With the controversial removal of the headphone jack from Apple's upcoming iPhone range a seeming inevitability, audio companies are already ramping up Bluetooth headset options ahead of the devices' launch in the fall.

In June, premium audio heavyweight brand Bose debuted a wireless version of its flagship over-the-ear headphones with the QuietComfort 35's. Not to be outdone, last month Danish audio big hitter B&O entered the fray with its Beoplay H5 Bluetooth buds, a pair of high-end magnetized earphones designed "for music lovers who live to move."

Beoplay H5

Design and Features

As with most products bearing the Bang & Olufsen moniker, the Beoplay H5 buds aren't exactly cheap at $249, but apart from the luxury brand cachet that comes with them, they promise premium performance in a compact package whatever your lifestyle, designed to segue seamlessly between a fitness routine and a daily commute, for example.

Beoplay H5
The dust and sweat-proof earpieces are made of a featherweight polymer-rubber compound with a branded aluminum disc on the rear, and each bud has a neck about an inch in length, with the power/pairing LED on one ear.

The buds are connected by a 52 cm (~20 in) cord sheathed in a soft braided textile that sits over the nape of your neck during wear, with an inline remote on the left-hand side and a hidden omnidirectional mic built in for taking calls.

h5 buds inner outer
Each earpiece contains a magnet, so you can clasp them together securely for them to rest around your neck when they're not in use. In another neat design feature, clicking the magnets together also auto-powers down the earphones to save battery.

Seven pairs of eartips come supplied – three sizes of Comply Sport memory foam tips offering a malleable seal, and four sizes of standard silicone molded tips.

Beoplay H5
Also included in the box are cable clips, a carry pouch, a quickstart guide, and a unique magnetized "cubic charger" with two molded recesses that the earpieces snap into, with a cable running out the rear with a USB connector attached.

The earbuds connect to a source device using the latest version of Bluetooth (4.2) and support high-quality AAC and aptX codecs – only newer MacBooks, not iPhones, support the latter as of writing.

beoplay app
Audio output can be adjusted via the easy-to-use Beoplay iOS (or Apple Watch) app, which offers four presets for different activities (workout, commute, clear, podcast) and a 'Tonetouch' graphical equalizer to customize the sound further.

Once you've adjusted the output to your liking, you can save the audio profile directly to the earbuds, allowing you to set and forget. If you're an Apple Watch wearer, you can choose between presets from your wrist, too.

Performance

Pairing the buds was a one-click affair of the power button on the inline remote, and the volume buttons proved to have the typical dual-functionality for moving between tracks, with the power/pair button also taking and ending calls.

Out of the box, the H5's sound decent enough, offering a flat, natural reproduction and a close, friendly soundstage. Treble was a tad too crisp at times, but with a bit of adjustment via the accompanying app it was easily dealt with, and once I had a custom profile set, they really came into their own.

The controlled bass and clearly defined mid- and high-range detail of the H5's serve rock, hip-hop, and instrumental genres extremely well, with jazz tracks reminding me of Vibe's eminently balanced Brass Ba11 buds and their intimate, inclusive sound. As for the mic, it had no trouble picking my voice out over the din of a typical commute on public transport.

The earphones remained comfortable to wear, whether I was working out or casually listening to music, although the left earpiece had a habit of slowly loosening when I was on the move which broke the insulating seal and let sounds leak in from outside.

Beoplay H5
That got annoying after a while, so I switched to the Comply eartips and chose a larger left tip (I have odd-sized lugholes, apparently) which solved the problem.

I loaned the H5's to a friend who complained that the left bud kept flying out of her ear during a high-intensity exercise routine due to the added weight of the inline remote, even after she swapped the tips for a bigger size. I couldn't replicate the issue myself using the memory foam tips and the buds stayed securely in place whatever I was doing, but this should serve as a warning to potential buyers.

I was underwhelmed by the stated five-hour battery life of the H5's (confirmed in my own tests) given that buds in Jaybird's wireless range offer up to eight hours' listening time, but in practice I only wore the H5's two hours a day on average and it wasn't a huge inconvenience to charge them for a couple of hours every other night – your mileage may vary.

