Apple has published no sound leakage figure for AirPods 5, in decibels or in any other form, so nobody can tell you exactly how much of your music the person next to you hears. What Apple has published is the shape of the answer: these are open-ear earbuds with no ear tips, and Apple’s own noise cancelling claim is carefully scoped to that design.
Two worries usually arrive together in this search. One is leakage going out. The other is whether noise cancelling can work at all without a seal in your ear. Apple answers the second in relative terms only, and it does not answer the first. AirPods 5 cost $129, or $149 with the Wireless Charging Case, and reach stores on Friday, September 18.
Key facts
| Item | What Apple publishes |
|---|---|
| Design | Open-ear. No ear tips are included with either model |
| Sound leakage measurement | None published |
| Passive isolation measurement | None published |
| Noise cancelling claim | “Up to 1.5x more Active Noise Cancellation than the previous generation”, meaning AirPods 4 with ANC |
| How Apple scopes that claim | “The industry’s best Active Noise Cancellation in an open-ear design” |
| Acoustics listed | Custom high-excursion driver, custom high dynamic range amplifier, a vent system for pressure equalization, next-generation Adaptive EQ |
| Listening modes | Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation |
| Water and sweat rating | IP57 |
| Price and date | $129 and $149, in stores Friday, September 18 |
What Apple’s noise cancelling claim actually covers
The headline number is a comparison with Apple’s own previous open-ear model. Up to 1.5 times more noise cancellation than AirPods 4 with ANC is a generational step, not a statement about how much of the world disappears.
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The superlative is scoped too. Apple claims the industry’s best active noise cancellation in an open-ear design, which is a category comparison rather than a claim against sealed earbuds. Apple’s own AirPods comparison page keeps AirPods Pro 3 well ahead, describing them as removing up to three times more noise than AirPods 5.
Everything about the hardware description points the same way. A vent system for pressure equalization is a feature of a bud that does not seal, and an open fit is why Apple lists no ear tips in the box on either model.
What escapes, and why nobody can tell you
Leakage is the part Apple simply does not address. There is no published figure, no test condition and no volume threshold on any Apple page for these earbuds.
What can be said honestly is that active noise cancellation is aimed inward. Apple describes it as removing noise for the listener, and nothing in its description claims that any listening mode reduces what someone standing beside you can hear. The controls Apple does list that bear on it are ordinary ones: volume, Headphone levels, Headphone Accommodations and Live Listen.
Open fit or sealed fit, on Apple’s published rows
| Row | AirPods 5 | AirPods Pro 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Open-ear, no ear tips supplied | In-ear, five silicone tip sizes in the box |
| Noise cancelling | Yes, up to 1.5x more than AirPods 4 with ANC | Yes, described by Apple as up to 3x more than AirPods 5 |
| Hearing Test, Hearing Aid, Hearing Protection | No | Yes |
| Heart rate sensor | No | Yes, for workouts |
| Water and sweat rating | IP57 | IP57 |
| Earbud weight | 4.3 g | 5.55 g |
| Price | $129, or $149 with the Wireless Charging Case | $249 |
That table is the real decision. An open bud that sits outside the ear canal will always let more in and out than one that seals it, and Apple’s pricing and its own comparisons reflect that. What the open design buys is a fit many people can wear for hours, at half the price.
What Apple has not said
- Any measurement of sound leaking out, at any volume.
- Any passive isolation figure for the open-ear fit.
- Which frequencies the noise cancellation handles best, or where an open design limits it.
- Any test conditions behind the 1.5x claim, such as the noise used or the volume set.
- Any comparison with a named non-Apple open-ear earbud, despite the industry-best wording.
AirPods 5 pre-orders opened on September 9 and the earbuds arrive on Friday, September 18, the same day as the iPhone 18 Pro and Apple Watch Series 12. If leakage in a quiet office is what decides your purchase, the only reliable test is a demo pair at that volume, because Apple has published no number to check against. Everything else announced this month ships the same day.
