Since its conception with the late Steve Jobs, Apple has established itself to be among the world’s best smartphone-making companies, making other high-quality tech products along with it. Hence why they are known as the most popular tech brand in the world.
Many people are fans of Apple products, especially when it comes to iPhones and AirPods. Apple products are preferred over other brands because of their commitment to quality and design. Not only this but due to those reasons, they also have a dedicated fan base.
Apple’s AirPods Max is a wireless headphone, but there’s more to it than the meets the eye. They were released on December 15th, 2020, and are considered the finest in the AirPods line of headphones.
They are the first-ever over-the-ear headphones made by Apple after a long history of in-ear headphones. AirPods Max is supported with two Apple H1 Chips custom knit headbands and ear cushions designed to provide you with extra comfort. There are many other features of these headphones that are yet to be discussed, so let’s explore them.
Features of AirPods Max
1. U-Shaped Design
AirPods Max is designed with oval-shaped aluminum ear cups attached to a retro-style U-shaped curve with telescoping arms for size adjustment purposes. According to Apple, they are equipped with mesh ear cups, which are made using an acoustic fabric that helps in conducting better sound.
The headband has an upward curve and is made from a breathable knit mesh material between a stainless-steel frame. According to Apple, it compensates the headphone’s weight across the head to make them more comfortable. The frame is covered with soft-touch material.
2. Automatic Device Swapping
All the AirPods have one feature in common: automatic device swapping into any device in which the user is signed into their iCloud account and other cool things like Siri access, quick pairing, and audio sharing. AirPods Max features optical sensors that help in detecting when they are on the head of the user.
3. Automatic Pause And Play
Once a user puts these AirPods on, they can play audio, and as soon as they take it off, the audio pauses automatically. As mentioned before, the microphones allow the user to make clear phone calls and ensure that Siri hears their voice commands even when the music is playing.
4. Digital Crown and Button
Like the Apple Watch, the AirPods Max has a digital crown that you can use to control different things like turning the volume up and down, skipping between tracks, answering phone calls, and activating Siri through rotating pressure gestures. A button next to the digital crown allows you to control active noise cancellation and switch between ANC and Transparency Mode.
You can control the volume by giving the digital crown a turn; one press lets you answer a phone call or play/pause songs; if you press it twice, it skips between the tracks, pressing three times goes back one track, pressing and holding it activates Siri.
5. LED Light
AirPods Max has an LED light at the bottom of the right ear cup, which shows the charge levels by pressing the power button while they are plugged in.
It displays a green light above 95%, and when it is below 95%, it shows an amber light. If you press the AirPods Max button when it’s not charging, it shows a green light if there is more than 15% charge remaining and an amber light if there is less than 15% battery life remaining.
6. Smart Case
AirPods Max comes with a soft smart case that wraps around the ear cups. However, it does not protect the headband. This case is designed to put the AirPods Max into an ultra-low power state to preserve battery life and utilize magnets.
The original case that comes with these headphones is not that protective. Nonetheless, third-party cases exist in the market, which may offer better protection than the original one.
7. Sound Quality
AirPods Max offers an excellent sound quality with an active noise cancellation feature that helps block out sounds from outside. They include custom-built drivers that produce ultra-low distortion sound across the audible range and provide rich bass, accurate mids, crisp and clean highs, and the highest volumes.
The driver installed in it has a dual-neodymium ring motor modeled after the drivers on the high-end-floor-standing-speakers. This magnetic motor is designed to minimize the total harmonic distortion. It is precisely how the AirPods Max delivers the most accurate sound.
8. H1 Chips
AirPods Max has two H1 chips designed by Apple. These chips are similar to those that Apple has used in its previous products, like the AirPods Pro. Apple has added an H1 chip to each ear cup and the ten audio cores that provide audio computational capabilities that provide all of the best features that Apple is known for, like improving active noise cancellation, allowing for transparency mode, etc.
9. Active Noise Cancellation
The AirPods Max has an active noise cancellation feature. These contain six outward-facing microphones to detect the environment’s environment and two inward-facing microphones to measure what the user hears. With the combination of Apple’s software, the microphone allows the AirPods Max to determine and reduce the noise level of the outer sounds while fine-tuning the audio.
10. Transparency Mode
AirPods Max has a transparency mode that allows you to hear the sounds coming from outside even if you have ANC turned on. Adaptive EQ works to adjust the sound to fit perfectly and seal the ear cushions by measuring the sounds’ signal and changing it in real-time.
11. Spatial Audio
The spatial audio gives the AirPods Max a movie-theater-like sound experience. It applies directional audio filters and finely adjusted frequencies that each ear receives to place sounds virtually anywhere in the space for a great listening experience.
This feature uses the headphone’s built-in sensors and the Apple device’s sensors to track the motion of a person’s head and their device position. This is done by comparing the motion data and remapping the sound field to stay connected to the device even when the head is moving. This type of audio uses dynamic head tracking for playing sounds and provides a tremendous theater-like experience to the user.
12. Adaptive EQ
AirPods Max also has an adaptive EQ feature that provides an outstanding sound quality by tuning the music playing to the individual fit. The inward-facing microphones in the AirPods Max determine what you are listening to and adjust the music frequencies for a rich and consistent experience.
13. Pairing, Sharing, and Switching
Like other AirPods, the AirPods Max also connects automatically to other Apple devices like iPhones and iPads with a one-tap setup. It is simple and easy to connect to devices like iPhones and iPads. All you have to do is hold the AirPods near the device and press the connect button, and it will pair automatically.
14. Lightning Charge
These AirPods Max charge with lightning, and the five minutes of charge provide 1.5 hours of listening time.
15. Long-Lasting Battery
AirPods Max has an excellent battery life that can last for about 20 hours. Whether you are listening to music, talking on the phone, watching movies with the active voice cancellation feature enabled, or the volume set to 50 percent, it will give you a great runtime. Apple has also featured a smart mode to preserve the battery charge by putting AirPods in an ultra-low power state for charging purposes.
Pros of AirPods Max
- Superb Audio Quality
- Comfortable Design
- Ear Detection
- Excellent Battery Life
- Multiple Color Options
- Great Active Noise Cancellation
- Memory foam ear cups that can also be replaced
- Works well with the Apple Ecosystem
Cons of AirPods Max
- No 2.5mm Or 3.5mm Analog Audio Input
- No Power Button
- Heavier than average headphones because of the metal frame on the outside
- It can easily be scratched
- Expensive
Requirements for Using AirPods Max
To use AirPods Max to their full potential, you need to have macOS Big Sur 11.1 or later, iOS 14.3 or later, iPad OS 14.3 or later. These are compatible with the iPhone 6s and the original iPhone SE and the newer version, the iPad Air 2, the iPad Mini 4, and the earlier version.
As for the MacBook, the AirPods can work with machines that are from 2012. These AirPods pair with any device that supports Bluetooth 5.0, but most features require an Apple device.
Final Verdict – A Pricy yet an Excellent Product
AirPods Max is an excellent device for Apple fans as it provides comfort and a top-notch experience. It offers a fantastic sound quality with the best active noise cancellation feature that blocks the sounds from outside with spatial audio. It also has a stainless-steel headband wrapped in polyurethane material that makes it look much more premium than other headphones available on the market. All these reasons and more make AirPods Max worth buying if you have a high budget.