Key Takeaways
- The AirPods Max are made from premium aluminum, making them stylish but heavy.
- The current model is missing key features and is considered outdated.
- Rumors about a second-generation AirPods Max refresh suggest possible upgrades such as USB-C and other improvements.
AirPods Max are some of the most premium over-ear headphones on the market. While most headphone manufacturers build them out of plastic, Apple has gone for aluminum to add style, durability, and a premium feel. The problem with using metal in a product that you wear on your head is the weight, which is the biggest complaint about these premium headphones. Almost four years after their launch in December 2020, the headphones are widely considered outdated and lacking essential features to stay competitive.
But is that really the case? Let’s take a closer look.
Airpods Max
$394 $550 Save $156
AirPods Max offer premium sound quality, active noise cancellation, and a luxurious design for an immersive audio experience.
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Airpods Max
Extremely Premium
AirPods Max are priced at $549, which is not cheap, and are Apple’s only over-ear headphones outside of the Beats lineup. They are made of aluminum and come in space gray, pink, green, silver, and sky blue. If you buy directly from Apple’s online store, you can also get optional free engraving. AirPods Max have 20 hours of battery life, active noise cancellation, Transparency mode, and personalized spatial audio with dynamic head tracking. Unlike the second-generation AirPods Pro, AirPods Max do not have adaptive audio, speech recognition, or water resistance.
The AirPods Max are Apple’s only over-ear headphones outside of the Beats lineup.
Although the AirPods Max has been around for almost four years, it still has the H1 chip instead of the more powerful H2 chip found in the AirPods Pro. AirPods Max users get a smart case that puts the AirPods Max to sleep to conserve battery life. Like the Apple Watch, the AirPods Max has a single button and a digital crown for easy audio adjustments and to perform actions like controlling audio and waking up Siri.
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AirPods Max (2nd generation) rumors
A refresh is desperately needed
Before its release, AirPods Max was one of Apple’s least secretive products. Countless rumors about its upcoming release circulated, and it was finally unveiled during the 2020 holiday season. Meanwhile, the second generation of AirPods Max is a bit different from before. Rumors about its refresh have focused on what people want to see, rather than what is expected. There is still no expected release date or estimated price for the second generation AirPods Max. The best we can do is hope that it will be released soon, at a price similar to (or lower than) the current generation.
Rumors about the refresh have focused more on what people want to see than what they expect.
Replacing the current Lightning port with USB-C is arguably the most significant change Apple could make to the new generation of AirPods Max. From there, upgrading the included H1 chip to H2 or later improves audio quality, extends battery life, and enables new features like adaptive audio, better active noise cancellation (ANC), and speech recognition. In my opinion, having the U2 chip so that Find My can locate you accurately is also a nice addition.
It’s also possible that the digital crown and physical buttons will be replaced with capacitive touch controls like the AirPods Pro and third-generation AirPods. New colors are also on the horizon. Although unlikely, there’s a chance that the AirPods Max could gain some degree of water resistance.
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Buy now or wait?
That’s a big wait
After trying Beats Studio 3 years ago, I decided that over-ear headphones were not for me. But over time, that idea grew on me, and now I really want AirPods Max. As an owner of 3rd generation AirPods and 2nd generation AirPods Pro, there is no doubt that I really love AirPods. For me, AirPods Max are the only over-ear headphones I want, given their seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem and premium build quality. But like you, I am hesitant to buy now.
AirPods Max lack some features that are necessary to be comparable to other AirPods and be competitive across the market. These over-ear headphones have been on the market for quite some time, so I recommend you wait. If you are in dire need of new over-ear headphones, there are plenty of great options on the market, such as the Sonos Ace. If not, join me in waiting for the upcoming release of the second-generation AirPods Max. Happy listening!
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