AirPods 5 are rated IP57, up from IP54 on AirPods 4, and that is the entire published statement. Apple’s tech specs page gives the rating one line in a row labelled water and sweat, with no depth, no duration, no test standard named and no separate line for the charging case.
The contrast with Apple’s other September products is the story. For iPhone 18 Pro it publishes IP68 with a maximum depth of 6 metres for up to 30 minutes under IEC 60529, and for Apple Watch Ultra 4 it publishes three separate standards. For the earbuds it publishes four characters. The press release our AirPods 5 announcement coverage used went even shorter, describing improved dust, sweat and water resistance without a rating at all.
| Product | Rating Apple publishes | Test conditions Apple publishes |
|---|---|---|
| AirPods 5, both models | IP57 | None |
| AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC | IP54, stated for buds and case | None |
| AirPods Pro 3 | IP57, stated for buds and case | None |
| iPhone 18 Pro | IP68 | Maximum depth 6 metres, up to 30 minutes, under IEC 60529 |
| Apple Watch Series 12 | 50 metres water resistance, IP6X dust | ISO 22810:2010, IEC 60529, depth gauge to 6 metres |
| Apple Watch Ultra 4 | 100 metres water resistance, IP6X dust | ISO 22810:2010, EN13319 recreational scuba to 40 metres, IEC 60529, MIL-STD 810H tested |
What actually changed against AirPods 4
The rating is one of six published differences between AirPods 5 and AirPods 4 with ANC, and it is the only one in the durability column. Everything about the physical earbud is carried over: 4.3 grams each, 30.2 by 18.3 by 18.1 mm, and a case measuring 46.2 by 50.1 by 21.2 mm.
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| Measurement | AirPods 4 with ANC | AirPods 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Ingress rating | IP54 | IP57 |
| Earbud weight | 4.3 g | 4.3 g |
| Earbud dimensions | 30.2 x 18.3 x 18.1 mm | 30.2 x 18.3 x 18.1 mm |
| Case dimensions | 46.2 x 50.1 x 21.2 mm | 46.2 x 50.1 x 21.2 mm |
| Case weight | 34.7 g | 32.3 g standard, 34.7 g Wireless Charging Case |
So the same shell now carries a higher rating. Apple has not described a change in seals, mesh or venting that would explain it, and the vent system it does mention is listed for pressure equalisation rather than ingress.
The case is the open question
For AirPods 4 and for AirPods Pro 3, Apple’s documentation states the rating for the earbuds and the case. The AirPods 5 tech specs row sits in a table that covers both models and does not say whether the case is included.
That matters more on the cheaper model, because the $129 version has no wireless charging and a plain USB-C port, and neither box includes a cable or a power adapter. A port and a rating that may or may not cover the case is the sort of detail a support document would settle, and no AirPods 5 support document exists yet.
Apple publishes conditions when it wants to
This is not a case of Apple withholding across the board. The same week it published a depth and a duration for the iPhone 18 Pro, three standards and a scuba depth for the Apple Watch Ultra 4, and a 50 metre figure plus a depth gauge limit for the Apple Watch Series 12.
For AirPods it publishes a rating and stops, which it has done for every recent generation. The result is that the most water-exposed Apple product most people own is the one with the least published detail about water.
What this does and does not let you claim
- Apple’s own wording for the generation is improved dust, sweat and water resistance, and the number backing it is IP57 against IP54 on AirPods 4.
- Apple does not state a submersion depth or time for AirPods 5, so no depth or duration should be inferred from the digits.
- Apple does not name the standard it tested against for AirPods 5, unlike the iPhone and Watch pages, which cite IEC 60529 by name.
- Apple does not say the AirPods 5 case shares the rating, although it says so for AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3.
- Apple publishes nothing about how the rating changes with age, wear or exposure to anything other than water.
What Apple has not said
Apple has not published a depth, a duration, a standard, a case line, or any statement about liquid damage and warranty coverage for AirPods 5. It has not published an AirPods 5 manual or support article, so the guidance that usually accompanies a rating is missing too. It has also published no environmental figure beyond 40 percent recycled material by weight and 35 percent renewable electricity, both lower than the equivalent iPhone numbers.
The publishing gaps here match the pattern the event recap described across the launch, where product pages ran ahead of support documentation. AirPods 5 reach stores on Friday, September 18, and until Apple posts a support document, IP57 is a number without a sentence attached.
