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  1. Home
  2. Headphones
  3. Compare
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Apple AirPods Max vs Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Apple AirPods Max
Apple AirPods (3rd generation)

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Feb 10, 2025 03:32 PM

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Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Jan 17, 2025 08:32 PM

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Apple AirPods Max Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Picture
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeEarbuds
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Apple

Variants

  • AirPods Max (USB-C) (Blue)
  • AirPods Max (Lightning) (Green)
  • AirPods Max (USB-C) (Midnight)
  • AirPods Max (USB-C) (Orange)
  • AirPods Max (Lightning) (Pink)
  • AirPods Max (USB-C) (Purple)
  • AirPods Max (Lightning) (Silver)
  • AirPods Max (Lightning) (Sky Blue)
  • AirPods Max (Lightning) (Space Gray)
  • AirPods Max (USB-C) (Starlight)
  • AirPods (3rd generation) (Lightning Charging Case - White)
  • AirPods (3rd generation) (White)

Review

See Apple AirPods Max review

See Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless review

0
0

Our Verdict

Apple AirPods Max

Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless

The Apple AirPods Max Wireless and the Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless have different strengths, and you may prefer either. The Max are over-ear headphones with ANC. Their noise isolation performance is much better, and they have a longer continuous battery life. They also reproduce more thumpy low bass, which some users may prefer. On the other hand, the 3rd generation are earbuds with a much more portable design. They come with a charging case and have an IPX4 rating for water resistance.

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Blue
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Lightning Charging Case - White
AirPods (3rd generation)
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Green
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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White
AirPods (3rd generation)
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Midnight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Orange
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Pink
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Purple
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Silver
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Sky Blue
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Space Gray
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Starlight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.5
7.1

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.6
6.3

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

4.9
7.5

Passive Soundstage 
 

4.1
2.9

Imaging 
 

7.7
9.2

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Apple AirPods Max Design Picture 2
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Earbuds

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Open-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Truly Wireless

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Show text

Comfort 
 

7.0
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Comfort Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.85 lbs
0.02 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.2 lbs
N/A

Show text

Controls 
 

7.9
5.5

Controls Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Controls Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

iOS
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Great
Great

Feedback  

Good
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
No

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

On/Off
No

Talk-Through 
 

On/Off
No

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant

Show text

Breathability 
 

6.1

Breathability After Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

6.7 °C

Show text

Portability 
 

6.0
9.7

Portability Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Portability Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Portability Picture

L  

7.8" (19.8 cm)
1.2" (3.1 cm)

W  

7.5" (19.1 cm)
0.8" (2.1 cm)

H  

1.7" (4.3 cm)
0.6" (1.6 cm)

Volume  

99.00 in³ (1,622.31 cm³)
0.62 in³ (10.20 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No

Show text

Case 
 

6.0
8.5

Case Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Case Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Soft case
Hard case

L  

7.9" (20.1 cm)
2.1" (5.4 cm)

W  

8.5" (21.6 cm)
1.8" (4.6 cm)

H  

1.7" (4.3 cm)
0.8" (2.1 cm)

Volume  

114.00 in³ (1,868.12 cm³)
3.28 in³ (53.80 cm³)

Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Build Quality Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Build Quality Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

6.5
6.5

Stability Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Stability Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Angled Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Side Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Front Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Rear Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Top Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Apple AirPods Max In The Box Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

400 Hz
1,200 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

1.5 dB
-5.1 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-4.4 dB
-2.3 dB

Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

7.1
7.5

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.6 dB
0.5 dB

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.6
6.3

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.5 dB
7.8 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

20 Hz
40.02 Hz

Low Bass 
 

1.72 dB
-10.47 dB

Mid Bass 
 

1.15 dB
-1.36 dB

High Bass 
 

1.49 dB
-0.53 dB

Show text

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.7
9.0

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.3 dB
1.13 dB

Low Mid 
 

0.49 dB
-0.09 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.2 dB
-1.29 dB

High Mid 
 

-1.34 dB
1.06 dB

Show text

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

4.9
7.5

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

5.14 dB
2.9 dB

Low Treble 
 

-4.28 dB
-1.79 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-4.58 dB
-2.93 dB

High Treble 
 

-3.65 dB
-9.72 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.9
7.5

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.01 dB
1.39 dB

Dips 
 

2.31 dB
2.08 dB

Show text

Imaging 
 

7.7
9.2

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.12
0.25

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

2.91
1.69

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

2.33
0.24

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.86
1.18

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

4.1
2.9

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

4.28 dB
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

6.81 dB
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

5.22 dB
N/A

Openness 
 

1.7
9.3

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.3
3.4

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

2.9
2.9

Virtual Soundstage  

Apple AirPods Max Virtual Soundstage
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Virtual Surround 
 

Spatial Audio
Spatial Audio

Show text

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.7
7.6

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.337
0.405

WHD @ 100 
 

0.125
0.127

Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

3B71
6F21.

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

TP-Link BE9300 BT 5.4
Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Adaptive EQ
Adaptive EQ

ANC 
 

On
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated

Show text

Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

9.4
1.7

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
No

Overall Attenuation 
 

-26.06 dB
-3.75 dB

Bass 
 

-19.54 dB
-0.02 dB

Mid 
 

-30.62 dB
-0.95 dB

Treble 
 

-28.95 dB
-11.36 dB

Show text

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

9.0
1.9

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-21.85 dB
-3.32 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-19.98 dB
-3.35 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-21.92 dB
-3.57 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show text

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

See details on graph tool
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless ANC Wind Handling Graph

ANC Wind Noise 
 

N/A

Show text

Leakage 
 

7.1
7.0

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

38.88 dB
39.46 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

6.6
6.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

273 Hz
67.27 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.77 dB
3.25 dB

HFE 
 

3,466.89 Hz
1,659.96 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

3.025
3.887

Gain 
 

15.85 dB
18.34 dB

Show text

Noise Handling 
 

5.0
5.5

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

9.61 dB
12.16 dB

Noise Gate 
 

No
Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

5.0
5.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

5.0
5.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

8.3
7.2

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

21.6 hrs
6.8 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
5.0

Total Battery Life 
 

21.6 hrs
40.8 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.5 hrs
0.8 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Standby mode
Standby mode

Audio While Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

Lightning
Lightning

Show text

App Support 
 

6.0
5.0

App Picture  

Apple AirPods Max App Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless App Picture

App Name  

iOS Interface
iOS Interface

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

No
No

macOS  

Yes
Yes

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

No
No

ANC Control 
 

On/Off
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.3
0.0

Cable Picture  

Apple AirPods Max Cable Picture
Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
No

Length 
 

N/A
N/A

Connector 
 

Lightning
No Wired Option

Latency - Analog 
 

1.7 ms
N/A

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
No Wired Audio

Show text

Bluetooth Connection 
 

7.9
7.2

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0+H1 chip
5.0+H1 chip

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No
No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

Yes
Yes

Line Of Sight Range 
 

328.00 ft (99.97 m)
205.05 ft (62.50 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

185 ms
184 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC
SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

No
No

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

No
No

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

No
No

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
2.2

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
Charging Case

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
Yes

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
Lightning

Show text

Check Price

Blue
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Lightning Charging Case - White
AirPods (3rd generation)
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Green
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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White
AirPods (3rd generation)
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Midnight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Orange
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Pink
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Purple
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Silver
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Sky Blue
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Space Gray
AirPods Max (Lightning)
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Starlight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
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Apple AirPods Max

Apple AirPods (3rd generation) Truly Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Apple AirPods Max vs Apple AirPods (3rd generation): Main Discussion

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