Apple AirPods Max revealed as NEW over-ear wireless headphones with noise-cancellation

APPLE has announced a new pair of headphones called AirPods Max – with a revamped over-ear design.

The long-rumoured cans are totally wireless and sit as a step up from the regular AirPods and AirPods pro.

The new Apple AirPods Max will be this year's must-have cans — The new Apple AirPods Max will be this year’s must-have cansCredit: Apple

Apple AirPods Max release date, price and what are they?

Unlike the old earbud design, AirPods Max sit over your ears like premium headphones.

And they’ve got premium features like hi-fi audio, adaptive equalising, active noise-cancellation, and “spatial” audio.

Like previous AirPods, they’ll likely be a hit with Apple fans – and will be high on Christmas lists.

But they don’t come cheap, starting at a lofty £549.

AirPods Max are available in five different colours, including pinkCredit: Apple

That’s far higher than the regular AirPods (£159) and AirPods Pro (£249).

Of course, that’s no surprise given that these are over-ear headphones, which typically command far higher pricing.

“AirPods are the most popular headphones in the world, beloved for their effortless setup, incredible sound quality and iconic design,” said Apple’s Greg Joswiak.

“With AirPods Max, we are bringing that magical AirPods experience to a stunning over-ear design with high-fidelity audio.”

The AirPods Max are available to pre-order today from the Apple Store.

But they won’t start shipping until Tuesday, December 15.

Apple AirPods Max – supported devices

Here’s what you’ll need to use AirPods Max…

iPhone running iOS 14.3 or later
iPad running iPad OS 14.3 or later
Mac running macOS Big Sur 11.1 or later
Apple Watch running watchOS 7.2 or later
Apple TV running tvOS 14.3 or later

Apple AirPods Max design and comfort

The new AirPods have a slick design that tries to justify their high pricing.

You get cushioned ear cups that attach to the headband with a new system that lets them pivot to your head contours.

And they’re designed to create a seal with your ear for immersive sound.

There’s an Apple Watch-style Digital Crown on the side for volume control – as well as playing, pausing, skipping tracks, answering and ending phones calls, and for activating Siri.

The headband frame is built from stainless steel, and should fit most head shapes and sizes.

Its arms telescope too, so even the most big-headed audiophiles needn’t worry.

There are five colour options available: Silver, Space Grey, Sky Blue, Pink, and Green.

Apple AirPods Max audio and features

Apple has fitted the AirPods Max with a 40mm custom driver for “rich, deep bass, accurate mid-ranges, and crisp, clean high-frequency extension”.

Most headphone makers will offer up similar claims, so we’ll need to wait for a review model to see if the AirPods Max are up to snuff.

There’s a custom dual neodymium ring-magnet motor for minimising distortion.

And each cup has an Apple H1 chip built in for delivering the best-quality audio at any given time – using computational trickery.

Adaptive EQ adjusts the sound to fit the seal of your ear cushions in real-time.

Active Noise Cancellation detects environment noise using microphones, with internal microphones listening for sound making its way through the cups too.

And the headphones then account for that with “reverse” noise, to cancel the din out.

There’s a Transparency Mode (just like on AirPods Pro) that lets you listen to music, while letting in environmental sound. Great if you’re waiting for a train announcement, or the like.

And there’s also a feature called Spatial Audio that tracks your head to place sound virtually anywhere in a space.

It means you can get theatre-like audio for content recorded in 5.1, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos.

More to come…