AirPods 5 have improved dust, sweat and water resistance, Apple said in its press release today, and Apple’s AirPods 5 spec page rates them IP57. The $129 AirPods 5 and $149 AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case pre-order today, September 9, and reach stores on Friday, September 18.
The wording matters. The release itself gives no rating, but Apple’s spec page lists AirPods 5 as IP57, with the charging case included in that rating. AirPods 4 are rated IP54, so the new earbuds carry a higher dust and water rating than the last open-ear generation, which is a useful signal for gym and running use.
What Apple has and has not said about AirPods 5 water resistance
Here is the state of play from Apple’s announcement, and the gaps a future product page or support document would need to fill.
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| Question | Status |
|---|---|
| Improved dust resistance | Confirmed by Apple |
| Improved sweat resistance | Confirmed by Apple |
| Improved water resistance | Confirmed by Apple |
| IP rating for the earbuds | IP57, per Apple’s spec page |
| IP rating for the case | IP57, per Apple’s spec page |
| Comparison figure against AirPods 4 | Not published in the release |
As usual, Apple put the IP rating in the technical specifications on its website rather than in the launch release. The spec page lists IP57 under IEC standard 60529 and says the resistance is for non-water sports and exercise.
What improved sweat and water resistance means for workouts
For most gym sessions and runs, sweat and light rain are the realistic hazards, and those are exactly the cases Apple is addressing with the word “improved.” The claim covers dust as well, which matters for outdoor training and for a case that lives in a gym bag.
What the claim does not cover is submersion. Apple has not described AirPods 5 as waterproof, and it has not said whether they survive a drop in a pool or a run through a shower. Resistance to sweat and water in Apple’s language is not a swimming feature, and nothing in the release suggests that has changed for AirPods 5.
The workout case is also where the rest of the AirPods 5 feature set comes together. Active Noise Cancellation, which Apple says removes up to 50 percent more noise than AirPods 4 with ANC, can block gym music, while Transparency mode and Conversation Awareness are there for a trainer or a running partner. Battery life is up to five hours with ANC on and up to 22 hours with the case on the Wireless Charging Case model, or four hours and 20 hours on the standard model.
Sweat, dust and the two AirPods 5 cases
Apple’s release applies the resistance claim to AirPods 5 as a product and does not distinguish between the two case options. The Wireless Charging Case model adds a force sensor with swipe volume control and charges on Apple Watch chargers, Qi pads and USB-C, none of which Apple has tied to a separate resistance figure.
- Sweat and light rain during runs and gym sessions: covered by Apple’s improved-resistance claim
- Dust and grit in a gym bag or on a trail: covered
- Swimming, showering or submersion: not claimed by Apple
- Exact IP rating: IP57, earbuds and case
The number, as expected, is on the product page rather than in the release: IP57. Our pre-event AirPods 5 rumor round-up noted that durability was rarely the focus of leaks, so the confirmation is welcome even in general terms. AirPods 5 go on sale alongside the iPhone 18 Pro on September 18, and everything else from today is in our event live blog.
