When you think of Apple’s AirPods, you probably think of the little white inear headphones that you see in ears everywhere, from busy streets to jampacked trains.
And while there are several inear AirPods models available (see our guide to the best AirPods), Apple also has an overear pair of AirPods — and they too have a distinguishable design.
In fact, I’d go as far as to say the AirPods Max are the most distinctive overear headphones around. They not only come in a range of colours, but they also have aluminium ear cups, which challenges the norm in this popular headphone category.
The 2nd generation AirPods Pro are the wireless headphones I use daytoday, but it’s the AirPods Max that I won’t board a plane without. So much so that I’ll put them in my backpack even if I’m testing out other overear headphones — I literally do not leave the country without them.
Apple Airpods Max: At a glance
Apple AirPods Max review
I remember when Apple first launched the AirPods Max in 2020, and my initial thought was “gosh, they are expensive”. However, if you can forgive the price, which is now slightly cheaper than the launch price, the colour options are a breath of fresh air and they really are an excellent pair of overear headphones. Superb in fact.
They have some stiff competition — Sony’s WH1000M5 are much cheaper and some of the best in the business, and the Sonos Ace are a similar price and a tad comfier — but neither are as striking as the AirPods Max when it comes to design.
The aluminium ear cups sit on stainless steel arms, oozing a premium finish, while the mesh canopy headband means the AirPods Max are comfortable, despite being heavier than other overear options.
I’ve worn the AirPods Max on countless transAtlantic flights, for over 10 hours straight on a number of occasions and I’ve never felt the need to remove them midflight.
The lighter colour options do show makeup transfer, but the ear cushions, which are made from memory foam and covered with a similar mesh material to the headband, are easy to remove and wash with warm soapy water. Apple recommends mixing in liquid detergent, which I have tried and it works wonders.
Apple AirPods Max: Features
On the right ear cup, there is a Digital Crown like the Apple Watch. This adjusts volume, while also allowing you to answer and end calls, skip a track, go back a track, and play/pause audio depending on how many times you press it.
You can also press and hold it to launch Apple’s assistant Siri, which I use for making calls or playing my favourite podcast or album without having to get my iPhone out.
A second button alongside the Digital Crown allows you to switch between the different noise modes: active noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency, with the former being excellent at blocking out pretty much all background noise, especially on a plane, and the latter allowing you to hear what is happening around you.
The AirPods Max case puts the headphones into a low power mode, helping to save the 20hour battery life, but it’s not as protective as some other overear headphone cases are. It also looks a little like a bra or handbag, neither of which are good things when it comes to a headphone case.
The AirPods Max also charge via Lightning rather than USBC, so they may get updated in the next year, which you’ll need to be prepared for. And they lack a couple of features too, including Conversation Awareness mode and Adaptive Audio, both of which you’ll find on the AirPods Pro (2nd generation).
Other brilliant features include a onetap setup for iPhone users, automatic switching between Apple devices, Adaptive EQ and personalised spatial audio with dynamic head tracking for a more immersive audio experience when listening to compatible content.
If you’re an Apple user, you’ll get Announce Notifications from Siri as an extra feature. For Android users, you can still connect to AirPods Max and use them as you would any other Bluetooth headphones, but you don’t get access to all the same features as Apple users. The sound quality and ANC will be the same though.
Apple AirPods Max: Sound quality
The AirPods Max deliver superb sound performance and ANC. There’s rich, crisp and spacious audio here, whatever you listen to, whether that’s The Beatles or Ed Sheeran.
Everything sounds fantastic, with great clarity, energy and excellent handling, and that applies across all genres, from pop to classical.
Good Housekeeping’s verdict on the Apple AirPods Max
Overall, what I love most about AirPods Max (apart from how distinctive their design is) is how simple they are to use. Once you’ve paired them to your device (which literally takes seconds), take them out of their case and pop them on your head and they will connect instantly — and that applies for devices like AirFly too, which allows you to use your AirPods Max for inflight entertainment.
For Apple users, there isn’t a pair of overear headphones I’d recommend more and in the threeandahalf years I’ve been using AirPods Max on planes and trains, they have yet to let me down. They remain my goto overear headphones for travelling.
Britta O’Boyle has been a technology journalist since 2003. She’s covered everything from phones, tablets and fitness devices, to smart home, and beauty tech. You’ll find her name on reviews, explainers, roundups and expert tips, covering Apple, Google, Samsung, Sonos, Dyson and many more.
She’s always tried to take a more simplified approach to products, focusing on what she thinks actually matters in use, rather than getting caught up in the jargon. She was one of the first journalists in the world to try Apple’s Vision Pro headset, she’s gone behind the scenes at Peloton and she can give you more than 40 fun facts about Mac.
Britta has a First Class Honours degree in Fashion Journalism from the University of the Arts London and prior to a 10year stint as deputy editor of Pocketlint from 2013 to 2023, she wrote about interiors for 3 years, covering the rise in technology in the home.
As a freelance journalist, she cofounded The Disconnekt and she’s EditoratLarge for The Ambient. You’ll also find her byline on several prestigious titles including The Telegraph, British GQ, The Express, The Mirror, TechRadar, T3, Stuff, TechAdvisor, Trusted Reviews, Expert Reviews, Wareable and iMore.
She’s also been a guest on several radio stations, including BBC Radio, Siren FM and Academy FM, discussing features to implement on devices to keep children safer online. You’ll never find her without her Apple Watch on (usually alongside another fitness tracker she’s testing), aiming to complete her rings so she can justify the extra bar of chocolate. When she’s not recording the dog walk as an Outdoor Walk, she’s trying to keep up with her two young children.