Bottom Line

$250 earbuds will be a hard sell for many people. Personally I couldn't justify it, but if you have the spare cash and are fond of luxury kit, then I suppose it's not a deal breaker. Overall, the Beoplay H5 earphones are a lovingly designed, solid bit of kit. To be fair, it's the least I'd expect at this hefty price, and happily they deliver.

The magnetized buds and auto-off feature are signature B&O design wins, as is the supplied charging cube – it's just a shame the charge doesn't last a few hours longer. I'd also advise to be careful not to lose the charger; it's not like you'd be able to replace it with a standard micro-USB cable, as with some other wireless buds.

My only real design gripe was with the inline remote – its surface smoothness made it hard to find which was which volume control when out of my line of sight. After a while though, I became familiar with the layout and it became a non-issue.

Sonically the H5's are rich, well-balanced, and pack a satisfying punch, and with some subtle audio profile manipulation you can easily adjust the output to your musical taste. Still, this is a significant investment, and for that reason I'd recommend you try the buds before you buy, even if that's just to see if the tips play nice with your earholes. If they sound great and sit securely – and you can live with the middling battery life – then this luxury wireless headset could be an ideal match for your iPhone, headphone jack or no.

Pros

  • Slick, comfy, considered design
  • Plenty of supplied eartips to choose from
  • Decent built-in mic and excellent audio output
  • App presets that make a difference

Cons

  • Battery life isn't spectacular
  • Inline remote mold unhelpfully smooth
  • Achieving a secure eartip fit may be an issue for some
  • Very expensive for earbuds

Beoplay H5 rose

How to Buy

The Beoplay H5 earbuds cost $249, are available in black or dusty rose, and can be ordered on the B&O PLAY website.

Note: B&O PLAY provided the H5 earphones to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received.

Top Rated Comments

Fall Under Cerulean Kites Avatar
114 months ago
Can't wait for couple years from now when we get these and they don't have that goofy looking cable running behind your neck.
<del *.jpg>
From the movie "Her." Great movie by the way, check it out.
I’m not of the opinion the cable is either goofy or supurfluous. If one of these things is going to pop out of my ear, I’d rather have it teathered to the other to give me a chance of snatching it before crashing onto the pavement.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Davepbass Avatar
114 months ago
I just hate in ear headphones. Is there a tip that is comparable to Apple's earbuds cuz that's what I want. In ear w the seal is just too invasive for me.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
32828870 Avatar
114 months ago
So now you have to buy 3 types of headphones, with lightning, USB type C and with the standard 3,5mm jack. The mess can begin
Not at all. I've been using Bluetooth A2DP headsets since 2011. I own a pair of JayBird's that have lasted me ~5 years I use at the gym, no wires getting in the way of lifting. It's no different than vehicle Bluetooth Audio streaming, sounds great in my Audi. I have a pair of Bang & Olufsen H8's for travel - excellent sound quality, handsfree gesture controls on the right ear piece, 12+ hours on a 30 min charge, and additional batteries can be used to swap out between charges. A decent pair of Bluetooth headsets shouldn't cost more than $50-60 now.

I honestly don't understand the endless complaints about the possibility of losing a dated 3.5mm jack on a mobile phone. If you're using Apple's earbuds that's your first mistake.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shirasaki Avatar
114 months ago
First of all, it is pricy, as title suggests.
Then, it might not meet my hearing taste.
Constantly need to recharge one more battery is also a pain for me.
I hate in-ear EarPods because it is easier to block sounds from outside, increasing risk while listening to something while walking on street or taking public transport.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dyt1983 Avatar
114 months ago
Can't wait for couple years from now when we get these and they don't have that goofy looking cable running behind your neck.
A couple of years? You can buy them now from fly-by-night operators on Amazon, or from Motorola. (was that redundant?)

http://verve.life/
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pat500000 Avatar
114 months ago
The day when someone invents a chip that goes into our brain and no longer need earbuds....I'm in.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...