9th September 2026 – (Cupertino) Apple is widely expected to give its standard AirPods their first major update in two years today, with AirPods 5 tipped to appear alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Apple Watch Series 12. Pre‑event reporting indicates Apple will again offer two fifth‑generation models, one featuring active noise cancellation and a lower‑priced version without ANC, extending the approach taken with the prior generation.
Industry chatter also suggests the earbuds will shift to a new H3 chip, with the upgraded silicon aimed at improving audio processing, cutting latency and boosting efficiency while laying groundwork for future features. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has flagged AirPods 5 as one of the products to watch at the event, which also includes Apple’s next iPhones and Apple Watch updates.
Speculation about more ambitious AirPods fitted with cameras continues to circulate, but those devices are understood to be a separate, later product rather than part of today’s announcement. For now, expectations centre on a mainstream refresh that refines core audio performance and feature parity across two tiers rather than a radical redesign.
Apple’s presentation is scheduled to begin at 10.00am Pacific Time, which is 6.00pm in the UK, with pricing and availability for any new AirPods likely to be confirmed during or shortly after the keynote.