gap is widest, and where the case for switching gets hardest to argue with.
JBuds Pods ANC: $64.99. Buy two JBuds Pods for less than the price of one AirPod with wireless charging, because charging $20 more for a case that doesn't even have its own battery is a bold move. We just include it. That's $84 back in your pocket. Get double the battery, double the playtime, for way less money.
Focused energy, built to keep up: 7 hours of ANC playtime, wireless charging included, no upcharge required, and 3-mic ENC for calls that actually sound like you. Sound that fuels you, at less than half the price of AirPods 5, because good audio shouldn't cost extra just to feel complete.
Go Pods ANC: $31.99. Effortless enthusiasm, priced for anyone. One of the more affordable ANC earbuds under $100, with 5 hours of ANC playtime and 18 hours total with the case, at less than a quarter of what Apple charges. Color your world with sound, no compromise required.
Epic Pods ANC: the full picture
- 13 hours of ANC playtime (4 on AirPods 5), 50 hours total with the case
- 10 minutes of charging gets you 3 hours of playback
- Wireless charging included
- LDAC / AAC / SBC codec support, the hi-res wireless audio codec AirPods 5 doesn't carry. Apple has confirmed AAC only, and hasn't disclosed its ANC architecture at all
- Adaptive ANC with a 10mm dynamic driver + Knowles balanced armature, plus 3-mic ENC
- Bluetooth 6.1 with multipoint across any two devices: Mac and PC, iPhone and Switch, whatever you're actually juggling. AirPods multipoint stays inside Apple's ecosystem.
The best of sound, the best of life, live at your peak, for $24 less than where Apple starts.
Feel alive, for less
Buy JLab, and treat yourself to that pair of sport earbuds you've been eyeing for less than Apple charges just to get in the door. Apple's new earbuds start at $129. JLab's top out at $104.99, and that's before you count what you actually get for the money. Whichever pods fit your budget, the sound doesn't take a step down.