Apple has made waves with the unveiling of its AirPods Max, a premium pair of active noise-canceling wireless headphones. It's quite possibly the most anticipated set of headphones since Sony released its long-awaited WH-1000XM4 earlier this year. The question now is, which of these high-end headphones is the better buy?

The AirPods Max are Apple's first pair of over-ear headphones, following the success of true wireless earbud products like the AirPods and AirPods Pro. Sony's WH-1000XM4, meanwhile, is the fourth iteration of the popular noise-canceling headphones, with the previous WH-1000XM3 widely regarded as the best wireless headphones available for the money. Just like Apple, Sony has a strong line of true wireless earbuds as well, with the WF-1000XM3 standing out for their best-in class noise cancelation.

Related: AirPods Max: Apple's Over-Ear Headphones Feature ANC, But Cost $549

Apple's new AirPods Max come with Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency Mode and spatial audio, but cost $549. They'll face direct competition from Sony's WH-1000XM4, which retail for $350 and offer many of the same features. The AirPods Max feature the same streamlined compatibility as their predecessors, however, utilizing a one-tap setup that allows the headphones to automatically pair with all the devices signed in with a user's iCloud account. That in its own right might be enough to make those invested in the Apple ecosystem spend the extra cash for the AirPods Max.

Comparing AirPods Max & WH-1000XM4 Specs

Apple vs. Sony headphone cases

Diving into the technical specifications of the AirPods Max reveals more differences than the price point and simplified Apple compatibility. For instance, the Sony WH-1000XM4 have a 1.57-inch (40mm) dome driver with a Neodymium magnet at the center of its audio production. The AirPods Max, by comparison, have custom "Apple-designed" 40mm dynamic drivers as the heart of their operation. The WH-1000XM4 also also compatible with voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, while the AirPods Max support Apple's Siri. Most notably, however, might be the differences in battery life between these two headphones. The AirPods Max are rated for up to 20 hours of playback with active noise-canceling turned on. The WH-1000XM4, meanwhile, can handle 30 hours of ANC playback and up to 38 hours without the feature enabled. At $200 less, that's a significant increase in battery life.

To be fair, the AirPods Max incorporate a total of nine microphones - to Sony's five - to handle both active noise cancelation and voice pickup, which likely factors into battery life. Not to mention, with the utilization of spatial audio to experience content recorded in 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos formats, it's possible that the AirPods Max may sound good enough to justify spending considerably more on them. However, Sony's WH-1000XM4 are largely considered to be the reigning champions of wireless headphones for their combination of sound quality, noise cancelation, and price. Unless the AirPods Max blow their Sony counterparts out of the water, the WH-1000XM4 should remain the best noise-canceling wireless headphones.

Next: Sony WH-1000XM4 Vs. Bose 700: Best Noise-Canceling Headphones?

Source: Apple