Apple Airpods Max Review 2024: Are they worth it 3 years on?
They’re known for being some of the most premium over-ears on the market, but are they still worth their lavish price tag?
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Worn by everyone from celebrities and influencers to tradies and office workers, Apple’s AirPods Max are as much a fashion statement as they are a luxury headphone. But at $899, they’re also some of the most expensive over-ears currently on the market.
While Apple isn’t known for its budget-friendly prices, its biggest competitors, Sony and Bose, have models with many of the same features for almost half the price.
So, to see if the AirPods Max* are still worth the splurge three years after their release, I’ve been putting them to the test to find out if you should add them to cart or pick up a worthy alternative instead.
SUMMARY OF SPECS
AirPods Max
WHATS IN THE BOX?
- AirPods Max
- Smart Case
- Lightning to USB-C Cable
ONE MINUTE REVIEW
The AirPods Max were one of the most advanced pairs of headphones when they first launched back in 2020, but more recent models by competing brands have knocked Apple’s pricey cans down a peg. Specs like battery life have fallen a little behind, while design choices like the lack of a power button still seem bizarre.
However, the pair remain some of the best-sounding and most stylish pairs of over-ears available. With features like Spatial Audio and impressive noise-cancellation, they could still be worth the investment for those already in Apple’s ecosystem – as long as you have the cash to spare.
HOW WE TESTED THE APPLE AIRPODS MAX
At news.com.au checkout, it’s our mission to help you make informed shopping decisions. To ensure you buy the right product at the best price, we rigorously test products so you don’t have to. As well as sorting through mountains of consumer reviews, product manuals and conducting thorough product research, our team of expert writers puts each product we review through a series of hands-on tests to ensure we give you honest feedback about its performance and whether it’s worth your hard-earned money. In this case I tested the Apple AirPods Max for over seven months, putting its features to the test in a variety of scenarios including on public transport, walking outside, listening to music, watching movies and for hands-free calls.
In this article
- Design and fit
- Audio performance
- Spatial audio
- Noise cancellation
- Charging and battery life
- Smart Case
- Should you buy the AirPods Max?
- Pricing and availability
- Which headphones should you get instead of the AirPods Max?
- How do you connect AirPods Max to iOS devices?
- Will the AirPods Max work with Android or PC?
WHAT IS THE DESIGN AND FIT OF THE AIRPODS MAX LIKE?
With their sleek, stainless steel design, the AirPods Max look every bit as opulent as their price tag suggests. Yet, the minimalist aesthetic might come across as a bit plain for some. Personally, I appreciate the no-fuss look and the all-black style, making me a fan of my pair. If you do want to jazz things up though, there are five colour options to choose from: the standard black and silver, along with bolder choices like green, pink and blue.
The large, flat ear cups are the standouts from the design and make the AirPods Max instantly recognisable, even if they do add some significant weight to the pair. At 385g, I definitely noticed the difference coming from my Bose Headphones 700s, which weigh just 250g. That said, the AirPods Max remain surprisingly comfortable.
The springy knitted headband is largely to thank for this, as it helps take the pressure off the top of your head while also keeping you nice and cool. The ear cups are also decked out in the same mesh material, and they’re noticeably less sweaty than the protein leather cushions on my Bose headphones. They even snap on magnetically, so you can clean or replace them if and when you need to, which is a nice touch.
The design choice I’m less sure about is the on-ear controls. While a lot of high-end headphones, like Sony’s WH-1000XM5s, allow you to swipe the ear cup to adjust the volume and skip/play/pause tracks, Apple has opted instead for physical buttons.
The controls are limited, with one button at the front allowing you to switch between noise cancellation and transparency mode, and a Digital Crown dial (also found on the Apple Watch) at the back for volume and track adjustment. Volume adjustment is much more precise with the dial, but I just prefer swipe functionality when it comes to changing tracks.
There’s a lightning port at the bottom for charging, though a 3.5mm audio port is noticeably missing. There’s no IP-rating either, which means the headphones aren’t officially sweat or water-resistant. So, no matter how many influencers try to convince you otherwise, they’re probably not the best choice for the gym.
