Apple today announced AirPods Max, innovative wireless headphones that bring the experience of AirPods with high-fidelity sound. AirPods Max combine a custom acoustic design, H1 chips, and advanced software to power computational audio.
Rumoured to be called ‘AirPods Studio’, the over-ear headphones are an addition to the Apple AirPods family.
Detail in design
From the canopy to the cushions, every part of AirPods Max is carefully crafted to provide a comfortable fit and exceptional acoustic performance for each individual.
AirPods Max sports a breathable knit mesh canopy, spanning the headband, is made to distribute weight and reduce on-head pressure. The stainless steel headband frame provides strength, flexibility, and comfort for a wide variety of head shapes and sizes. Telescoping headband arms smoothly extend and stay in place to maintain the desired fit.
Each ear cup attaches to the headband through a revolutionary mechanism that balances and distributes ear cup pressure, and allows it to independently pivot and rotate to fit the unique contours of a user’s head. Each ear cushion uses acoustically engineered memory foam to create an effective seal — a critical factor in delivering immersive sound. The Digital Crown, inspired by Apple Watch, offers precise volume control and the ability to play or pause audio, skip tracks, answer or end phone calls, and activate Siri.
AirPods Max feature a 40-millimetre 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% across the entire audible range, even at maximum volume.
Equipped with an Apple-designed H1 chip in each ear cup, a custom acoustic design, and advanced software, AirPods Max use computational audio to deliver the highest quality listening experience possible. Utilising each of the chips’ 10 audio cores — capable of 9 billion operations per second — computational audio powers a listening experience that includes Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, and spatial audio.
AirPods Max custom acoustic design features a 40-mm dynamic driver and a unique dual neodymium ring magnet motor.
The spatial audio with dynamic head track to place sounds virtually anywhere in a space, delivering an immersive, theatre like experience for content recorded in 5.1, 7.1, and Dolby Atmos. Using the gyroscope and accelerometer in AirPods Max and iPhone or iPad, spatial audio tracks the motion of a user’s head as well as the device, compares the motion data, then remaps the sound field so it stays anchored to the device, even as the user’s head moves.
Users can also switch to Transparency mode to simultaneously listen to music while hearing the environment around them — ensuring everything, including a user’s own voice, sounds natural while audio plays perfectly. Switching between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode can be done with a single press using the noise control button.
Power up
AirPods Max feature a battery life of up to 20 hours of high-fidelity audio, talk time, or movie playback with Active Noise Cancellation and spatial audio enabled. The headphones come with a soft, slim Smart Case that puts AirPods Max in an ultralow power state that helps to preserve battery charge when not in use.
When stored in the soft, slim Smart Case, AirPods Max enter an ultralow power state that preserves charge.
Plus, they automatically detect when they are on a user’s head using the optical and position sensors. Once in place, AirPods Max play audio and can pause once removed or when the user simply lifts one ear cup. With AirPods Max, voice calls and, according to Apple, Siri commands claims to be crisp and clear due to beam-forming microphones that block out ambient noise and focus on the user’s voice.
AirPods Max require Apple devices running iOS 14.3 or later, iPadOS 14.3 or later, macOS Big Sur 11.1 or later, watchOS 7.2 or later, or tvOS 14.3 or later.
AirPods Max come in five colours, including space grey, silver, sky blue, green, and pink, and are available to order starting today, with availability beginning Tuesday, December 15. AirPods Max are available to order starting today for ₹59,900 from apple.com and Apple Authorised Resellers.
