Apple (AAPL) is ending 2020 with a bang, rolling out its long-anticipated over-the-ear headphones dubbed the AirPods Max. And my goodness, has Apple gone for the big leagues with this one. Available for pre-order now and priced at a whopping $549, the AirPods Max carry a premium price with a capital “P.” We’re talking nearly twice as much as the competition.
The headphones are already backordered until March — well into 2021! Really?! Well, that means you’ve got plenty of time to decide if Apple’s latest accessory is worth your cash. And that’s where I come in. See, the AirPods Max are priced well above competing over-the-ear headphones, but offer unique features including always-on Siri functionality and Apple’s easy pairing technology.
So should you get them? Here’s how to decide.
First, let’s look at what the AirPods Max have to offer. Apple says they can provide up to 20 hours of listening with active noise-cancelling or Transparency mode on, similar to competitors’ offerings. Active noise-cancelling uses the Max’ internal and external microphones to determine the frequency of outside noise and then uses opposite frequencies to cancel them out. Think a baby crying on an airplane or your upstairs neighbor blasting Kelly Clarkson.
Transparency amplifies outside noise, so you can better hear what’s going on around you, while wearing the headphones. This way you don’t have to take them off to hear someone talking to you. You can switch between the two modes using the button on the side of the Max’s right headphone cup.
There’s also always-on Siri, which lets you call up the voice assistant hands-free and ask it to do things like make phone calls or send a text. And a digital crown, similar to the one found on the Apple Watch, lets you change songs and raise and lower the volume.
Apple also touts the mesh material used on the headphones’ band and cups; automatic head detection, which pauses music when you lift up an ear cup; and spatial audio, which tracks your head movements to simulate listening in a theater. So if you turn your head to the left away from your iPhone, the audio will be more prominent in your right ear.
You’ll also be able to replace the Max’s ear cups if they wear out for $69 a piece.
The competition
So what else is out there? Well, Bose has a slick pair of headphones called the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 that are widely reviewed as among the best around. They also offer, as their name indicates, noise-cancelling technology, transparency mode, touch controls, voice controls, and 20 hours of battery life.
The price? $379. That’s far less expensive than Apple’s offering, but they don’t have the same overall capabilities as the Max’s such as always-on Siri and spatial audio. And they don’t have the Max’s included H1 chip, which Apple says allows for computational audio that improves sound quality by adapting it to your fit.
Then there are the Sony (SNE) WH-1000XM4 headphones. Sony’s not the best with naming. Those, which are also among the most highly reviewed headphones out, also get noise-cancelling technology and ambient sound control.
They have voice controls via Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, will pause when you take them off and resume when you put them on, and even lower the volume if you cover one cup so you can hear people speaking to you. All of that and you get 30 hours of battery life.
The price? $279. That’s well below what either Bose or Apple are asking.
And then, of course, there are Apple’s own AirPods Pro, which have active noise-cancelling, always-on Siri, and computational audio. But you’re only going to get 4.5 hours of battery life, and they’re not over-the-ear headphones like the AirPods Max.
Should you get Apple’s headphones?
The AirPods Max aren’t out yet, so it’s hard to assess audio quality, but that price tag is a lot to swallow. If you’re looking for high-end noise-cancelling headphones, Bose and Sony might be the better bet at a relatively cheaper price.
But it’s important to note that they don’t offer all of the conveniences of Apple’s headphones. If you’re a diehard Apple fan and are willing to shell out the cash, the AirPods Max could be a solid choice, especially given Apple’s audio capabilities.
Big Apple fan on a tighter budget? Then check out the AirPods Pro. It’ll be a different experience than over-the-ear headphones, but at least you’ll get many of the same features at a significantly lower price.
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