AirPods 5 Launch in India Brings ANC and AI Features Under Rs 15,000
Apple AirPods 5 bring Active Noise Cancellation, Siri AI, Live Translation and improved battery life to the affordable AirPods lineup. Here’s everything you need to know about the Rs 14,900 earbuds.
Alongside the newly released iPhones, Apple has announced a host of new products that will be available for customers in India. The company has introduced AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 to cater to varying customer needs at various price points.
Of the three products, the AirPods 5 appears to be more intriguing in terms of its offerings for the general user base. Starting at a price point of Rs 14,900, the latest open-ear earbuds come with the Active Noise Cancellation technology, as well as improved audio quality, better battery life and additional AI-driven functionalities. While the two versions of Apple Watch focus on their health and fitness monitoring capabilities, and intelligence features.
It's important to note that Apple has been increasing prices of all products in its portfolio lately. As we've discussed previously in [iPhone Duo price in India and EMI] report, the company's first foldable phone comes with an incredible starting price tag of Rs 2,99,900. Even some older versions of iPhones saw a noticeable increase in their prices. Therefore, the sub-Rs 15,000 starting price of AirPods 5 sounds much more appealing.
AirPods 5 Price in India and Availability
The AirPods 5 start at Rs 14,900 in India, while the version with a Wireless Charging Case costs Rs 17,900.
Pre-orders are already underway, with sales beginning September 18.
The pricing is particularly notable because Apple has brought Active Noise Cancellation to an open-ear AirPods model at a considerably lower price than its Pro range. This makes the AirPods 5 an interesting option for buyers who want Apple's ecosystem features without spending AirPods Pro money.
The two variants are priced as follows:
Model | India Price |
AirPods 5 | Rs 14,900 |
AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case | Rs 17,900 |
AirPods 5 Get Active Noise Cancellation
The most significant enhancement is without doubt Active Noise Cancellation. According to Apple, the AirPods 5 reduce noise from the outside world by 50 percent compared to AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation feature.
The earphones incorporate a completely new multiport acoustic architecture and advanced Adaptive EQ technology to enhance sound quality. Moreover, the Transparency mode has been upgraded, and Apple guarantees more realistic experience of hearing other people talking and ambient noises.
Another automatic feature is Adaptive Audio that fine-tunes the audio experience based on the user's environment by merging both ANC and Transparency modes.
Nevertheless, there is one major difference that should be taken into account. The AirPods 5 feature the open-ear design, which means that the earbuds will keep users connected with the outside world. They are perfect for daily wear and commuting and situations when total isolation is not required, but those who desire to achieve maximum noise isolation might opt for in-ear sealed earbuds.
Wireless Charging Case Adds More Than Charging
AirPods 5 model at Rs 17,900 comes with Wireless Charging Case and features stem-based volume controls where the user has to just swipe up or down the stem to control the volume of sound from his/her iPhone.
Furthermore, there has been a noticeable improvement in battery backup too. Apple is claiming up to five hours of playback when the ANC feature is activated. On the other hand, AirPods 4 used to provide four hours of playback time when ANC was activated.
When it comes to the battery backup provided by the wireless charger, the user can get up to 22 hours of listening experience with ANC when the earbuds are charged in it.
Siri AI Makes AirPods 5 More Intelligent
The improvements in audio quality and ANC are not the only ones. Apple is also adding the newer features of the Siri AI to the AirPods 5.
Through the AirPods 5, users can interact with the enhanced Siri experience without having to use their hands when the devices are connected to an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence.
Siri is capable of understanding the personal context based on information in messages, emails and images. It is capable of performing actions within applications that support it. For instance, as reported by Apple, one may ask Siri to play a song mentioned in their friend's message or navigate them to the location mentioned in an email.
AirPods 5 Can Respond to Siri With Head Movements
In addition, Apple has launched Siri Interactions, enabling the user to communicate with Siri without making any sound. A slight nodding of the head signifies 'yes,' whereas shaking the head implies 'no.'
The change might seem like a small step forward, but it will indeed be helpful for people when communicating with their assistant becomes difficult. If one is wearing the AirPods while being in a public place, one does not have to speak out loud in order to communicate with Siri.
iOS 27 is bringing Siri AI as a beta version. The support for English language comes first, and then later on, in October, other languages like French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish will get the support.
Live Translation Comes to AirPods 5
The other notable characteristic of the AI in these devices is Live Translation.
With the help of Apple Intelligence and the Translate app, AirPods 5 might enable users to listen to translated conversations in a language of choice. The function will require configuring within the Translate app, including installing required languages.
Live Translation can be started by pressing both AirPods stems, activating the feature via Siri or the Action button on compatible iPhones. Just like the Siri AI feature, Live Translation is not a universal AI addition. According to Apple, there are variations in support of the function based on languages and regions, alongside requirements for compatible Apple hardware.
It might turn out to be one of the most beneficial features of AirPods 5 for frequent travelers and multilingual communicators.
Apple Watch Series 12 Starts at Rs 56,900 in India
Apple has also launched the Apple Watch Series 12 along with the AirPods 5. The starting price for the Series 12 is Rs 56,900 in India, whereas that of the durable watch, Apple Watch Ultra 4, is Rs 1,09,900.
Both these watches can be booked now, and their in-store availability will begin from September 18. Both these devices feature Apple’s S11 chip and offer Apple's largest health sensing enhancement yet.
New Health Sensing System Focuses on Accuracy
In terms of the changes in the Health Sensing System, the Apple Watch has improved its health data collection in some ways.
