When people think of AirPods, it’s probably not the AirPods Max that first come to mind. Instead, most will think of the small, white in-ear headphones with arguably one of the most genre-defining designs out there.
But, while the AirPods Max and AirPods Pro 2nd Gen (USB-C) might look like they are from different planets, they share several features. There’s also a strong argument to have a pair of both and even though the over-ears miss-out on a couple of features (they are 4-years-old, give ’em a break), I use both regularly. But whether the AirPods Max are worth buying new in 2024 is a different story – and one that’s worth telling.
The Disconnekt Downlow
Pros
+ Superb sound quality
+ Great Active Noise Cancellation
+ Superior build quality
Cons
– The case
– Missing some features
– Expensive
The Apple AirPods Max offer a fabulous build quality, excellent audio performance, and a range of great features for Apple users. None of that has changed in the 4 years they have been around, with all of those statements still ringing true. I have no issue recommending them as a pair of over-ear headphones, and they will continue to be the primary headphones in my bag every time I leave the country, despite me using AirPods Pro day-to-day. But, before you buy them in 2024, keep in mind they are still missing a couple of features even after they were upgraded with USB-C and a new colour palette in September 2024. If you acknowledge that, and can live with that, the AirPods Max remain an absolutely superb pair of headphones – even 4 years on.
The reasons you should choose Apple AirPods Max headphones
The AirPods Max don’t look anything like the other models in Apple’s AirPods portfolio, but they are still distinctive. Just as the in-ear models can be instantly recognised on a train or in the ears of people walking down the street, so too can the AirPods Max.
The flat, anodised aluminium cups ooze character – especially in the coloured variants – setting themselves apart from the typical designs you’ll see in popular over-ear headphone models. Walk down a plane aisle and there will likely be more Sony and Bose models around the necks of passengers ready to put on as soon as those safety briefings are done, but you’re bound to see at least one pair of AirPods Max too – and you’ll know about it when you do.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
The build quality is absolutely superb – up there with the iPad and the iPhone. The canopy headband is made from a combination of a breathable knitted mesh and a soft-to-touch material, which sits comfortably on your head, while the stainless steel telescopic arms offer a good range of adjustment and swivelling ear cups to make sure they fit properly.
Speaking of the ear cups, they have colour-complimenting removable cushions made of memory foam and wrapped in a mesh material similar to the head band, tying the entire design together. I have worn the AirPods Max for 12 hours straight on many trans-Atlantic flights and while they don’t go unnoticed on your head, they are comfortable in my experience. I will not travel without them, so my nearly 4-year-old pair of AirPods Max are well travelled, well tested and well loved.
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I will not travel without them so my nearly 4-year-old pair of AirPods Max are well travelled, well tested and well loved.
The Digital Crown on the top of the right ear cup does most of the work when it comes to control. You turn it to adjust volume, press it to pause and play audio, double press to skip tracks and triple press to go back a track. It’s also used for call control – answer, end and mute, while pressing and holding it down will launch Siri, which I use occasionally to call someone, check the battery status or find music.
The power button, also on the right ear cup, allows you to launch Bluetooth pairing mode if you want to connect to an Android device, or pair to an AirFly, for example, so you can use AirPods Max with the in-flight entertainment system. I highly recommend the latter, it makes watching films on a plane a significantly better experience. Importantly, that button also switches between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes – you can turn them off entirely too.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
Active Noise Cancellation on the AirPods Max is superb – hence why I never get on a plane without them. They will effortlessly block out the background hum of a train or plane but they can also drown out an upset child which everyone needs – as long as it’s not your own child, of course. Transparency mode allows you to hear what’s going on around you while blocking out some of the extra noise too.
AirPods Max are excellent when it comes to sound quality too, delivering rich, crisp and spacious audio. We all enjoy different types of music, but in nearly 4 years with these headphones, I think it’s fair to say I’ve listened to all genres in that time and I’ve yet to find a track the AirPods Max haven’t been able to manage. There’s great clarity, serious energy and excellent handling overall, across all frequencies.
What Apple AirPods Max could do better
The case is my least favourite part of the AirPods Max experience and that hasn’t changed in the time I’ve been using them – nor has it changed for the 2024 model of these cans. Bra and handbag both come to mind when I consider how to describe the case, and I wouldn’t use the same adjectives for this ‘handbag’ case as I would my fabulous Prada. It is still smart – the AirPods Max enter a low power mode when you put them in it – but it doesn’t even really perform as a case. It’s certainly not the kind of case you can throw in your backpack and not worry about your premium headphones getting damaged, which renders it somewhat pointless.
There’s the weight of the AirPods Max to consider too. They are heavy – there’s no denying that. Pick up a pair of the Sony WH-1000MX5 or ULT Wear and you’ll notice the difference instantly, though they are lighter than the Dyson OnTrac headphones. The weight is the compromise you make for that gorgeous build quality and differentiating design. That said, I’ve worn the AirPods Max headphones for multiple 12-hour flights and I haven’t felt the need to remove them during those flights (it’s blissfully quiet with them on), but it’s something to keep in mind if you don’t like anything on your head for too long.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
At the time of review, there was the small factor of the lacking USB-C to consider here too, but that has now been rectified with the 2024 model of the AirPods Max having been announced. The model of AirPods Max pictured, are charged via Lightning and when they launched, that was the norm for Apple devices, unless you had an iPad Pro. In 2024, it’s a slightly different story. The Apple iPhone 15 models from 2023 all have USB-C, and the iPhone 16 models followed suit, so it’s really about what devices you have and how many different cables you want to deal with. Both AirPods Max models are available to buy for now, but I would recommend opting for AirPods Max with USB-C.
