Summary

The AirPods Max are premium, comfortable over-ear headphones with excellent sound quality and design, but their portability, battery life, and case design are subpar, and they are considered overpriced.

Abstract

The AirPods Max, reviewed after over a year of use, are commended for their sleek design, exceptional comfort, and superior sound quality, making them a staple in the reviewer's daily life. Despite their weight, they are suitable for extended wear, even with glasses. However, their heavy build and lack of foldability limit their portability, making them more suitable for home use. The noise-cancelling feature, while initially excellent, has been diminished by firmware updates, yet the transparency mode remains outstanding. Battery life is impacted by the absence of a power-off feature, requiring the headphones to be stored in their case to conserve power. The case itself is criticized for its lack of protection and odd design. The headphones are also deemed too expensive, although a good deal can mitigate this concern. The review concludes with a recommendation to consider the AirPods Pro 2 for those seeking convenience and advises potential buyers to await the rumored release of the AirPods Max 2.

Opinions

Design: High-quality and minimalistic design, with a sturdy build and comfortable mesh.
Wearability: Despite the weight, they are very comfortable for long periods, even with glasses, but can be warm in the summer.
Portability: Not ideal for on-the-go due to their weight, bulkiness, and inability to fold, coupled with an inadequate case.
Sound Quality: Delivers a full, bass-heavy sound that is highly satisfying, though the reviewer notes personal non-audiophile status.
Noise-Cancelling: Initially excellent but downgraded by a firmware update; transparency mode is highly praised.
Battery Life: Adequate for daily use but not exceptional, with no true power-off function.
Case Design: The case is criticized for its lack of protection and unattractive design, and it is essential for low-power mode.
Price: Considered overpriced at MSRP, but a good deal can make them more appealing.
Final Verdict: Suggests waiting for the AirPods Max 2 and considers AirPods Pro 2 a better option for convenience.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the AirPods Max

A Long-Term Review

The AirPods Max are a pair of headphones that are hard to review. It’s expensive, it’s good, it’s bad — and a particular aspect is ugly. I’m using them now for over a year, almost daily, and — to get the elephant out of the room — don’t want to miss them in my daily life. But get on and let me put this in order.

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Design

In the typical Apple fashion, the design of the AirPods Max is very clean, minimal, and high-quality. The bracket of the headphones is very sturdy and freely adjustable to fit the size of your head perfectly. The mesh distributes the weight of the headphones very well, and the aluminum unibody of the ear cups adds to the overall minimal design language. The ear cup inserts are exchangeable and attach to the ear cup via magnets.

To make it short — the design is great and purposeful.

10/10 for design.

Wearability

AirPods Max are heavy…385 g or 0.85 lb. Add the case, and you’re looking at half a kg or slightly over 1 lb.

Before I got the AirPods Max, I had the fear that they were too heavy and fatiguing when wearing them for a longer time. However, the opposite is true. Although they are built like a tank and quite heavy, they are extremely comfortable to wear, even for longer hours. The headphones sit comfortably tight on the head and the cushion in the ear cups is very soft and perfectly adapts my anatomy — and my glasses. They don’t push the temple tips into my ears — absolutely no uncomfortable feeling with glasses.

However, there is one downside: in the summertime, it gets quite warm in the ear cups so the ears get a little sweaty from time to time. In the summertime, you definitely want to have a break after 2–3 hours.

9/10 for wearability.

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Portability

Due to the weight and bulkiness of these headphones, the AirPods Max are stay-at-home headphones. I‘ve occasionally seen people wearing them outside but this is not what I would recommend. If you desire to wear them outside, then you will be confronted with the rigidity of these headphones. The AirPods Max does not fold up as the majority of other headphones do. The size they are is the size that you need to handle on the go. In the beginning, I took them to my office and carried them around every day…but I stopped very quickly because they occupied a tremendously large part of my bag. And there is another aspect to this…the so-called case which gives absolutely zero protection. But more on that later.

I‘m sorry, but it‘s only 3/10 for portability.

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Sound quality

Firstly, I want to make clear that I‘m not an audiophile by any means. I enjoy a good, full, but preferably somewhat bass-heavy sound. And this is exactly what I get from the AirPods Max. They are by far the best-sounding headphones I’ve ever owned…but also the most expensive ones. So don’t put too much weight on my assessment here.

But, they are not far off from the AirPods Pro 2. Honestly, on many points, the AirPods Pro 2 would be the better choice unless you are specifically looking for over-ear headphones.

For me, the sound quality is a 10/10.

Noise-cancelling

The noise-cancelling is great. It is not as great as it was at the time I got the AirPodsMax. With some firmware update, Apple worsened the noise-cancelling for some reason (and you can find plenty of articles on this topic on the internet). However, for my needs, it is still plenty good. I use it primarily for focussed work, but I don’t use it too often. What in my opinion is even greater than noise-cancelling is the transparent mode. With the headphones on, I understand everyone around me crystal-clear. Something I do not experience with the AirPods Pro 2.

Noice-cancelling is a 7/10, but the transparency mode is a clear 10/10.

Battery life

The AirPods Max never turn off. They don’t have a power button, they only enter a low-power mode when you put them in the original case. And this of course affects the battery life. In real-world use, I get about 15–20 hours of battery life. If you keep them laying around in the case for some time, the chance is high that you are facing an empty or low battery. I often had a situation where I needed my AirPods Max for an online meeting but the battery was drained. The alternative: AirPods Pro 2. They get charged inside the case so that they are always ready.

Battery life: 6/10

The ugly thing

The “case”…Apple, what have you done? How could this even pass the ideation state? It‘s ugly and it gives zero protection. If you want to take your AirPods Max on the go, get yourself a hard case to protect them. But the worst thing is that this case is needed to put the AirPods Max in low-power mode.

The case gets a 2/10.

Any hard case is better than the original one from Apple. Image courtesy of the author.

Price

The MSRP of the AirPods Max is 549 USD and 629€ (706 USD) here in Germany. This is way too overpriced for what you get. I got a very good deal for my AirPods Max on Amazon but still, they are too expensive.

Pricing: 6/10

Final verdict

The AirPods Max are a great pair of headphones for the office and for leisure time at home. If you consider buying the AirPods Max right now, it would be worth considering to wait a little longer. It is rumored that version 2 of the AirPods Max will be released soon by Apple. Although there is not much known about a potential release of an overhauled model, AirPods Max 2 would be definitely more worth the money. And they will most probably charge via USB C. If you are just looking for a convenient pair of headphones for your Apple devices, my clear recommendation is buying the AirPods Pro 2.

Do you own a pair of AirPods Max? What are your experiences with these headphones? Would you buy them again? Let me now your opinion in the comments!

Do you consider buying the AirPods Max and you have a question I did not address in this article? Ask me in the comments and I will answer to my best abilities.

Thank you for reading!

Tobias