Perhaps the most surprising design choice, however, is the lack of an on/off button. To preserve the battery life, you instead need to stick the AirPods Max in the accompanying Smart Case (more on that later).
In terms of fit, the headband of the AirPods Max stretches quite significantly and the telescoping arms provide enough adjustability, even if they are a little stiff to move. Even on their shortest setting though, the headphones feel just a tiny bit loose on my (admittedly) small head – though not enough to be concerned about given I use them for lifestyle and not sports.
WHAT DO THE AIRPODS MAX SOUND LIKE?
The design of the AirPods Max may be luxurious, but that alone isn’t worth spending this amount of money on. The sound, however, makes the price tag seem more reasonable. In short, it’s fantastic.
The headphones come with a wide soundstage, great bass and a relatively neutral sound profile that makes both vocals and lead instruments sound nice and detailed.
In Bad Omens’ ‘The Death of Peace of Mind’, poignant guitar riffs soar, drums sound weighty, and the melodic vocals shine through, allowing me to pick up every little element of the song.
In Van Morrison’s ‘Moondance’, you could’ve convinced me I was in the room with the band, with Van’s vocals front and centre and the lead instruments sounding like they’re off to the side – just as it would if they were on a stage in front of me.
My one gripe here is the AirPods don’t seem to be as loud as other over-ears I’ve tried. I always have to crank them up high, which then causes sound to leak.
DO THE AIRPODS MAX HAVE NOISE CANCELLATION AND IS IT ANY GOOD?
The audio from the AirPods Max is improved further still when you factor in the active noise-cancellation (ANC). While almost nothing is going to beat the noise-cancelling tech on Bose’s Headphones 700 for me at this point, I will concede that Apple is also a frontrunner here, even if they aren’t the winner.
There’s only one level of ANC (compared to 11 on the Bose 700s), but it does its job nicely. I’ve worn them on trains, planes and in the office and they’ve done a good job of cutting out background chatter every time. I even used them on a particularly busy day at Sydney Airport and they managed to cut the noise level of the crowds by more than half, making the experience much less stressful.
For times when I do want to hear what’s going on around me, like when I’m out for a walk in a busy park, there’s also a transparency mode which allows me to listen to my surroundings or have a quick conversation without pausing my tunes.
WHAT IS APPLE SPATIAL AUDIO AND HOW GOOD IS IT?
One feature the AirPods Max have over their main competitors is Spatial Audio. If you’re watching on a compatible device, the feature gives you a great cinematic experience that feels like the sound is all around you. For instance, if you watch a movie where a car is driving past the main character, the sound moves as though a car was going past you in real life. The sound also locks onto its original orientation, even as you turn your head, which makes the audio seem much more realistic.
Spatial Audio works for content in 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Atmos, and can be used for compatible content on Apple TV Plus, HBO Max and Disney+. You can also use Spatial Audio for select songs in the Apple Music app.
It may be a play from Apple to get you to ditch your Spotify subscription, but I have to admit the results both surprised and impressed me. While the success of the Spatial Audio will, of course, depend on the quality of the song you’re listening to, pop on something like Billie Eilish’s ‘Bad Guy’ and you could swear you were sitting right there in the recording studio.
If you’re rocking an Android phone though, you will get limited access to this function.
HOW LONG DOES THE BATTERY LAST ON THE AIRPODS MAX AND HOW DO YOU CHARGE THEM?
Apple promises up to 20 hours of battery life for the AirPods Max with the ANC turned on, and this was fairly accurate in my testing. While this spec was pretty solid back in 2020 when they were first released though, competitors like the Sony WH-1000XM5s offer up to 30 hours, which is significantly more. Admittedly, 20 hours is still going to be more than enough for most people, unless you’re travelling on back-to-back long haul flights (and even then, you can give them a quick charge with a power bank if you really have to). But it does make a second-generation model seem overdue.
When it does come time to charge, you’ll need to do so via a Lightning cable, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s used Apple products before. Unfortunately I did have some issues with charging the first three or four times I plugged them in.
