Apple rates AirPods 5 IP57 for dust and water resistance but never states a depth, a duration, or the name of a test standard on either the tech specs page or the marketing page, the way it does for its own watches. Apple has also never published a talk-time figure for any AirPods generation, AirPods 5 included. And the AirPods 5 tech specs page carries no separate colors line at all. None of these is a mistake. They are simply things Apple has chosen not to publish.
Here is what each gap actually is, and what a future Apple page would need to say to close it.
Key facts
| Question | Apple’s answer |
|---|---|
| What depth does the IP57 rating cover? | Not published |
| What duration does it cover? | Not published |
| Is a named test standard cited, as Apple does for Apple Watch? | Not published |
| What is AirPods 5’s talk time? | Not published, true of every AirPods generation |
| Does the AirPods 5 spec page list a colors row? | No |
IP57, without the numbers Apple gives its watches
AirPods 5’s own spec page and its marketing page both print the two characters “IP57” and stop there. That is a contrast with how Apple documents water resistance for its watches. Apple Watch Ultra models are rated to 100 meters and cite the specific ISO 22810:2010 test standard by name, alongside a stated diving depth of 40 meters. Apple Watch Series 10 and Series 11 are rated to 50 meters and separately state a 6-meter depth gauge accuracy figure. AirPods 5 gets none of that supporting detail, on a rating scale, IP, that is different from the meters-based scale Apple uses for its watches in the first place.
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How Apple documents water resistance, product by product
| Product | What Apple publishes |
|---|---|
| Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Ultra 3 | 100 m, ISO 22810:2010, dive depth stated separately |
| Apple Watch Series 10 and Series 11 | 50 m swimproof, IP6X, 6 m depth gauge accuracy |
| AirPods Pro 3 | IP57, no further elaboration on Apple’s pages |
| AirPods 5 (both models) | IP57, no further elaboration on Apple’s pages |
No talk-time figure, on any AirPods, ever
Apple’s own tech specs pages for every AirPods model, going back through AirPods 2, AirPods 3, AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with ANC and every AirPods Pro generation, list a listening-time figure and never a separate talk-time figure. AirPods 5 continues that pattern rather than breaking it. Apple Watch and iPhone specs pages do not carry a phone-call-specific battery figure either, but AirPods are the product category built around calls and Siri, which makes the absence more noticeable there than anywhere else in Apple’s lineup.
No colors line on the spec page
Apple’s iPhone and Apple Watch tech specs pages both list finish or color options as a named row. The AirPods 5 tech specs page does not include a colors row at all for either model. That is consistent with AirPods historically shipping in a single finish, but it is still a structural gap next to how Apple documents its other current products, where a colors row is standard.
What Apple has not said
Apple has not published a depth, a duration, or a named test standard for AirPods 5’s IP57 rating, has never published a talk-time figure for any AirPods model, and does not carry a colors row on the AirPods 5 spec page. A future spec-page update that names a test standard the way Apple already does for its watches, a support document that states a talk-time figure for the first time, or Apple simply confirming that AirPods 5 ships in one finish only, would each settle one of these on its own.
As of September 12, 2026, none of the three gaps has moved since Apple’s own recap of the September 9 announcement, and AirPods 5 is still six days from reaching stores on Friday, September 18, the same day Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 arrive. iOS 27 lands free three days before that, on Monday, September 14.