Firstly, Apple has expanded the size of the electrodes for measuring ECG. Also, it has created a ring from photodiodes for better optical measurement and has upgraded green LEDs making them bigger and more energy-efficient for measuring heart rate during physical activity.
This means that there will be an increase in the number of automatic measurements. In particular, heart rates can now be measured every five seconds, while heart rate variability – 24 times faster than before.
Also, Apple decided to split the HRV into two measurements: Recovery HRV that will show daily stress and recovery signals and the general one for understanding overall heart health status.
All this information becomes the input for the new Readiness score.
The Readiness feature will now give you a score out of 10, determined by your activity, training load, vital signs, and sleep. The watch will then recommend anything from “Recover” to “Go For It” depending on your score, which will change throughout the day as new data comes in.
Apple now competes with devices that have made it part and parcel of their exercise experience to provide recovery and readiness scores. How practical it is will be determined by the extent to which the newly developed sensors and algorithms produce relevant recommendations.
Battery Life Gets a Boost
While Apple has kept the battery life of up to 24 hours for the Series 12, the battery life of an outdoor workout on the device has been upgraded to up to 10 hours.
The charging process is also quite faster. Apple claims that a mere 15 minutes of charge will give you up to 12 hours of extra battery life. However, the Ultra 4 has been blessed with an even bigger battery update. It has up to 50 hours of everyday battery life and up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode.
For workouts, Extended Workout mode can run for up to 25 hours with GPS and heart-rate monitoring, while the Max Extended Workout mode has up to 45 hours. The latter has been created specifically for people who want to go through demanding activities like a 100 miles race. Just 15 minutes of charge can give up to 18 hours of battery life.
Health App Gets a Major Redesign
The health features of the Apple Watch are now also getting a boost through a revamped Health app for iPhones. There is now a new Insights tab that will use Apple Intelligence to create an analysis of the health data that is relevant and provide personalized suggestions.
Apple is also unveiling Health Age, whereby the metrics such as VO2 Max and sleep, as well as optionally bloodwork biomarkers, will be compared to the actual age of the user. There is also a new Longevity tab that will bring together the health data on sleep, movements and heart to form an overview of your health status.
This could end up becoming one of the most important changes when the new Apple Watch hits the market.
Audio Intelligence Comes to Apple Watch
The S11 chip also gives rise to a new set of on-device functionalities known as Audio Intelligence.
Sound Recognition is capable of recognizing sounds such as sirens, alarms, doorbells, and cries of a baby and notifying the user even when his/her iPhone is not around. This feature is said to be especially helpful for deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
Live Rewind is a feature that enables users to double-tap the Digital Crown to see the last 15 seconds of a conversation in text form.
Siri Recap also creates a title and summary of a conversation that the user can refer to at a later time. The feature summarizes the conversation instead of creating a full transcription of the conversation, while ensuring that it does not contain any sensitive details such as bank account numbers.
Shazam is another feature that allows the watch to recognize and provide the name of the song along with the artist by automatically scanning nearby songs via Smart Stack widget.
These features do not record any audio and store it; instead, raw audio data is processed by an isolated part of the S11 chip and deleted instantly.
New Apple Watch Designs and Colours
There is an Apple Watch Series 12 available in two sizes of 42mm and 46mm and in different materials such as dark bronze, black, light gold and space gray aluminium and radiant gold and natural titanium.
There is also a ceramic edition of the watch in two colors of pearl white and night blue. Aluminium models have a Ceramic Shield 2 which is said to be 60 percent more durable than the older Ion-X glass.
There is also an Apple Watch Ultra 4 available in natural and black titanium models. There will also be a new Hermès Grand H titanium band and Fathom and Wonder watch faces by Apple.
AirPods 5 vs Apple Watch Series 12
The three products have very different customers in mind.
The AirPods 5, on the other hand, are easy to recommend to a customer already in the Apple ecosystem, looking for noise cancellation, improved battery performance and AI features without breaking into the premium price bracket of the AirPods Pro.
The added premium of Rs 3,000 for the Wireless Charging Case edition is also quite justifiable, given the inclusion of wireless charging, stem-based volume controls and the convenience provided by it.
The Apple Watch Series 12, on the other hand, is a significant investment at Rs 56,900. However, it does more than just notify and track fitness. The added health sensors, Readiness score and improved battery performance makes it a great upgrade for users who use the Apple Watch for health and workouts actively.
The Ultra 4, finally, is targeted at serious athletes and outdoor customers.
The new launches from Apple are evidence of how expansive the range of hardware that Apple now offers is. The AirPods 5, for example, feature ANC and AI technology on offer at under Rs 15,000, while the iPhone Duo is positioning the iPhones in an entirely new segment above Rs 3 lakhs.
As we have mentioned in our earlier piece on the iPhone Duo India pricing and EMI, it is not necessarily about the quality of hardware in the latest offering by Apple. Rather, it is about whether the price tag matches the actual experience.
In case of AirPods 5, the answer appears much clearer, as ANC, increased battery life, Siri AI and Live translation at the price of Rs 14,900 make the device much more of an upgrade than a mere AirPods revision. The new Apple Watch Series 12 too comes with important changes on the hardware and software fronts, but its Rs 56,900 base price definitely places it among premium products.
But then again, Apple's latest products are not only about feature enhancement. They are about creating a more integrated ecosystem wherein the iPhone, AirPods, Apple Watch, along with other artificial intelligence offerings by the Cupertino company, complement each other.
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