At four years old, AirPods Max feel like a stagnant product that should be so much more, but the premium sound and Apple ecosystem features keep them from going completely stale.
December 15, 2020 was a lifetime ago in reality and in technology. The AirPods Max were revealed shortly after the iPhone 12 lineup, when the Lightning port was still going strong and Apple Intelligence was a twinkle in Tim Cook’s eye.
As is usual, rumors began pouring out about a potential AirPods Max 2. The obvious features were USB-C, better chips for processing, and a folding design.
New AirPods arrived along with Apple Vision Pro and special features tied to the H2 chip. Those became tied to rumors of the AirPods Max update.
Four years later, Apple reveals the “new” AirPods Max with USB-C and updated color options. They have the same H1 chips, the same feature set, and the same design.
Needless to say, I’m disappointed and didn’t buy the updated model, but that hasn’t stopped me from using the original set. Thankfully, Apple’s heavy-duty, aluminum, and stainless steel headphones still sound great and work over a headphone jack with an adapter.
AirPods Max review: missing features
AirPods Max are a feature-packed set of over-ear headphones, but four years is a long time to go without upgrades. Even so, the form factor does offer some benefit to users.
AirPods Max review: still part of Apple’s ecosystem, but missing modern features
AirPods Pro 2 debuted with the H2 chip and 2x Active Noise Cancellation, which Apple says is on par with the ANC found in AirPods Max. However, that chipset includes several additional features that still haven’t made their way to Apple’s most expensive headphones.
AirPods Max do not support Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, hearing health features, water resistance, the “Siri” minus “Hey” feature, Voice Isolation, Personalized Volume, or Conversation Boost. They also still use Bluetooth 5.0 instead of Bluetooth 5.3.
The most significant missing feature, however, is tied directly to the Apple Vision Pro. The H2 chip used in AirPods Pro 2 can directly communicate with Apple Vision Pro for an H2 to H2 Lossless connection.
AirPods Max review: design
The AirPods Max design was very divisive with their big aluminum cans, stainless steel band, and rubber canopy. They can’t fold for storage and only sleep when in a specific case or bra-like holder Apple ships with the headphones.
AirPods Max review: the Digital Crown proved to be an excellent control device
The foam ear pads are designed for improved isolation and acoustics, but users can swap them out for third-party options. The initial and new colors pop, but the headphones stood out either way.
Even if Apple released a significant revision to AirPods Max, I doubt much would change externally. Apple doesn’t seem to care about their shape or flexibility, so it seems like a stretch to expect a foldable frame.
The Digital Crown has proven to be an excellent control mechanism on every product it’s used on. There’s no need for awkward swipe gestures or head taps if the Digital Crown controls playback, Siri, and volume.
I’m not sure what I’d personally change about the design. It would be nice if Apple could achieve a similar look and feel with a lighter weight — perhaps by trading stainless steel for titanium.
The ultra-premium headphones somewhat earn their price tag with their now iconic design. USB-C makes them better, but only just.
We’d have liked a headphone jack on the left side, but Apple prefers users to go through the Lightning port via a dongle. This all said, plugging in a wired connection to your AirPods Max and playing lossless audio will still deliver better sound than the wireless connection will. It just won’t be lossless.
Using AirPods Max four years later
Despite missing modern features and a non-travel-friendly design, AirPods Max still stand up as an amazing set of headphones. There are likely better-sounding over-ear headphones at lower price points, but their integration with the Apple ecosystem still can’t be beaten.
AirPods Max review: aluminum and stainless steel make for a striking, if heavy, design
Apple’s custom 40mm drivers reproduce sound amazingly, and when using Apple Music, you’re getting the best possible mix with Dolby Atmos and Dynamic Head Tracking. Even without Lossless, audio is crisp and lacks distortion at all volumes.
I prefer using AirPods Pro when wearing Apple Vision Pro simply because I usually have them in my pocket. AirPods Max are a more deliberate tool that I have to fetch from the dedicated charger in my office.
And since the AirPods Pro provide plenty of ANC on their own, I don’t feel like I’m missing anything wearing them instead. In fact, there isn’t a lot of benefit to AirPods Max over AirPods Pro when using Apple Vision Pro.
I tested “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd and “Casualty” by Linkin Park. AirPods Max won in overall physical separation of the individual sounds and instruments and bass, but AirPods Pro 2 seemed to have a clarity missing from the larger headphones.
AirPods Max 2024 review: at least you can still use legacy media devices with an adapter
I’m not an audio expert, I don’t have tens of thousands of dollars in gear, nor any giant opinion on DAC manufacturers, or the use of vacuum tubes. That said, the physics are clear — it’s due to the larger drivers moving much more air in AirPods Max. They deliver phenomenal bass, so mids and lows come through great, but that may drown out other sounds.
