I can buy cheap Amazon earbuds with volume controls for far less than Apple's step-up AirPods 5 model — how is it getting away with this?

On our podcast I’m known as the Apple hater, but over the past year I’ve let up a little — even defended the company.

I’ve said Apple could be the only company capable of releasing camera glasses without major backlash thanks to privacy-first approach, celebrated its approach to AI as possibly genius if the bubble does pop, and most recently said the iPhone Duo looks great and that the visible crease in some shots should be ignored — as if it’s like the Z Fold 8 Ultra you’ll never see it while you’re using it.

But in our most recent episode, I saw something that I couldn’t believe in the new AirPods 5 specs.

I had to actually message our Audio Editor because I thought I must be wrong.

How are on-bud volume controls only now coming to AirPods? And how are they reserved for the pricier model? Take back (volume) control I brought this up in the podcast, but my Apple-wielding colleagues — Axel Metz and Matt Evans — argued the feature isn’t that useful anyway.

Those with Pro-level AirPods that boast volume controls noted that they rarely use them Folks, that’s beside the point.

Volume controls are one of the most basic earbuds functions.

Take a minute to scroll through Amazon, and you can find dozens of wireless earbuds under $20 that offer volume controls.

This shouldn’t be something reserved for the fifth generation of a premium earbuds brand like AirPods.

It’s absurd! Oh, and I think volume controls on the buds are useful, for what it’s worth.

If I’ve set my phone up to watch a YouTube video and the volume spikes, I want to be able to quickly swipe down without reaching over; or I might want to change the volume of my workout tunes mid-session without pulling my phone out and risking getting distracted.

Sure, it’s not a game changer, but as I said already, it’s a basic feature we should expect.

It would be like if your iPhone didn’t have an email app — there are ways around it, but why cut off the root of the problem? Perhaps I shouldn't give Apple ideas (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future) What really grinds my gears, however, is that volume controls still aren’t truly standard.

If you get the base $129 / £119 / AU$219 AirPods, you’ll be out of luck — you need to pay extra for the $149 / £139 / AU$249 model with a wireless charging case.