Apple today revealed its long rumoured pair of over-ear noise-cancelling headphones - the AirPods Max - and boy are they pricey. A pair of AirPods Max will cost you $899, making them one of the priciest pairs of consumer noise-cancelling headphones around.
For comparison, Sony's excellent WH-1000XM4s go for $499, but have been discounted to under $400. You're looking at $599 for Bose's NC 700s, but these can be found for under $500. And rather lux Bang & Olufsen's H9s are still $60 cheaper coming in at $840.
So what exactly does your hard earned cash buy you? Well when it comes to design, the AirPods Max certainly stand out from other headphones thanks to the mesh headband which Apple says helps better distribute weight and reduce pressure. There's also an adjustable stainless steel frame, and each ear cap can pivot and rotate for a better fit. The cups can be detached magnetically, and you'll be able to buy replacement cushions for $99 if you want to mix and match colours.
Naturally Apple says the AirPods Max sound incredible" and offer great noise-cancelling, but obviously this is something one needs to try to judge. Apple's track record with the AirPods Pro and HomePod does have us optimistic, however.
Rather than using tap controls, the AirPods Max have an Apple Watch-like crown that is used to adjust volume, pause or play audio, skip tracks, answer phone calls, and activate Siri. There's also a button for switching between noise-cancelling modes.
Like regular AirPods, AirPods Max feature instant pairing when used with another Apple device, as well as instant switching between products you own based on which you're using.
In the box, you'll also find a Lightning to USB-C cable for charging the AirPods Max, and a Smart Case which puts them into ultra-low power mode to conserve battery. Apple says you can expect 20 hours per charge, and a five-minute juice should give you 90 minutes of playback. While AirPods Max will still work as standard Bluetooth headphones with non-Apple devices, you'll miss out on most of their smarts.
The AirPods Max are available for pre-order now ahead of a December 15 release. You can get them in a choice of space grey, silver, green, sky blue, or pink. At time of writing, Apple's online store is saying December 23 delivery for every colour other than sky blue. If you want sky blue, you'll need to wait until next year.
We'll certainly be keen to see if the AirPods Max live up to the price-tag.
Alex Choros
Related Articles
