14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has officially announced the AirPods Max, the company’s very own over-ear headphones supposed to expand the AirPods lineup with a new design.
Available with a $549 price tag in the United States beginning December 15, the AirPods Max are supposed to excel in terms of everything, starting with the design and ending with battery life.
The design, for example, includes a stainless steel headband and a breathable knit mesh canopy, with Apple says should match a wide variety of head shapes and sizes.
Apple has also built a dedicated mechanism that holds the cups in place, and the AirPods Max come with a Digital Crown inspired by the Apple Watch and allowing users to play and pause audio, skip tracks, answer and end phone calls, and launch Siri.
Going on sale on December 15
AirPods Max are powered by an Apple-designed H1 chip installed in each ear cup, and this allows the new device to offer adaptive EQ, active noise cancellation, Apple’s signature transparency mode, and spatial audio.
“AirPods Max feature a 40-mm Apple-designed dynamic driver that provides rich, deep bass, accurate mid-ranges, and crisp, clean high-frequency extension so every note can be heard. A unique dual neodymium ring magnet motor allows AirPods Max to maintain total harmonic distortion of less than 1 percent across the entire audible range, even at maximum volume,” Apple explains.
Optical and position sensors allow the AirPods Max to know when they are placed on the head and they can automatically pause the music when removed, just like Microsoft’s very own Surface Headphones.
In terms of battery life, the AirPods Max should offer up to 20 hours per charge. For $549, customers are also getting a slim Smart Case which Apple says can help preserve battery power when you’re not using the headphones.