Funny enough, AirPods Pro may benefit simply from being smaller and shooting audio directly into your ear canal. Though, there may be some effect attributable to lossless audio, but I can’t say for sure.
If anything, that’s a compliment on how amazing the AirPods Pro are. It just goes to show how powerful the computational audio works on such tiny devices and makes me wonder how the H2 would improve AirPods Max further.
AirPods Max have a clear edge for film and TV thanks to their size. Bass-filled scenes in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” just shine in those over-ear headphones.
AirPods Max 2024 review: excellent headphones for immersive video, movies, and TV
They vibrate in a way that emulates sitting in a room with powerful subwoofers, recreating that cinema experience. Watching a movie on a giant screen in Apple Vision Pro, coupled with powerful ANC in over-ear headphones, is an incredible experience you can’t get anywhere else — except maybe a real IMAX theater.
AirPods Max are great for listening to music and watching movies, but I’ve had another use for them over the years — podcasting. Sure, I could use any old wired headphones to listen to my microphone, but the AirPods Max are the ones I have on hand.
To do this, I need a Lightning-to-headphone jack cable sold by Apple for $35. It’s pretty fragile, as I’ve had to replace it before.
AirPods Max 2024 review: a nice stand that can’t charge the headphones it displays
When it comes to charging, storage, and travel, I don’t do anything particularly special. The AirPods Max sit on a bespoke stand made by Lululook and inelegantly plug into a Lightning cable to charge. I only use the case when taking AirPods Max on a trip, which I rarely do.
I used AirPods Max a lot more in the first two years of their life, but AirPods Pro 2 have proven to be my go-to for audio. More heavy users have complained of the aging headphones losing battery faster, but I haven’t noticed that myself.
Batteries do age and hold less charge, so I am aware that my current AirPods Max aren’t going to last forever. I hope Apple releases a real updated version in the next couple of years so I can upgrade.
Even though Apple didn’t update AirPods Max, their base technologies and sound do enough to keep them in regular rotation four years later. It just makes me wonder what an H2 version would be like.
AirPods Max 2024 review — Hope for what’s next
AirPods Max are Apple’s biggest miss of 2024. The USB-C update and new colors did nothing to truly bring the headphones into the modern age.
AirPods Max review: premium headphones with a tie into Apple’s ecosystem
Sure, those with $550 to spare can get the new port. That is useful, but I can’t justify it. All of my Lightning cables didn’t burst into flames when USB-C shipped on the iPhone, after all.
AirPods Pro 2 are just too good that honestly, AirPods Max don’t need to exist in their current iteration.
Yes, I like their sound for movies and bass-heavy music, and I use them for podcasts. However, if AirPods Max went away today, I’d just buy some Sony over-ear headphones for those functions instead.
That’s where AirPods Max have fallen in my eyes. The must-have over-ear premium headphones of 2020 with amazing auto-switching and Dolby Atmos now feel redundant and replaceable.
I don’t think Apple has given up on AirPods Max. It’s obvious the company has other priorities like getting Apple Vision Pro off the ground. That said, it seems a shame that Apple’s $3,500 spatial computing headset doesn’t have a suitable Apple-made premium headphone to go with it.
AirPods Max review: a great podcast companion, even with Apple Vision Pro in the mix
That’s what I’m hopeful for — AirPods Max 2 with a focus on enhancing Apple Vision Pro’s spatial computing functionality. Visual fidelity is a big part of immersion, sure, but true 3D audio from big over-ear drivers would enhance that experience further.
If I had to pinpoint when such a revision would be announced, it would be alongside Apple Vision Pro 2. Some suggest an M5 model could arrive in 2025, but my bet is on mid-to-late 2026 — which would be a good window for the AirPods Max 2.
AirPods Max 2024 review – Pros
- H1 enables Apple ecosystem features like auto switching
- Powerful ANC on par with AirPods Pro 2 thanks to over-ear design
- Transparency Mode still uncanny thanks to plenty of microphones
- Incredible audio quality for music, great bass for movies
- Wired option for audio jack
AirPods Max 2024 review – Cons
- Can’t fold for storage
- No dedicated audio jack and no option for wired lossless audio
- H1 chip is dated, no Apple Vision Pro features
- Stainless steel makes for a heavy frame
- Outdated hardware with extravagant $550 price
Rating: 3 out of 5
AirPods Max are an excellent piece of hardware and have held up well over the years. They’re not a good buy today unless you’ve got money to blow or have never owned a pair and just want them.
If you can, just buy AirPods Pro 2 (check sale prices) and wait for AirPods Max 2. If you can’t, buy used, wait for a sale, or find some nice Sony over-ear headphones.
Where to buy AirPods Max
AirPods Max with Lightning can still be found at some retailers at a substantial discount. The USB-C model retails for $549, but it’s currently on sale at Amazon, Best Buy and B&H.
