Apple AirPods 5 bring 50% more ANC, Apple Watch Ultra 4 hits 45-hour GPS tracking

Apple is giving its wearable lineup a major hardware refresh, pairing new AirPods with significant changes to its smartwatch platform. AirPods 5 now bring active noise cancellation to Apple’s lower-priced open-ear lineup, while Apple Watch Series 12 and Watch Ultra 4 introduce a new health-sensing system. The three products also lean heavily into on-device intelligence and more frequent health measurements. Apple says the new watches deliver its most accurate heart-rate sensing yet in a wearable. AirPods 5 sharpen open-ear ANC Apple says their redesigned AirPods 5 acoustic system can cut up to 50% more external noise than AirPods 4 with ANC. The new design uses a multiport acoustic architecture alongside updated computational audio processing. Adaptive EQ also adjusts the listening experience to better account for differences in ear shape. Transparency mode gets an update too. It aims to make nearby voices and environmental sounds feel more natural when ANC switches off. Adaptive Audio can automatically balance noise cancellation and transparency. Conversation Awareness also reduces media volume when the wearer starts talking. AirPods 5 start at $129 in the US. A $149 version adds wireless charging and stem-based volume control. That model also stretches ANC playback to five hours per charge. Its case brings total ANC listening time to 22 hours. Apple Watch gets deeper sensing Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 introduce the Health Sensing System, which combines new optical and electrical sensors with Apple’s S11 chip. The watches can now sample heart rate every five seconds throughout the day. Apple says a study involving more than 1,000 participants found its new system had the highest accuracy among the wearables tested. Heart-rate variability measurements also arrive more frequently. Apple says the watches can capture HRV up to 24 times more often. A new readiness score turns recent activity, training load, sleep and vital measurements into a daily score from 0 to 10. The system then suggests whether users should recover, pace themselves, or push ahead. Series 12 keeps up to 24 hours of everyday battery life. Outdoor workouts can now run for up to 10 hours. Ultra 4 pushes endurance further. It reaches up to 50 hours of normal use and 84 hours in Low Power Mode. Its Extended Workout mode supports up to 45 hours for long outdoor activities. Apple also says the watch can maintain one-second GPS readings during its longest tracking mode. Health data gets broader role Apple is also redesigning the Health app for iPhone, giving users a new way to view longer-term trends. A new Longevity section will include Health Age, which compares selected health metrics with a user’s actual age. The app will also organize health information through a new Insights experience. Apple plans to connect these features with Apple Intelligence. Siri AI will use personal context for supported requests across apps, while new Audio Intelligence features are coming to the watches later this year. Together, the updates push Apple’s wearables toward more continuous sensing and personalized feedback. The bigger shift is not just more measurements, but how Apple intends to turn those measurements into useful guidance. Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Aamir is a seasoned tech journalist with experience at Exhibit Magazine, Republic World, and PR Newswire. With a deep love for all things tech and science, he has spent years decoding the latest innovations and exploring how they shape industries, lifestyles, and the future of humanity.