Apple AirPods Max vs. AirPods Pro: What should you buy?

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Apple AirPods Max vs. AirPods Pro: What should you purchase?

(Image credit: Apple tree )

This AirPods Max vs AirPods Pro comparison shows how two completely dissimilar pairs of headphones can simultaneously have a lot in common. Merely which pair of Apple headphones is the 1 you should buy?

As our AirPods Max review said, Apple tree'southward first over-ear cans are a big success, able to challenge the Bose 700 and Sony WH-1000XM4 in a boxing of the best wireless headphones. Merely the in-ear AirPods Pro is a lot more affordable, while offering several of the aforementioned Apple features: including spatial audio and Adaptive EQ.  Both headphones too characteristic active noise counterfoil (ANC) to keep your music uninterrupted by outside olfactory organ.

• All of the best AirPods Max alternatives
• AirPods Max vs Bose 700: What should you lot purchase?

We've tested both pairs extensively, and so allow's meet how the AirPods Max stands upwardly to the AirPods Pro on pricing, operation and features.

AirPods Max vs. AirPods Pro: Specs compared

	Apple tree AirPods Max	Apple AirPods Pro
Toll	$549	$249
Size	7.four ten half-dozen.6 x 3.3 inches	1.2 x 0.9 x 0.9 inches (per bud)
Weight	13.6 ounces	0.2 ounces (per bud)
Battery life	xx hours (ANC on)	4.5 hours (ANC on); 24 hours with charging case
Companion app	Yes	Aye
Special features	Active dissonance cancellation, transparency mode, automated EQ adjustment, 3D audio, smart controls, Siri support	Active dissonance cancellation, transparency mode, automatic EQ adjustment, spatial audio, smart controls, Siri support, IPX4 water resistance

AirPods Max vs. AirPods Pro: Price

(Paradigm credit: Tom'south Guide)

At that place'due south no softening the blow of this: the AirPods Max costs $549. That sounds like madness when its main over-ear competition is routinely available for under $300. The AirPods Pro is as well priced at a premium, just costs much less. It launched at $249 and is oftentimes available for around $199 on sale.

In fairness, both sets of headphones hope premium features as well equally high audio quality, though the AirPods Max's special qualities arguably need to do a lot more heavy lifting to justify the premium.

Winner: AirPods Pro

AirPods Max vs. AirPods Pro: Blueprint

(Paradigm credit: Apple)

Apple'southward make clean, crisp blueprint artful is conspicuously on show with both these headphones, fifty-fifty if they are completely dissimilar styles. The AirPods Max combines clean-looking, stainless steel earcups with a curvy mesh headband, and while it does await a bit chunkier than about over-ear designs these days, it'south still thoroughly modern.

The AirPods Pro uses plastic instead of metal, but has a significant design reward over the AirPods Max: the buds are water-resistant to the IPX4 standard, meaning they'll survive splashes of rain or sweat during a heavy workout. The AirPods Pro besides improved on the slightly featherbrained wait of the AirPods by cut the length of the stem and calculation replaceable silicone eartips.

(Paradigm credit: Shutterstock)

Thanks to the truthful wireless blueprint and water resistance, the AirPods Pro is clearly a better option for regular exercise or but unproblematic portability, though for listening at abode or on the commute the AirPods Max look like the ameliorate option. The ear padding ensures information technology stays comfortable for long listening sessions.

Winner: Tie

AirPods Max vs. AirPods Pro: Controls

(Image credit: Brian Coule/Tom's Guide)

One of the nearly unique features of the AirPods Max is its digital crown. Borrowed from the Apple Watch half-dozen and other Apple Watches, this allows for precise volume control, rails skipping, Siri activation and phone call response all in a single little nub.

The AirPods Pro relies on impact controls, which tin can be problematic on true wireless buds as information technology's all besides piece of cake to accidentally register a tap when but adjusting or removing them. Notwithstanding, the AirPods Pro gets effectually this by positioning its Forcefulness Sensor in the stalk, so you lot tin tap to play, pause, skip or toggle ANC while reducing the chance of a misfired press.

(Image credit: Future)

It's hard to say whether one control scheme is ameliorate than the other, though it's perchance telling that Apple chose to implement a physical push rather than stick with bear on controls for the AirPods Max. A lot of people discover physical controls more than tactile and piece of cake to employ, and a spinning mechanism makes it easier to tweak the book to that perfect level instead of making staccato tap gestures.

