Apple recently announced AirPods Max, its first Apple-branded over-ear headphones, but how to they compare to the company's previous best, the AirPods Pro earbuds? Although the AirPods Pro use an in-ear design while Max are over-ear headphones, there are quite a few similarities between the two. Of course, this is probably to be expected, since they are both Apple products and part of the same AirPods family.
Apple launched its active noise-canceling (ANC) AirPods Pro earbuds in 2019, adding a higher-end option to the massively successful AirPods. What sets AirPods Pro apart is the advanced design that features an inward-facing microphone capable of hearing sound the way the wearer does, reducing the need for a perfect fit. In addition, computational audio and equalization are powered by the Apple H1 chip, which includes ten audio cores, allowing rapid adjustment of sound and noise cancelation.
The AirPods Max over-ear headphones join the AirPods Pro as top-end audio equipment that will play nicely with any other Apple product. Pairing with an iPhone, Mac computer, Apple Watch or iPad will be effortless and when switching between these devices, both AirPods options will automatically pair to follow the wearer’s activity. Both include high-fidelity sound with adaptive ANC and computational audio to improve quality. Both also offer a quick one-touch Transparency mode that allows interactions with the real world before a quick return to silence, music or a movie.
Generally, over-ear headphones offer better sound quality than even the best earbuds and it is reasonable to expect AirPods Max to surpass AirPods Pro in bass depth and quality, as well as offering richer audio overall. Apple calls its new headphones the “ultimate personal listening experience” and as the $549 price suggests, these should offer studio quality. In contrast, the AirPods Pro, priced at $249, are very good wireless earbuds, but do not rival top-end headphones. For personal use, however, there may be advantages to picking AirPods Pro.
Max Or Pro? Best For Personal Use?
Apple’s pricing suggests professional quality, but Apple described the AirPods Max as a personal listening experience. That raises the question of whether the new headphones will be a better buy than AirPods Pro for home and travel use? The headphones will certainly have the best audio quality, but are bulkier and size often matters when it comes to personal use. AirPods Pro (nearly) disappear in the ear and can be used when exercising, resulting in a design that's unobtrusive when traveling. Both use the H1 chip for signal processing, feature the same Siri interaction and Adaptive ANC with Transparency mode. However, some may find the three choices of silicone ear tips are not enough to provide comfort. In that case, the over-ear design of the AirPods Max, along with their superior sound quality, could be worth the extra cost.
AirPods Max offer more personal expression, coming in silver, dark gray, light blue, pink and light green, while Apple’s earbuds are only available in white. Apple claims up to 20 hours of listening time while using ANC or Spatial audio and describes charging as 1.5-hours of listening time following a 5-minute charge. AirPods Pro offer about 5 hours of listening time, which would be quite limiting if it was not for the included wireless charging case that allows the earbuds to be continually charged, resulting in up to 24-hours of use. Finally, the AirPods Pro are a known quantity with plenty of positive reviews to rely on while the AirPods Max are still new and yet to be tested outside of Apple labs. For those with less to spend, and expecting to travel, AirPods Pro are likely to be the better choice, but Apple's AirPods Max should win when it comes to audio quality and style.
Source: Apple