Apple’s long-anticipated AirPods Max has been announced and the jury is still mostly out overall.
This is, of course, Apple’s high-end headphone product that fits over the ears and there are certainly some pros and cons to the new product.
First off, the new headphones cost a whopping $550. This puts the headphones at a premium level price point.
Lack of U1 Chips
One of the biggest issues is that the Airpod Max headphones does not come with Apple’s U1 chip. This means that there is a lack of precise positioning.
The U1 chip would have best been used to figure out how headphones are worn to designate the left and right sides without having different drivers.
It also would have served the purpose of connecting AirTags to locate the headphones if they were to go missing.
These headphones have the same H1 chip as the one found in the AirPods Pro.
This isn’t all terrible since the H1 has features that sync well with iPhones and Siri overall. These premium headphones have two H1 chips to bring high-quality audio, noise-canceling abilities and adaptive EQ.
The AirPod Max is also easy to use with the HomePod mini, has quick sharing via AirDrop and can even unlock a car without even needing to use an iPhone.
The AirPod Max also has other features that are better than the average pair of headphones, including sensors that are able to know if the headphones are being used as well as improved spatial audio with the help of dynamic head tracking.
Thus, the AirPod Max has many top level features but its lack of the better U1 chip is something to think about when spending this much money on headphones.
Lack of Top Notch Casing
For something that costs $550, one might assume that the casing would be above average. However, the case for the AirPod Max does not protect the headphones in th ways that it really should or could.
The casing for the AirPod Max is made up of soft material that does little to cover all of the key parts of the item. It was not built to sustain a lot of wear and tear, and this is something that headphones should really consider in general.
The case is fine as far as how it looks and there has been a lot of talk that compares it to an eye mask or bra, among other things. However, this case design does not really make for the most practical result.
This might be the “case” no pun intended for a few reasons. One is that the AirPod Max is supposed to be a high-end luxury product because of its price.
Apple knows that it is more meant to be a flashy product to showcase the right image to the right person and does not need to consider more of the logistical aspects.
This is a huge push to be the “cool” product on the market, something Apple has been good at doing in the past.
Another reason for this is so that Apple will soon be able to upsell a better case for these headphones. This is typical of the company in the past few years and it is another way of getting another easy method of getting customers to buy another related product for more money.
Apple needs to appease its investors and the lack of a true durable case seems like another play to eventual upsell users for something better.
We will of course see if anything like this hits the market in the near future, but it would not be a big surprise.
The Bottom Line
While there’s nothing entirely wrong with the AirPod Max headphones, there are better deals to be had in the market.
If you’re a devout Apple customer, they might be worth considering but that high price point and lack of key features might just mean it is time to consider other options or wait until Apple puts out a superior product.
