The AirPods Max have been launched by Apple and they aren’t some earphones, instead they are the Over-the-ear headphones that were earlier rumoured to be called the AirPods Studio.
Pricing and Availability
The new headphones by Apple are priced at Rs 59,900 in India while globally they are priced at $549 which stands at Rs 40,400 when converted. They will be available in 5 colour options including Space Grey, Silver, Green, Sky Blue and Red.
The complete package you get for Rs 59,900 includes the AirPods Max itself along with the ‘Smart’ case and a Type-C to lightning cable. There’s no power brick included.
The headphones will be available on Apple’s own website and other Apple resellers for purchase and will start shipping worldwide (including India) on 15th December, 2020.
Audio and Features
Straight off to mention some of the features, the AirPods Max feature Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), High Fidelity Special Audio along with Adaptive EQ. All these new features are backed by Apple’s own in-house H1 chip with Bluetooth 5.0 support.
AirPods Max ear cushions use acoustically engineered memory foam to create an effective seal for blocking Ambient noise. The machined aluminium earcups are said to be attached to a unique suspension system that flexes with the stainless-steel headband, which is covered with a breathable knit mesh canopy, to fit a wide range of head sizes while maintaining the comfort.
The headphones also feature a digital crown, inspired by the Apple Watch. With the crown, you can adjust the volume, switch tracks, play or pause audio, answer or end calls and lastly, you can also activate Siri. There’s also a dedicated ANC button with which you can easily switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode.
Apple has equipped the headphones with a 40mm dynamic driver that is paired with the H1 chip to provide high quality audio.
AirPods Max use Adaptive EQ to adjust the sound to the fit and seal of the ear cushions by measuring the sound signal delivered to a user and adjusting the low and mid-frequencies in real time.
For ANC, each ear cup features three outward-facing microphones to detect environmental noise, while one microphone inside the ear cup monitors the sound reaching the listener’s ear. Using computational audio, noise cancellation continuously adapts to the Headphone fit and movement in real time.
One can switch to Transparency mode to listen to its environment, including a user’s own voice.
The new headphones also feature Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking to place sounds virtually anywhere in a space delivering a theatre-like experience for content recorded in 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos. Using the gyroscope and Accelerometer in AirPods Max and iPhone or iPad, spatial audio tracks the motion of a user’s head as well as the device, compares the motion data, then remaps the sound field so it stays anchored to the device, even as the user’s head moves.
There’s no power on/off button which means AirPods Max automatically detect when they are on a user’s head using the optical and position sensors. So, the headphones can play audio and can pause once removed or when the user simply lifts one ear cup.
The one-tap setup similar to AirPods and AirPods Pro, extends to the AirPods Max as well.
Additional features such as automatic switching between Apple devices, Audio sharing, Siri Capabilities are all included in the new AirPods Max.
Battery Life
Apple promises up to 20 hours of battery life with high-fidelity audio, talk time, or movie playback with Active Noise Cancellation and spatial audio enabled.
The smart case that is provided with the headphones, puts AirPods Max in an ultralow power state that helps to preserve battery charge when not in use.