Apple AirPods Max: Jaw-dropping price point isn't the only problem


On the 8th December Apple announced a new product to their AirPods line; the AirPods Max.

It’s the headphone-take on their earphones from before, but with a premium design, and at a very premium price.

While they do look great, it seems like fashion over function has taken priority here, and while many seem enamoured with the design of these, the £550 price tag may keep many away.

But that isn’t the only reason why these may be something to wait on their second generation for.

Same Sound, but Higher Price

These headphones have been rumoured for the last year, and with features that are not present in these announced versions.

It’s Apple’s own take on the Beats brand that they bought for $4 Billion in 2014, with their patented ‘H1 Chip’ in each cup for the audio, noise-cancellation and spatial audio from the AirPods Pro, and a 20 hour battery life.

Oddly enough, the input to charge the AirPods Max is through a Lightning port, not USB-C, which will be a shame to a few out there. It also comes in four colours:

  • Space Gray
  • Sky Blue
  • Pink
  • Green

While they look great and they directly mirror the iPad Air colours from September, it does seem like these were rushed to make the Christmas deadline.

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AirPods Max in Blue

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AirPods Pro Maximum Price

Out of the ‘Apple Distortion Field’, these do seem like the features of the AirPods Pro, and for £300 pounds more, you get the AirPods Max in headphone form at a premium design. And a choice of five colours.

While the sound may be highly-rated once the reviews come out, including here, one can’t help but see the elephant in the room that these could have had the potential to be so much more, especially from what the rumours have been hinting at.

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Setting Up the Airpods Max

It’s also welcome to see that the crown from the Apple Watch and a dedicated button for ‘Noise-Cancellation’, ‘Transparency’ and ‘Spatial Audio’ is here, without having to speak to Siri or press on the tips of the AirPods Pro like before.

However, these seem like a very first-generation model in what it offers; if you’ve already got some headphones or some AirPods, it might be wise to see if the second version is released with a lower price and a more justified set of features that better differentiate from the other AirPods as it stands.

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