Forget AirPods: Sennheiser Momentum 5 Adds Swappable Batteries
Sennheiser is taking direct aim at the disposable nature of wireless earbuds with its new flagship Momentum True Wireless 5. Priced at $299.95, the fifth-generation earbuds introduce user-replaceable batteries for both the earpieces and the redesigned charging case, giving the earbuds a leg up against other premium options like Apple's AirPods Pro 3 and Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen).
The Momentum True Wireless 5 comes with a compact screwdriver to enable owners to swap out a degraded battery in mere minutes, similar to what is possible on the company's flagship Momentum 5 headphones. This is a far less common feature in modern earbuds—Fairphone's Fairbuds come to mind—and it addresses one of the biggest drawbacks of spending big on a premium model.
"Balancing compact size, our signature high-fidelity acoustics, and a replaceable battery is a major breakthrough," said Lilika Beck, President of Sennheiser Consumer Hearing. "With Momentum True Wireless 5, we are proving that cutting-edge performance does not have to sacrifice longevity."
Alongside the repairability push, the Momentum True Wireless 5 gets a complete overhaul with Sennheiser's 7mm TrueReponse transducers, Bluetooth 6.0 support, and hi-res streaming up to 24-bit/96kHz.
Sennheiser also infused its latest flagship earbuds with head-tracking accelerometers for spatial audio, as well as a new four-microphone array for better active noise cancellation (ANC). Regarding the latter, Sennheiser points to a micro-perforated acoustic mic plate to mitigate wind turbulence.
Other notable upgrades include an updated ear tip design, an AI-driven speech enhancement algorithm, a slimmer and more pocket-friendly charging case, and improved battery life—Sennheiser says you can expect up to 12 hours of listening time (ANC disabled), or 40 hours total if factoring in the charging case.
