I’ve spent a good amount of time with the Air5 series from SoundPEATS, checking out both the SoundPEATS Air5 and the Air5 Lite a couple of months back. They were solid contenders in the budget space, for sure. So when the SoundPEATS Air5 Pro landed on my desk, I had one big question: what exactly makes these ‘Pro’?
I figured it would be a spec bump here or there. I was not expecting a full-on assault on earbuds that cost double or even triple their price.
Honestly, the price is the first thing we have to talk about. These earbuds retail for about $80, but you can usually find them for closer to $55 with a coupon. For that price, you’d expect some basic features and okay sound. What you get instead is a list of specs that belong on earbuds costing way more. It’s wild.
Design and Fit
When you first get the SoundPEATS Air5 Pro, the case is what you’ll notice. It’s a super compact, pill-shaped case with a matte grayish-black finish. It feels nice and smooth, but be warned, it picks up fingerprints the moment you touch it. On the front, there’s a single LED to show battery status, and around the bottom, you’ve got the USB-C charging port and a small button for manual pairing. It’s simple, functional, and very pocket-friendly.
But there’s a cool contrast when you open the lid. The earbuds themselves are almost entirely glossy, except for the silicone ear tips. It’s a nice visual touch that makes them look a bit more premium than the case might suggest. The stem is relatively short, so they don’t stick out of your ears looking awkward. On the outside of each bud, there’s a little bronze-colored plate with the SoundPEATS logo that doubles as the touch control surface.
As for comfort, they’re really lightweight, weighing in at just under 5 grams each. I had no problem wearing them for hours. They come with three sizes of silicone ear tips, so getting a good, secure seal is pretty straightforward. A good seal is key not just for comfort, but for getting the best possible sound and noise cancellation. These are also IPX5 rated, so they can handle sweat or a bit of rain without any issues.
The PeatsAudio App
The companion app, called PeatsAudio, is where you unlock all the customization for the SoundPEATS Air5 Pro. The interface looks pretty slick, with a 3D model of the earbuds and clear battery indicators for each bud and the case—though I wish it showed an exact percentage instead of just a bar.
The app is packed with useful features:
- ANC Customization: You can toggle between Noise Cancelling, Normal, and Transparency modes. But it goes deeper. The ANC mode has sub-settings for different environments like Indoor, Outdoor, and Traffic, plus an Adaptive mode that adjusts automatically. Transparency mode even has a “Voice Enhancement” option to help you focus on conversations.
- Equalizer (EQ): This is a huge win. There are 12 presets to choose from if you want a quick change, but the real power is in the 10-band custom EQ. You can dial in the sound exactly how you like it, name your preset, and save it.
- Control Mapping: Don’t like the default touch controls? You can change them. The app lets you customize what single, double, triple, and long presses do on each earbud. Yes!
- Other Goodies: You also get a low-latency Gaming Mode toggle, a multi-point connection toggle, a “Find My Earbuds” feature, and the ability to get firmware updates.
Now, it’s not perfect. The app can sometimes be a bit laggy when switching between menus, especially when opening the EQ. Another pointed out that the app might force you to create an account to use some features, which is definitely an annoyance. But for the most part, the level of control you get here is fantastic and really elevates the experience of using the SoundPEATS Air5 Pro.
Is The ANC Actually Good?
Short answer: yes. It’s shockingly good.
SoundPEATS claims their AI Adaptive Hybrid ANC can cut out up to 55dB of noise. I can’t measure that exactly, but in the real world, these things are effective. They easily block out low-frequency hums like engines and fans, but what surprised me is how well they handle higher-pitched sounds like people talking. This is the first pair from SoundPEATS where I feel the noise cancellation truly creates a bubble of silence around you.
The transparency mode is solid, too. It lets in outside sound naturally, so you can have a conversation without needing to pull an earbud out. It doesn’t sound overly artificial or amplified, which is a big plus.
Call quality is decent. The six-mic setup does a good job of isolating your voice and cutting down on background noise. You’ll come through clearly, though your voice might sound a tiny bit processed. It’s perfectly fine for everyday calls.
How Do The SoundPEATS Air5 Pro Sound?
This is where these earbuds really shine. They have 10mm dynamic drivers that deliver a super fun, energetic, and powerful sound.
The sound signature is definitely V-shaped — meaning big bass and bright treble. The bass has a satisfying rumble and punch, perfect for electronic music and hip-hop, but it doesn’t get muddy and overwhelm the rest of the track. The highs are crisp and detailed, giving a lot of energy to the music without being harsh.
Vocals and mids are clear and present, pushed just enough so they don’t get lost in the mix. They’re not tuned for audiophile-level neutrality; they’re tuned to make your music sound exciting. And they absolutely succeed. Out of the box, the sound is fantastic, but you can also jump into the PeatsAudio app to tweak the EQ to your liking.
The only real omissions on the hardware front are wireless charging and in-ear detection for auto-pausing music. For the price, those are compromises I’m willing to make.
Battery Life
Battery life is pretty standard, which is a good thing. You get about 7.5 hours from the earbuds on a single charge with ANC off, and the case bumps that up to a total of 37 hours. Turning on LDAC or ANC will drop that runtime, as you’d expect—closer to 3.5 to 5 hours. But they also have fast charging: a 10-minute charge gives you 2 hours of playback.
So, What’s The Catch?
At this price, the SoundPEATS Air5 Pro feels almost too good to be true. The lack of wireless charging and wear detection are the obvious trade-offs. The matte case is a fingerprint magnet, and the app sometimes requires you to create an account, which can be annoying.
But when you weigh those minor cons against the incredible sound quality, top-tier audio codecs (LDAC and aptX Lossless!), and seriously effective noise cancellation, it’s not even a close call.
These might just be the best value in wireless earbuds right now. What do you think?