Winner: AirPods Max

AirPods Max vs. AirPods Pro: Dissonance cancelling

(Epitome credit: Apple )

ANC is far from a standard feature on in-ear headphones, and the AirPods Pro makes specially adept use of it, effectively cut out background noise while minimizing the hissing sound that lesser noice-cancelling earbuds can produce when the effect is engaged.

The AirPods Pro tin't match the AirPods Max when it comes to shutting out distractions. This is partly a event of their contrasting designs, equally over-ear cups naturally create a better seal than in-ear headphones. But the AirPods Max also features eight mics for noise cancelling, compared to just two on the AirPods Pro.

In addition, the AirPods Max's Apple tree H1 fries can dynamically conform the level of noise cancelling past analyzing the fit and even your caput movements.

Winner: AirPods Max

AirPods Max vs. AirPods Pro: Audio quality

(Image credit: Regan Coule/Tom'due south Guide)

The AirPods Pro sound superb. Music is make clean and counterbalanced, with the occasional exception of some rather mild low-end, though this too prevents bass-heavy songs from becoming and so boomy.

The AirPods Max, however, provides both greater definition and a wider soundstage than the more intimate-sounding AirPods Pro. There's no bass shortage here either: low-frequency sounds are delivered with a rich rumble. The AirPods Max is not an audiophile-grade pair of studio headphones, just of these two Apple models information technology's the one you should cull if you value sound quality above all else.

Notably, both models support spatial audio. This works well on both, likewise, calculation a remarkably compelling surround sound event to uniform video content.

(Epitome credit: Apple tree)

Both likewise support Apple'south Adaptive EQ, admitting in slightly different flavours. On the AirPods Pro, Adaptive EQ adjusts sound frequencies to fit the shape of your ear; on the AirPods Max, information technology uses the fit and seal of the ear cushions instead. The results are similarly impressive, though; we wouldn't say one approach is drastically amend than the other.

Winner: AirPods Max

AirPods Max vs. AirPods Pro: Bombardment life and charging

(Prototype credit: Regan Coule/Tom's Guide)

I disappointment of the AirPods Max announcement was its battery life, which comes rated at a humdrum twenty hours of listening fourth dimension. More positive news came in the form of recharging time: ane.v hours of listening from v minutes of charging, which is pretty good.

By comparing, the 4.5 hours listening fourth dimension of a fully-charged fix of the AirPods Pro sounds poor, though short battery life is mutual on true wireless headphones. More chiefly, the AirPods Pro's charging example can be juiced up plenty to provide more than 24 hours total before the example itself runs dry. With one hr of listening time from a 5-minute charge, the AirPods Pro isn't far backside on recharge efficiency either.

(Prototype credit: Apple tree)

Which headphones suit you improve will depend largely on how you use them: for only occasional use, you lot'll get more than playback hours total past popping the AirPods Pro in and out of the example. For much longer listening sessions, like when on a long flight, it'south meliorate to accept the AirPods Max, which don't need to superlative up every few hours.

Winner: Necktie

AirPods Max vs. AirPods Pro: Accessories

(Image credit: Future)

The charging case forms part of a fairly elementary accessory pack that comes within the box of the AirPods Pro. The only other goodies yous become are a Lightning-to USB-C cable and iii sizes of replacement ear tips.

Other than the headphones and documentation, the merely items included are the same Lightning-to USB-C cable and Apple's questionably-designed "Smart Case", which instead of compacting the headphones folds them into a counterintuitively splayed-out position. The styling is besides a rare misstep: with the exposed headband, the whole package looks similar a cross between a purse and a child'due south crayon drawing of a car.

Winner: Tie

AirPods Max vs. AirPods Pro: Outlook

The AirPods Pro is the best Apple headphones for those who want dissonance cancelling on a upkeep. It's likewise more portable pair of headphones, and a meliorate choice for do because of its sweat resistance.

However, if you can afford the AirPods Max, you lot'll be rewarded with meliorate overall sound quality, more constructive ANC and longer-lasting comfort. In fairness, a lot of these advantages come down to inherent design differences that the AirPods Pro can't assistance, and a bulkier ready of over-ear cans won't suit everything. But we'd still debate that in this case, spending more actually does get you lot a meliorate pair of headphones.

Winner: AirPods Max

James is currently Hardware Editor at Rock Paper Shotgun, but before that was Audio Editor at Tom'due south Guide, where he covered headphones, speakers, soundbars and anything else that intentionally makes dissonance. A PC enthusiast, he besides wrote calculating and gaming news for TG, usually relating to how hard information technology is to find graphics bill of fare stock.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/face-off/apple-airpods-max-vs-airpods-pro-what-should-you-buy

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