We’ve been hearing about Apple’s over-the-ear headphones for a while now and they were expected to launch around Christmas. But imagine our surprise when Tim Cook decided to skip the hustle and bustle of a keynote event and give the AirPods Max a surprise launch that made everyone go … “Huh?”
Initially, we anticipated that Apple would launch the AirPods Max alongside the new iPhones. Well, that didn’t happen (even though they did make an appearance in the beta version of iOS 14). However, we should have taken a hint when Apple Stores stopped displaying premium headphones from other brands. They were obviously clearing the way for a product of their own.
Well, we can all stop speculating now that the Cupertino based company has finally ended the suspense and launched the AirPods Max. Priced at ₹59,900/- this product from Apple promises an industry-leading audio experience and premium comfort, along with a whole lot of other features.
AirPods Max comes in five interesting color options and gets a rather odd-looking case. However, this time around, the case doesn’t double up as a charger. Once the AirPods Max is placed into the case, it goes into a power-saving sleep mode to retain battery life. On a single charge, the headphones can last for up to 20 hours, and it has been enabled with active noise cancellation. The AirPods Max supports fast charging, and the headphones can achieve 1.5 hours of playback with just five minutes of charging.
Apple’s over the ear headphone’s box contains the device, a case, and USB-C to Lightning port cable. Connecting the AirPods Max to an iPhone/iPad follows the traditional and simple procedure of “tap to connect’ like the regular AirPods and AirPods Pro.
Apple’s voice assistant can be summoned using the command of “Hey Siri.” Similar to every product in the Apple ecosystem, the latest premium headphones work seamlessly with all devices and the AirPods Max also sports the automatic switch-over feature. The said feature aids in the automatic transition of the wireless headphones from one device to another. For instance, if you’re watching a movie on your Mac and answer a call on your iPhone, the device automatically connects to the iPhone.
In terms of features, Apple’s top-of-the-line Bluetooth headphones are loaded with interesting and useful features, such as High-fidelity audio for crystal-clear hearing experience and Active Noise Cancellation for times when you want to shut out the world around you. Users can easily turn off the Active Noise Cancellation with a tap of a button placed on the AirPods Max.
The cushions on the AirPods Max have been made from memory foam for an all-day comfortable fit. One feature I particularly like is the inclusion of Spatial audio for a 360 degree sound effect while binge-watching movies or TV series. The company claims the best comfort on an over-the-ear headphone as a user can adjust the stainless steel headband for a comfortable fit and lock it at an angle best suited for the user.
In technical aspects, the AirPods Pro Max is embedded with Apple’s H1 processor along with nine microphones that help in adjusting the noise cancelling levels. The headphones are equipped with an accelerometer and a gyroscope sensor to beam sound according to the head movement to delineate sound perfectly.
Apart from the button that can activate/deactivate ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), the AirPods Max sports a digital crown similar to one seen on Apple Watches. The crown can be used for an array of functions like Play/Pause, Skip Track, Summon Siri, Answer/Reject Calls, and control Volume and ANC precision. Although the latest AirPods Max cost as much as an iPhone, it does claim to provide excellent sound quality, and premium fit and finish.