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AirPods Max vs. Bose 700 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4? There’s no shortage of over-the-ear and active noise-canceling headphones to choose from. But while the AirPods Max are the newest and brightest, they’re also priced high at $ 549.
Along with the $ 339 Bose 700 and the $ 278 Sony WH-1000XM4, the AirPods Max have a lot of work to do if they want to justify that investment. To find out if they can, we’ve put all three pairs of headphones head-to-head in a battle of price, design, and features, to see which pair is the best wireless headset for you.
AirPods Max vs. Bose 700 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4: Specs Comparison
| Apple AirPods Max | Bose 700 | Sony WH-1000XM4 | |
| Price | $ 549 | $ 339 | $ 278 |
| Size | 7.4 x 6.6 x 3.3 inches | 8 x 6.5 x 2 inches | 9.94 x 3.03 x 7.27 inches |
| Weight | 13.6 ounces | 8.95 ounces | 9.7 ounces |
| Battery duration | 20 hours (ANC on) | 20 hours (ANC on) | 30 hours (ANC on), 38 hours (ANC off) |
| Companion app | yes | yes | yes |
| Special features | Active noise cancellation, transparency mode, automatic equalizer adjustment, 3D audio, smart controls, Siri support | Active noise cancellation, transparency mode, adjustable ANC and EQ, smart controls, 3-digit assistant support, multipoint technology | Active noise cancellation, transparency mode, adjustable ANC and EQ, smart controls, 3-digit assistant support, multipoint technology |
AirPods Max vs. Bose 700 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4: Price
This is an easy win for the WH-1000XM4. Not only are they cheaper than the Bose 700, but they also cost almost half (yes, half) the price of the AirPods Max.
You are also unlikely to see many AirPods Max discounts in the foreseeable future, unless you have a potential deal when you buy the next iPhone 13. Both the Bose and Sony headphones, on the other hand, have been out long enough. to lower the price fairly. regularly.
AirPods Max vs. Bose 700 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4: Design
The AirPods Max pick up some points for their design, which relies on a pleasantly luxurious aluminum and mesh fabric structure with memory foam ear cushions. Recycling the Apple Watch’s digital crown was a smart move, granting it a pleasantly granular, tactile volume control than the touch controls or small, flat buttons.
Of course, the Bose 700 and Sony WH-1000XM4 are not ugly at all, and the former in particular has a very modern figure with mainly metal construction. All three are also comfortable enough to wear for hours at a time, although it’s worth noting that the AirPods Max are the heaviest of the bunch. You may want to keep this in mind if you want to wear a pair of noise-canceling headphones while exercising.
Also note that there is no 3.5mm jack on the AirPods Max, unlike the other two. This means that if you want to switch to a wired connection, you’ll have to spend another $ 35 on Apple’s 3.5mm Lightning cable, bringing the total cost to $ 584.
AirPods Max vs. Bose 700 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4: Sound Quality
We’ll give a full assessment of the AirPods Max’s audio quality in our next review, although the first word is that they sound great. Maybe not $ 549 great, but they have Apple’s Spatial Audio feature (last seen on AirPods Pro) that can create a louder surround sound effect.
The Bose and Sony headphones don’t have an equivalent party trick, but they still sound rich and detailed on both counts. The Bose 700s aim for a balanced and neutral sound signature, while the Sony WH-1000XM4s are lower and booming, although you can tweak this in the accompanying app.
There are no manual EQ controls for the AirPods Max, but Apple dances around this with its Adaptive EQ feature: essentially, the AirPods Max can analyze the fit and seal of the headphones and dynamically adjust the mids and treble for better acoustic performance. on the fly using computational audio.
AirPods Max vs. Bose 700 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4: noise cancellation
In our tests, the Bose 700’s active noise cancellation is slightly more effective than the Sony WH-1000XM4 when it comes to eliminating ambient noises. Both work very well, although it will be interesting to see if the AirPods Pro can beat this benchmark.
All three pairs of headphones also have “transparency” modes, which reuse the commonly used built-in microphones to create the mute effect and help you hear the world around you without removing the headphones. This comes in handy when you’re navigating busy streets or need to speak to someone briefly, so it’s nice to see it included in AirPods Max, Bose 700, and Sony WH-1000XM4 alike.
AirPods Max vs. Bose 700 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4: battery life
The AirPods Max and Bose 700 are at a standstill in battery life, both with a 20-hour playback capacity. That’s not bad, but it doesn’t come close to the longevity of the Sony WH-1000XM4, which can last 30 hours with noise cancellation enabled and up to 38 hours with off.
Sony headphones also recharge faster. 10 minutes of charging an empty pair will grant 5 hours of listening time; Apple, meanwhile, quotes 1.5 hours of playtime on a 5-minute charge, and the Bose 700 offers 3.5 hours of playtime with 15 minutes. Even if we assume the AirPods Max can maintain their fast charging speeds for longer periods, which is unlikely, the WH-1000XM4 still takes the win.
AirPods Max vs. Bose 700 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4: Outlook
The AirPods Max may sound so good and have such effective spatial audio and noise-cancellation features, that you could spend $ 549 on them and still be happy. They are already competitive in design and specs, even if there are some odd omissions like the 3.5mm jack.
Still, when it comes to choosing the best headphones overall, we bet the Sony WH-1000XM4 will stay on top. These can go head-to-head with the Bose 700 in terms of sound quality, design, and comfort, while easily surpassing them in affordability and battery life. Considering how good the Bose 700s are, that leaves the AirPods Max with a massive hill to climb.
