Apple launches ‘AirPods Max’ noise-canceling headphones


Putting an end to leaks and rumors, Apple has released its final 2020 hardware product – AirPods Max. They are the company’s first on-ear headphones with support for Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), adaptive equalizer, spatial audio, and more. AirPods Max has come with a high asking price compared to the popular noise-canceling headphones available on the market.

AirPods Max: Specifications

The design of the AirPods Max (previously known as AirPods Studio, according to the leaks) is very similar to the leaked CAD renders. It features a stainless steel headband with a breathable knit mesh canopy. This mesh design, says Apple, reduce pressure on the head and it will be comfortable for a variety of head shapes and sizes.

The headphones look premium quality and have a glossy matte finish. Memory foam ear pads look very comfortable too. And now, prepare to be surprised as the company has brought an Apple Watch feature to the earbuds. AirPods Max has a digital crown. That “It offers precise volume control and the ability to play or pause audio, skip tracks, answer or end phone calls, and activate Siri.” says Apple.

airpods max - color

According to Apple, the headphones feature a “Custom acoustic design” with each earbud housing an Apple-designed 40mm driver. Will “Delivers deep, rich bass, accurate midrange, and crisp, clean high-frequency extension”, according to the blog post. AirPods Max is equipped with the company’s H1 chip, one in each earbud. This 10-core audio chip is capable of 9 billion operations per second and provides a breakthrough in computational audio for AirPods.

As for the feature set, the H1 chip enables many well-known features in this pair of ANC headphones. AirPods Max supports Adaptive EQ, transparency mode, spatial audio, and even shared audio. If you’ve ever used AirPods, you would already know what these features are. Otherwise, you can read about the mentioned features in detail here.

airpods max design

“With AirPods Max, we bring that magical AirPods experience into a stunning over-ear design with high-fidelity audio. The custom acoustic design, combined with powerful H1 chips and advanced software, enables AirPods Max to use computational audio to wirelessly deliver the best personal listening experience. “ stated Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing in an official blog post.

Speaking of active noise cancellation, Apple says that each earbud is equipped with three outward-facing microphones and one microphone on the inside. While the former are used to detect ambient noise, the latter monitor the sound reaching the listener’s ear. It combines all the data and adapts the ANC based on the fit, movement, and noise of the user.

In terms of battery life, Apple promises up to 20 hours of playback on AirPods Max. You can extract more from the headphones by turning off ANC and spatial audio. They charge through the company’s proprietary Lightning port and not through USB Type-C, like the iPad Pro.

AirPods Max: price and availability in India

The AirPods Max headphones are priced at Rs. 59,900 in India and $ 549 in the US It is now available for pre-order and will go on sale from December 15. These headphones will be available in five color variants, including space gray, silver, sky blue, green, and pink.

The AirPods Max will take on other popular noise-canceling headphones, such as the Sony WH-1000XM4 and Bose 700. So will it drop Rs? 60,000 on the AirPods Max or is it too expensive? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.