AirPods Max Review: Missing Out on the Latest Tech
10 Facebook x.com Reddit
AirPods Max
3.0/5 Buy on Amazon
At four years old, the AirPods Max seem a stagnant product that should be so much more, but premium audio and Apple ecosystem features keep them from becoming completely obsolete.
December 15, 2020 was a lifetime ago in reality and in tech. The AirPods Max were introduced shortly after the iPhone 12 lineup, when the Lightning port was still all the rage and Apple Intelligence was a glimmer in Tim Cook’s eye.
As usual, rumors began to circulate about a potential AirPods Max 2. The obvious features were USB-C, improved processing chips, and a foldable design.
The new AirPods arrived with the Apple Vision Pro and special features tied to the H2 chip, and they were linked to rumors of an AirPods Max refresh.
Four years later, Apple is introducing the “new” AirPods Max with USB-C and updated color options. They have the same H1 chips, the same feature set, and the same design.
Needless to say, I was disappointed and didn’t buy the updated model, but that didn’t stop me from using the original set. Luckily, Apple’s ultra-durable aluminum and stainless steel earbuds still sound great and work over the headphone jack with an adapter.
AirPods Max with USB-C
Buy on Amazon Buy on Best Buy Buy on B&H
AirPods Max Review: Missing Features
The AirPods Max are full-featured over-ear headphones, but four years is a long time without an update. That said, the form factor does offer some benefits for users.
AirPods Max review: Still part of the Apple ecosystem, but without modern features
The AirPods Pro 2 debuted with the H2 chip and 2x active noise cancellation, which Apple says is on par with the ANC found in the AirPods Max. However, that chipset includes a few extra features that haven’t appeared on Apple’s most expensive earbuds yet.
The AirPods Max don’t support Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, hearing health features, water resistance, Siri minus “Hello,” Voice Isolation, Personalized Volume, or Conversation Enhancement. They also still use Bluetooth 5.0 instead of Bluetooth 5.3.
The most significant missing feature, however, is directly related to Apple’s Vision Pro. The H2 chip used in the AirPods Pro 2 can directly communicate with Apple’s Vision Pro for H2-to-H2 Lossless connectivity.
AirPods Max Review: Design
The AirPods Max design has been highly controversial, with their large aluminum housings, stainless steel band, and rubber cap. They can’t fold for storage, and only sleep in a special case or bra-style holder that Apple includes with the earbuds.
AirPods Max review: Digital Crown proves to be a great control device
The foam ear tips are designed for improved isolation and acoustics, but users can replace them with third-party options. The original and new colors stand out, but the headphones stand out either way.
Even if Apple did release a major redesign of the AirPods Max, I doubt much would change on the outside. Apple doesn’t seem to care about their shape or flexibility, so expecting a foldable frame seems like a stretch.
The Digital Crown has proven itself to be an excellent control mechanism on every product it’s used in. There’s no need for awkward swiping gestures or head taps when the Digital Crown controls playback, Siri, and volume.
I’m not sure what I’d personally change about the design. It would be nice if Apple could achieve a similar look and feel at a lower weight — perhaps by swapping stainless steel for titanium.
These super-premium earbuds go some way to justifying their price tag with their now-iconic design. USB-C makes them better, but not by much.
We wish the headphone jack was on the left side, but Apple prefers that users connect to the Lightning port via an adapter. That said, connecting a wired connection to your AirPods Max and playing lossless audio will still produce better sound than a wireless connection. It just won’t be lossless.
Using the AirPods Max Four Years Later
Despite the lack of modern features and the uneasy travel design, the AirPods Max are still amazing headphones. There are probably better-sounding over-ear headphones in lower price ranges, but their integration with the Apple ecosystem is still unmatched.
AirPods Max review: Aluminum and stainless steel create a striking, if heavy, design
Apple’s custom 40mm drivers produce incredible sound, and when using Apple Music, you get the best possible combination of Dolby Atmos and Dynamic Head Tracking. Even without Lossless, the sound is clear and distortion-free at any volume.
I prefer to use the AirPods Pro when I wear the Apple Vision Pro, simply because they are usually in my pocket. The AirPods Max are a more thoughtful tool that I have to take out of a special charging case in my office.
And since the AirPods Pro provide enough ANC on their own, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything by wearing them instead. In fact, the AirPods Max aren’t that good compared to the AirPods Pro when using the Apple Vision Pro.
I tested Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here” and Linkin Park's “Casualty.” The AirPods Max won in overall physical separation of individual sounds, instruments, and bass, but the AirPods Pro 2 seemed to have a clarity that the larger earbuds lacked.
AirPods Max 2024 review: At least you can still use legacy media devices with an adapter
I'm not an audio expert, I don't have tens of thousands of dollars to spend on gear, and I don't have a huge opinion on DAC manufacturers or the use of vacuum tubes. Still, the physics are clear — it's because the larger drivers are moving a lot more air in the AirPods Max. They pump out phenomenal bass, so the mids and lows sound great, but it can drown out other sounds.
