Introducing AirPods Max — a perfect balance of exhilarating high-fidelity audio and the effortless magic of AirPods. The ultimate personal listening experience is here.
We reimagined over-ear headphones to go above and well beyond. From cushion to canopy, AirPods Max are designed to create an optimal acoustic seal for many different head shapes — delivering a listening experience that is truly one of a kind.
AirPods Max combine high-fidelity audio with industry-leading noise cancellation to deliver an unparalleled listening experience. Each part of their custom-built driver works to produce a sweeping range of finely detailed sounds and minimize distortion even at maximum volume. From deep, rich bass to accurate mids and crisp, clean high pitches, you’ll hear every note with a new sense of clarity.
Armed with a powerful Apple-designed H1 chip in each cup, our custom acoustic design, and advanced software, AirPods Max use computational audio to create a breakthrough listening experience. By tapping into each chip’s 10 audio cores, computational audio helps block outside noise, adapts audio to the fit and seal of your ear cushions, and makes movie scenes sound like they’re happening all around you.
From setup to Siri commands, AirPods Max inherit all of the wireless, effortless features of the AirPods family. With even more tricks in the mix, they make the listening experience completely seamless, so you can find — and stay in — your groove, day to night.
When stored in their soft, slim Smart Case, AirPods Max enter an ultra-low-power state that preserves charge.
Audio Technology
Apple-designed dynamic driver
Active Noise Cancellation
Transparency mode
Adaptive EQ
Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking1
Sensors
Optical sensor (each ear cup)
Position sensor (each ear cup)
Case-detect sensor (each ear cup)
Accelerometer (each ear cup)
Gyroscope (left ear cup)
Microphones
Nine microphones total:
Eight microphones for Active Noise Cancellation
Three microphones for voice pickup (two shared with Active Noise Cancellation and one additional microphone)
Chip
Apple H1 headphone chip (each ear cup)
Controls
Digital Crown
Turn for volume control
Press once to play, pause, or answer a phone call
Press twice to skip forward
Press three times to skip back
Press and hold for Siri
Noise control button
Press to switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode
Size and Weight2
AirPods Max, including cushions
6.64 inches (168.6 mm)
3.28 inches (83.4 mm)
7.37 inches (187.3 mm)
Weight: 13.6 ounces (384.8 grams)
Smart Case
Weight: 4.74 ounces (134.5 grams)
Battery
AirPods Max
Up to 20 hours of listening time on a single charge with Active Noise Cancellation or Transparency mode enabled3
Up to 20 hours of movie playback on a single charge with spatial audio on4
Up to 20 hours of talk time on a single charge5
5 minutes of charge time provides around 1.5 hours of listening time6
AirPods Max with Smart Case
Storage in the Smart Case preserves battery charge in ultra-low-power state
Charging via Lightning connector
Connectivity
Bluetooth 5.0
In the Box
AirPods Max
Smart Case
Lightning to USB-C Cable
Documentation
Accessibility7
Accessibility features help people with disabilities get the most out of their new AirPods Max.
Features include:
Live Listen audio
Headphone levels
Headphone Accommodations
System Requirements8
iPhone and iPod touch models with the latest version of iOS
iPad models with the latest version of iPadOS
Apple Watch models with the latest version of watchOS
Mac models with the latest version of macOS
Apple TV models with the latest version of tvOS
Compatibility
iPhone Models
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XR
iPhone X
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 79
iPhone 7 Plus9
iPhone 6s9
iPhone 6s Plus9
iPhone SE (2nd generation)
iPhone SE (1st generation)9
Apple Watch Models9
Apple Watch Series 6
Apple Watch SE
Apple Watch Series 5
Apple Watch Series 4
Apple Watch Series 3
Apple Watch Series 2
Apple Watch Series 1
Apple TV Models
Apple TV 4K
iPad Models
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation)
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation)9
iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation)
iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation)
iPad Pro 10.5-inch
iPad Pro 9.7-inch9
iPad (8th generation)
iPad (7th generation)
iPad (6th generation)
iPad (5th generation)
iPad Air (4th generation)
iPad Air (3rd generation)
iPad Air 29
iPad mini (5th generation)
iPad mini 49
Mac Models9
MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015–2017)
MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012–Early 2015)
MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012–2017)
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018–2020)
MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012–Early 2015)
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012–Mid 2015)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012–2020)
MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012–2019)
MacBook Pro 13-inch (2020, two ports)
MacBook Pro 13-inch (2020, four ports)
MacBook Pro 13-inch (M1, 2020)
MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012–2017)
iMac (27-inch, Late 2012–Late 2013)
iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, Late 2015–2019)
iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014–2020)
iMac Pro (2017)
Mac mini (Late 2012–Late 2018)
Mac mini (M1, 2020)
Mac Pro (Late 2013–2019)
iPod Models
iPod touch (7th generation)
1. Spatial audio works with movies, TV, and video in supported apps. Requires iPhone or iPad.
2. Size and weight vary by configuration and manufacturing process.
3. Testing conducted by Apple in November 2020 using preproduction AirPods Max and software paired with iPhone 12 Pro Max units and prerelease software. The playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store (256-Kbps AAC encoding). Volume was set to 50%, Active Noise Cancellation on, and Spatial Audio on but not active. Testing consisted of full AirPods Max battery discharge while playing audio until the AirPods Max stopped playback. Battery life depends on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.
4. Testing conducted by Apple in November 2020 using preproduction AirPods Max and software paired with iPhone 12 Pro Max units and prerelease software. Volume was set to 50%, Active Noise Cancellation on, and Spatial Audio on and active. Testing consisted of full AirPods Max battery discharge while repeating playback of a 2-hour 23-minute movie purchased from the iTunes Store. Battery life depends on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.
5. Testing conducted by Apple in November 2020 using preproduction AirPods Max and software paired with iPhone 12 Pro Max units and prerelease software. Volume was set to 50%, Active Noise Cancellation on, and Spatial Audio on but not active. Testing consisted of full AirPods Max battery discharge with a cellular phone call until AirPods Max stopped playing call audio. Battery life depends on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.
6. Testing conducted by Apple in November 2020 using preproduction AirPods Max and software paired with iPhone 12 Pro Max units and prerelease software. The playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks purchased from the iTunes Store (256-Kbps AAC encoding). Volume was set to 50%, Active Noise Cancellation on, and Spatial Audio on but not active. 5-Minute charge testing conducted with drained AirPods Max that were charged for 5 minutes, then audio playback was started until the AirPods Max stopped playback. Battery life depends on device settings, environment, usage, and many other factors.
7. Requires the latest version of iOS or iPadOS.
8. AirPods Max can be used as Bluetooth headphones with Apple devices using earlier software and with non-Apple devices, but functionality is limited.
9. Audio Sharing not supported.
