Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Apple AirPods Max vs Fairphone Fairbuds XL Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Apple AirPods Max
Fairphone Fairbuds XL
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Feb 10, 2025 03:32 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.7
Updated Oct 23, 2024 01:46 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
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)
- Fairbuds XL (Black)
- Fairbuds XL (Green)
Our Verdict
Apple AirPods Max
Fairphone Fairbuds XL Wireless
The Apple AirPods Max Wireless and the Fairphone Fairbuds XL Wireless are both wireless over-ears constructed from materials that are geared towards longevity. The Apple uses durable aluminum, metal, and silicone in its construction, while the Fairphone is made of recycled plastic and vegan leather. While the build quality of the Apple is higher, these headphones lack the Fairphone's modular, easily-replaceable design. The two are similarly comfortable and share a similar default sound profile, with balanced bass and mids and a more erratic treble response. That said, the Apple's premium price tag comes with a superior ANC performance that can isolate you more effectively against a range of sounds. They can pair seamlessly with Apple devices. The Fairphone headphones have a longer continuous battery life, though, which can come in handy on longer journeys.
Check Price
Green
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding storeGreen
Fairbuds XL
Searching
Finding storeBlue
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding storeBlack
Fairbuds XL
Searching
Finding storeMidnight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding storeOrange
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding storePink
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding storePurple
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding storeSilver
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding storeSky Blue
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding storeSpace Gray
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding storeStarlight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding storeNotice:
Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable.
Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our
headphones test methodology.
Read more
Main Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.5
7.6
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
4.9
7.2
Peaks/Dips
7.9
6.7
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.6
8.9
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Yes
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.0
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.85 lbs
0.73 lbs
Clamping Force
1.2 lbs
1 lbs
Controls
7.9
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
iOS
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Great
Good
Feedback
Good
Decent
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
On/Off
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
6.1
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
6.7 °C
Portability
6.0
5.9
Portability Picture
L
7.8" (19.8 cm)
5.6" (14.1 cm)
W
7.5" (19.1 cm)
7.0" (17.9 cm)
H
1.7" (4.3 cm)
3.0" (7.6 cm)
Volume
99.00 in³ (1,622.31 cm³)
119.54 in³ (1,958.98 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
6.0
6.5
Case Picture
Type
Soft case
Pouch
L
7.9" (20.1 cm)
8.0" (20.4 cm)
W
8.5" (21.6 cm)
8.5" (21.7 cm)
H
1.7" (4.3 cm)
0.1" (0.3 cm)
Volume
114.00 in³ (1,868.12 cm³)
8.10 in³ (132.80 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
7.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
400 Hz
Bass Amount
1.5 dB
0.72 dB
Treble Amount
-4.4 dB
-1.84 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
7.1
6.4
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.6 dB
0.78 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.6
8.9
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.5 dB
1.54 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
10 Hz
Low Bass
1.72 dB
1.91 dB
Mid Bass
1.15 dB
-0.02 dB
High Bass
1.49 dB
0.9 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
8.8
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.3 dB
1.59 dB
Low Mid
0.49 dB
0 dB
Mid-Mid
0.2 dB
0.65 dB
High Mid
-1.34 dB
1.09 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
4.9
7.2
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.14 dB
4.13 dB
Low Treble
-4.28 dB
-1.91 dB
Mid Treble
-4.58 dB
1.68 dB
High Treble
-3.65 dB
-10.35 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.9
6.7
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.01 dB
2.32 dB
Dips
2.31 dB
1.34 dB
Imaging
7.7
8.1
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.12
0.2
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.91
15.34
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
2.33
0.42
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.86
1.94
Passive Soundstage
4.1
4.3
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
4.28 dB
4.85 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
6.81 dB
6.85 dB
PRTF Distance
5.22 dB
9.54 dB
Openness
1.7
1.5
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.3
2.6
Virtual Soundstage
2.9
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
On/Off
No
Virtual Surround
Spatial Audio
No
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.7
6.9
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.337
0.638
WHD @ 100
0.125
0.239
Test Settings
Firmware
3B71
V90
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth 5.1
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
aptX HD, 24-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
TP-Link BE9300 BT 5.4
EQ
Adaptive EQ
Amsterdam
ANC
On
On
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
9.4
8.4
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-26.06 dB
-22.10 dB
Bass
-19.54 dB
-15.91 dB
Mid
-30.62 dB
-19.06 dB
Treble
-28.95 dB
-32.98 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.0
7.5
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-21.85 dB
-17.66 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-19.98 dB
-17.99 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-21.92 dB
-19.21 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
Leakage
7.1
7.7
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
38.88 dB
35.54 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.6
6.9
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
273 Hz
403.18 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.77 dB
2.67 dB
HFE
3,466.89 Hz
6,267.15 Hz
Weighted THD
3.025
1.084
Gain
15.85 dB
28.65 dB
Noise Handling
5.0
5.4
SpNR
9.61 dB
19.53 dB
Noise Gate
No
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
5.0
6.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
5.0
4.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
8.3
7.6
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
21.6 hrs
28.4 hrs
Additional Charges
0.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
21.6 hrs
28.4 hrs
Charge Time
1.5 hrs
2.2 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Standby mode
No
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
Lightning
USB-C
App Support
6.0
6.0
App Picture
App Name
iOS Interface
Fairphone
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
No
Yes
macOS
Yes
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
No
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
Yes
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.3
8.9
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
No
USB Audio
No
USB-C
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
N/A
N/A
Connector
Lightning
USB-C
Latency - Analog
1.7 ms
N/A
Latency - USB
N/A
18.5 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
USB
Bluetooth Connection
7.9
7.5
Bluetooth Version
5.0+H1 chip
5.1
Multi-Device Pairing
No
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
No
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
Yes
No
Line Of Sight Range
328.00 ft (99.97 m)
206.69 ft (63.00 m)
Latency - SBC
185 ms
271 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
265 ms
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
aptX HD
AAC Support
Yes
Yes
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
Audio + Microphone
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
Audio + Microphone
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
No
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
Audio + Microphone
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
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
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Check Price
Green
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding storeGreen
Fairbuds XL
Searching
Finding storeBlue
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding storeBlack
Fairbuds XL
Searching
Finding storeMidnight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding storeOrange
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding storePink
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding storePurple
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding storeSilver
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding storeSky Blue
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding storeSpace Gray
AirPods Max (Lightning)
Searching
Finding storeStarlight
AirPods Max (USB-C)
Searching
Finding store
Apple AirPods Max
Fairphone Fairbuds XL Wireless
Comments
Apple AirPods Max vs Fairphone Fairbuds XL: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.