After leaving the pair on charge for a while, my iPhone would tell me they were still only on one per cent – until I performed a hard reset and then, whoops! They were really at 66 per cent.
Thankfully, my pair appear to have sorted themselves out, but a quick trip down a Reddit rabbit hole proved I was far from the first to have this issue. While many users found resetting their AirPods Max or switching to a genuine Apple charger fixed their issue, others said the problem has continued intermittently.
The thing that’s always impressed me about Apple tech is how seamless the experience is. So, for this to be such a prominent issue is disappointing – especially given how much you’re paying for these cans.
HOW DO YOU USE THE AIRPODS MAX SMART CASE?
Perhaps the most divisive choice for the AirPods Max is the accompanying Apple Smart Case. Many reviewers before me have lamented its design and, I have to admit, I can see why.
Whenever you’re not using the AirPods Max, you’re supposed to pop them in the Smart Case, which places them into an ultra-low power mode. When you want to use them, simply take them out of the case and they’ll return to normal power settings. While this sounds good in theory, it begs the question: why didn’t Apple just give the headphones an off button so they don’t leak power at all?
The case is also quite flimsy and doesn’t even fully cover the AirPods Max, so it doesn’t offer a lot of protection, which really is the whole point of having a case.
SHOULD YOU BUY THE AIRPODS MAX?
While the pair do have a few hiccups, there’s no denying the AirPods Max are some of the best over-ear headphones on the market. With their premium design, competitive sound profile and Spatial Audio feature, they’re an outstanding choice for Apple users who are prepared to make a significant investment. However, the high price tag and some design considerations may make them less than ideal to Android users, the budget-conscious or those looking for a solid pair of sport headphones.
It’s also worth noting the pair are getting a little dated, with a second generation pair rumoured to be coming in 2024. While it’s difficult to see what Apple can add beyond incremental upgrades, they could be worth waiting for if you’re not absolutely sold on the specs of the first-gen pair.
Buy them if:
You want the best lifestyle headphones around/you’re an iOS user/you aren’t deterred by price.
Don’t buy them if:
You’re an Android user/you want Hi-Res audio/you’re on a budget.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
The Apple AirPods Max retail for $899 and are available at retailers like Amazon Australia, the Apple Store and JB Hi-Fi.
Which headphones should you get instead of the AirPods Max?
If you’ve changed your mind about the Apple AirPods Max, here are some top-rated alternatives we recommend:
Sony WH-1000XM5 – If you have an Android phone, or just want a similar audio experience to the AirPods Max at a cheaper price, go with Sony’s WH-1000XM5s. They’re widely considered one of the best pairs on the market right now, and have a minimalist aesthetic that’s similar to the AirPods.
Bose Headphones 700 – If you’re after top-tier noise-cancellation, Bose’s Headphones 700 are tough to beat. The pair bring 11 levels of noise cancellation, along with great audio and a stylish, comfortable design. The battery life could be a little better, but they’re a nice choice for both Android and iOS users.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX – If it isn’t the price that’s deterring you from the AirPods Max, B&O’s Beoplay HX headphones are another luxury option. The build quality is fantastic, the sound profile is great and they actually have a decent carry case.
How do you connect AirPods Max to iOS devices?
Unlike some rival headphones, the AirPods Max don’t have a dedicated companion app. Instead, you need to pair the headphones and use the customisation options through your Bluetooth settings.
Just take your AirPods out of their smart case, unlock your device and you should get an alert on your iOS device asking if you want to connect. Once paired, the headphones will automatically work with any device that uses your Apple ID.
Will the AirPods Max work with Android or PC?
The AirPods Max aren’t exclusive to iOS, which means you can use them as a Bluetooth headset with a non-Apple device. However, you won’t get all the included features unless you’re on an iOS device, so they wouldn’t be our first recommendation for Android users.
More best audio coverage
Best wireless over-ear headphones
Best wireless earbuds and earphones
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*Product was loaned by Apple for an independent and honest review.
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