Live Translation on the new AirPods 5 works. I tried it last night in a meeting with a Japanese startup, and it kept up.
My AirPods Pro 3 are getting long in the tooth. I wear AirPods every day for music, podcasts, phone calls, and meetings. The Pro 3 had translation too, but for me it was too laggy to use. By the time the English showed up, the conversation had moved on.
Live Translation runs on device. You download the languages ahead of time, so it works offline too. Apple has the details on its Live Translation support page.
We normally meet in English. This time I told the team to speak Japanese and I’d answer in English. I got near real time English in my ears, and both the Japanese and English text on my iPhone. The conversation just flowed.
My one wish? Save the transcripts. I’d like to go back through a meeting afterwards and check what was said.
What else is new in AirPods 5
- Active Noise Cancellation: up to 1.5x more than AirPods 4 with ANC, in an open-ear design.
- Siri AI: hands-free access to the new Siri on your iPhone. You can answer with a nod or a shake of your head.
- Live Translation: translated speech played right in your ears during the conversation.
- Next-generation Adaptive EQ: tunes sound to the shape of your ears across a wider range of frequencies.
- Personalized Spatial Audio: dynamic head tracking puts music and movies all around you.
- USB-C case: the Wireless Charging Case version adds Qi and Apple Watch charger support, plus a speaker for Find My.
All of it runs on the H2 chip. Full specs are on Apple’s AirPods 5 page.
Sound is pretty good for not being the Pro model. I miss the soft silicone ear tips from the Pro 3. AirPods 5 are open-ear, so there aren’t any. But all in all, these are great.
I can see using this a lot for work and travel. I wish I’d had it in Peru last year.
Cheers, Shaan
