Headphones fall into two main categories: studio-grade headphones, which are packed with technology and designed for professional production, and normal headphones, which prioritize comfort and deliver great sound for music and movies. The AirPods Max sit somewhere in between, leaning more toward the latter side.
The Apple AirPods Max were released four years ago, yet they are still widely praised and used by many. They continue to cost $550, meaning they must be exceptional to justify this price. In this article, we will take a deep dive into the AirPods Max, examining their pros and cons to determine whether they still hold up in 2025.
Review
The AirPods Max have aluminum earcups and a stainless steel headband. The headphones have a satin finish and come in five colors, Blue, Purple, Midnight, Starlight, and Orange. The build quality of these headphones is very good, as almost every other headphone out there is made of plastic, and metal is more durable. The battery life is about 16 to 20 hours with noise cancellation on.
As metal weighs more than plastic, there is a mesh on the top band that evenly distributes weight, but these are still heavy headphones. The headband doesn’t have any notches and it is very smooth to pull and push. The mesh earcups with memory foam are soft and comfortable, and they do better than leather for long listening sessions. The sensors inside will detect when you’re wearing these headphones, and like all other Apple devices, the AirPods Max will pair with any Apple Device instantly.
The earcups can also be removed easily because they are attached with magnets, this is a big pro and you don’t see this in many headphones. Over time, your earcups will get compressed and crack, and the fact that you can replace them instead of buying new headphones is convenient. However, Apple sells a new pair of earcups for $69, which is incredibly overpriced.
There is a button and a digital crown on top of the right earcup. You can press this crown for media controls and rotate it for volume, you can also reverse the direction of the spin from your iPhone. These headphones recently got an update and they can now be charged via USB-C.
Let’s talk about the “Smart Case” that comes with the AirPods Max. The charging port doesn’t line up with the bottom and the headphones get in an awkward position when charging. The magnet inside is small and easy to miss sometimes, and getting the headphones out and putting them back in isn’t quick. There is no off button in these headphones, and you must put them in the case to turn on the low power mode. The case also doesn’t protect the mesh, which is the part that needs the most protection.
The noise cancellation is excellent. The nine microphones in the headphones do a good job with white noise, and the headphones with ANC sound natural. These headphones also have the best transparency mode I’ve ever seen, you can actually tell which direction the ambient noise is coming from.
The AirPods Max sound great. There are 40mm drivers behind the earcups, they are very clear at high volumes and there is very low distortion. The instrument separation is good, and the bass is deep and punchy. There are no latency or range issues and I could walk a good distance away from my device before it disconnected.
Verdict
The Apple AirPods Max are a good pair of headphones, and they deliver a great listening experience. In the end, it all comes down to what you want these headphones to do. If you are an Apple user, then you’re better off getting these headphones to get all the features. If you are an Android user, you should probably get something like the Beats Studio Pro, because you won’t be able to use all the features of the AirPods Max. Are they worth $550? Absolutely not, but they do frequently go on sale for as low as $450, which should have been the original market price for these headphones.