Note: This is an ongoing story that is currently being updated with more information. Stay tuned.
AirPods Max price officially announced
Several leaks had suggested that the Apple’s new AirPods Max will start at around $350. Apple has now confirmed that the headphones will be priced quite above that, at $549. They will be shipping on December 15th and can be ordered right now.
AirPods Max have a classic design and are not modular
As the leaks had suggested, the AirPods Max feature a fairly classic headphone design with oval cans held by a metal frame. However, the headphones aren’t modular, as some leakers had claimed.
According to Apple, the AirPods Max feature “incredible high-fidelity audio”, adaptive EQ (sound equalization), Active Noise Cancellation, and spatial audio. Each earcup can independently pivot and rotate, in order to adapt to the user’s head. The earcups’ cushions are made out of memory foam, with Apple claiming an effective seal for passive noise isolation.
The new headphones feature a 40-mm Apple-designed dynamic driver, which Apple says provides rich and deep bass, accurate mids, and crisp and clean highs. Powering the AirPods Max is Apple’s H1 chip, one in each earcup. Apple says that each chip is capable of “computational audio powers” that will be utilized for ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), among other features.
The AirPods Max will be available in five colors:
- Space gray
- Silver
- Sky blue
- Green
- Pink
AirPods Max confirmed features
As we expected, Apple’s virtual assistant Siri is integrated with the AirPods Max, but what’s more interesting is that the headphones feature orientation detection. This means that you needn’t worry about which ear pad should go on your left ear and which should go on your right one. The headphones will sound correctly regardless of how you put them on, as they will automatically adjust the left and right channels to play on your left and right ear, respectively. In addition to this, the headphones can detect when they’re on the user’s head, and can pause the music if they’re not, or even if the user takes off only one of the cups.
- Adaptive EQ: This feature will adjust the sound (low and mid-frequencies) in real time, according to the fit and seal of the ear cushions, in an effort to provide the best listening experience.
- Active Noise Cancellation: Like most premium headphones, the AirPods Max has ANC. It will utilize three outward-facing microphones found in each cup, in order to detect environmental noise.
- Transparency Mode: This feature will allow users to listen to their music while also being able to hear the environment around them.
- Spatial Audio: According to Apple, the AirPods Max use “spatial audio with dynamic head tracking to place sounds virtually anywhere in a space — delivering an immersive, theaterlike experience for content recorded in 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos.”
AirPods Max battery life
- Up to 20 hours with Active Noise Cancellation on
According to Apple, with ANC and spatial audio on, the AirPods Max will be able to last up to 20 hours on a single battery charge. Apple will be selling the AirPods Max bundled with a Smart Case, that will be able to put the headphones in an “ultralow power state”, which Apple says helps to preserve their battery charge when not in use.