Oddly enough, the AirPods Pro may benefit simply from being smaller and directing sound directly into your ear canal. Although there may be some benefit related to lossless audio, I can't say for sure.
If anything, it's a compliment to how amazing the AirPods Pro are. It just goes to show how powerful computational audio is on such tiny devices, and makes me wonder how the H2 will improve the AirPods Max even more.
AirPods Max have a distinct advantage for movies and TV thanks to their size. The bass-heavy scenes in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Star Wars: The Last Jedi really shine on these over-ear headphones.
AirPods Max 2024 review: Great headphones for immersive video, movies, and TV
They vibrate in a way that mimics sitting in a room with powerful subwoofers, recreating the feeling of being in a movie theater. Watching a movie on the huge screen of the Apple Vision Pro combined with the powerful noise cancellation of the over-ear headphones is an incredible experience that you won’t get anywhere else — short of an actual IMAX theater.
The AirPods Max are great for listening to music and watching movies, but over the years I've had another use for them: podcasting. Sure, I could use any old wired headphones to listen to my mic, but the AirPods Max are the ones I have on hand.
For that, I need a Lightning-to-headphone jack cable, which Apple sells for $35. It’s pretty flimsy, as I’ve had to replace it before.
AirPods Max 2024 review: A good stand that can’t charge the earbuds it claims to
When it comes to charging, storage, and travel, I don’t do anything special. The AirPods Max sit on a special stand made by Lululook and connect inelegantly to the Lightning cable for charging. I only use the case when I take the AirPods Max on a trip, which I rarely do.
I used the AirPods Max a lot more in their first two years of life, but the AirPods Pro 2 have proven to be my go-to for audio. More active users complained that the older headphones discharged faster, but I myself did not notice this.
Batteries get old and hold a charge less, so I know my current AirPods Max won’t last forever. I’m hoping Apple releases a true upgrade in the next couple of years so I can upgrade.
While Apple hasn’t updated the AirPods Max, their underlying tech and sound are still good enough to keep them in regular rotation four years later. I’m just curious what the H2 version will be like.
AirPods Max with Lightning Connector
Buy on Amazon Buy on Best Buy Buy on B&H
AirPods Max 2024 Review – Hope for What's Next
The AirPods Max are Apple’s biggest miss of 2024. The USB-C update and new colors do nothing to truly bring the earbuds up to date.
AirPods Max review: premium earbuds tied to the Apple ecosystem
Sure, those with an extra $550 can get the new port. It’s useful, but I can’t justify it. All my Lightning cables haven’t caught fire when USB-C was installed on the iPhone, after all.
The AirPods Pro 2 are so good that, frankly, the AirPods Max are unnecessary in their current version.
Yeah, I like their sound for movies and bass-heavy music, and I use them for podcasts. However, if the AirPods Max disappeared today, I would just buy some of Sony's over-ear headphones for these features.
This is where the AirPods Max have fallen in my eyes. The must-have premium over-ear headphones of 2020 with amazing auto-switching and Dolby Atmos now seem redundant and replaceable.
I don’t think Apple has abandoned the AirPods Max. It’s clear that the company has other priorities, like the launch of the Apple Vision Pro. Still, it seems a shame that Apple’s $3,500 spatial computing headset doesn’t have a premium Apple headphone to match.
AirPods Max review: A great podcast companion, even with the Apple Vision Pro in the mix
Here’s what I’m hoping for — AirPods Max 2 with a focus on improving the spatial computing features of the Apple Vision Pro. Visual fidelity is certainly a big part of immersion, but true 3D audio from large, full-size speakers would enhance the experience even more.
If I had to pinpoint when such a modification would be announced, I would say it would happen along with the Apple Vision Pro 2. Some have suggested that the M5 model could appear in 2025, but I would bet on mid to late 2026 – which would be a good window for the AirPods Max 2.
AirPods Max 2024 Review – Pros
- H1 supports Apple ecosystem features like automatic switching
- Powerful noise cancellation on par with AirPods Pro 2 thanks to the in-ear design
- Transparency mode is still supernatural thanks to multiple microphones
- Incredible sound quality for music, great bass for movies
- Wired option for the audio jack
AirPods Max 2024 Review – The Cons
- Can't fold for storage
- No dedicated audio jack and no lossless wired audio option
- H1 chip is outdated, no Apple Vision Pro features
- Stainless steel frame makes for a heavy frame
- Dated hardware with an extravagant $550 price tag
Rating: 3 out of 5
The AirPods Max are an excellent device that has held its own over the years. These days, they're not a good buy unless you have the money or have never bought them and just want to buy them.
If you can, just buy the AirPods Pro 2 (check the sale prices) and wait for the AirPods Max 2. If not, buy used, wait for a sale, or find good over-ear Sony headphones.
Where to buy AirPods Max
AirPods Max with Lightning connector can still be found at some retailers at a significant discount. The USB-C model retails for $549, but is currently on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H.
Follow AppleInsider on Google News