Apart from the price – which did came down a little, only to have returned to that high base price after the USB-C and new colours arrived – the only other thing I have to complain about is that the AirPods Max miss out on some of the extra features that the AirPods Pro models offer. I’ll talk more about the AirPods Max features in a second, but the AirPods Max have the H1 chip in each ear cup instead of the newer H2 chip and that’s true of the USB-C model too. That means they aren’t compatible with Adaptive Audio or Conversation Awareness mode, both of which you’ll find on even the mid-range AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.
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It’s perhaps unfair to judge the AirPods Max on the lack of these features, given these are effectively older headphones and their performance is still excellent, but it’s something worth keeping in mind and I do think the USB-C model could have added them.
What the AirPods Max offer
That’s not to say there isn’t plenty on offer already with the AirPods Max – the premium design and superb sound quality are very good reasons to buy these headphones, especially if you’re an Apple user. But, if you’re after all the bells and whistles AirPods offer, the AirPods Max aren’t one of the models that can showcase them all.
Still, you get many of the convenience features AirPods became popular for. From one-tap connection with an iPhone or iPad, to automatic switching between Apple devices. If you’re an Android user, you may find a better experience from other over-ear headphones, like Sony or Bose where Google Fast Pair is supported, and there’s Sonos Ace headphones too that are worth a look. AirPods Max will connect to Android devices via Bluetooth, but you won’t get access to all the features you do on an iPhone.
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For those in the Apple ecosystem, there’s Announce Notifications from Siri if you want them. This is actually a pretty useful feature, with Siri reading out notifications that arrive so you don’t have to pull your iPhone out of your pocket to hear your latest WhatsApp message – and you can get Siri to reply too. You can also use Siri for the weather, your AirPods Max battery level, and making calls, sending a message or accessing audio.
On-head detection means you can take the AirPods Max off and they will automatically pause, and there is an Adaptive EQ feature too that uses the microphones inside the ear cups to measure what you are hearing and adjust the frequencies accordingly.
Four Apple AirPods Max specs
385
Grams
The AirPods Max aren’t the lightest over-ear headphones around, weighing just under 385g.
5.0
Bluetooth
The AirPods Max offer Bluetooth 5.0 for connecting to other devices, like Android or AirFly.
20
Hours
The AirPods Max boast 20 hours on a single charge with ANC enabled. You can get 1.5 hours listening time with 5 minutes charge.
5
Colours
Unlike the in-ear AirPods models, AirPods Max come in five colours – Silver, Space Grey, Sky Blue, Pink, and Green.
Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking is the last main feature I’ll mention – though this isn’t an exhaustive list. This particular feature makes TV shows and movies more immersive if you’re watching them on an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV with AirPods Max, making it feel like the sound is all around you, wherever you turn your head. The same can be said for audio, but you’ll need tracks that are mixed in Dolby Atmos or spatial audio. The experience is very convincing and well executed – and it’s better than the AirPods Pro 2nd Gen (USB-C) so I suppose you could forgive no Conversation Awareness mode and Adaptive Audio in return for this.
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Should you buy the Apple AirPods Max in 2024?
The Apple AirPods Max offer a fabulous build quality, excellent audio performance, and a range of great features for Apple users. None of that has changed in the nearly 4 years they have been around, with all of those statements still ringing true.
That said, the AirPods Max are very expensive, and remain very expensive despite their age. You’ll find them for £100 cheaper than their launch price (£549) on a good day (Black Friday or Prime Day) if you’re ok with buying the older Lightning model, but if you want the new USB-C model, you’ll pay the full whack. Meanwhile, you can pick up a pair of Sony’s excellent – albeit cheaper looking – WH-1000XM5’s for £300 now.
AirPods Max have also been a little left behind compared to the AirPods Pro and the mid-range AirPods 4, even after their USB-C upgrade, with a few features like Conversation Mode and Adaptive Audio not among their attributes so they are far from the most feature-rich headphones Apple offers.
I still have no problem recommending the AirPods Max as an excellent pair of over-ear headphones, and they will continue to be the primary headphones in my bag every time I leave the country, despite me using AirPods Pro day-to-day. But, before you buy them in 2024, keep in mind those missing features. If you can acknowledge that and live with it then the AirPods Max remain an absolutely superb pair of over-ear headphones.
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FAQs
No, Apple AirPods Max are not waterproof. You can remove the cushioned ear cups to clean them – it is recommended you use warm water and washing powder which works a treat (I’ve done it) – but the AirPods Max are not waterproof.
Nothing has been confirmed regarding Apple AirPods Max 2, but a 2nd generation that does more than update the colour palette and charging port is possible at some point. For now, the 2020 model was updated with USB-C charging and five new colour options comprising Orange, Purple, Blue, Midnight and Starlight during Apple’s Glowtime event on 9 September.
Apple estimates the AirPods Max will last for 20 hours on one charge with ANC or Transparency modes turned on, which in my experience isn’t far off. I’d recommend charging in between two long-haul flights, but I find the battery life to be excellent on the AirPods Max overall. A 5-minute charge will give you 1.5 hours of talk time.
Update: This Apple AirPods Max review was first published on 2 May, 2024. It was updated on 13 September, 2024 to reflect the announcement of the new AirPods Max with USB-C and AirPods 4 on 9 September, 2024.
