Apple has unveiled its noise cancelling over-ear headphones, but with a different name to the one we expected.

Called AirPods Max, rather than the previously-rumoured AirPods Studio, they are designed for Apple fans who preferan  over- rather than in-ear design.

The headphones cost £549 and are available to pre-order now in five colours: space grey, silver, sky blue, green, and pink. They will start to ship on Tuesday 15 December 2020.

They feature a custom acoustic design, Apple's H1 chip and advanced software to power "computational audio". The over-ears also feature active noise cancellation, adaptive EQ, a transparency mode, and spatial audio.

Apple AirPods Max, the official name of the rumoured AirPods Studio brings over-ear experience to AirPods photo 2
Apple

The headband is made from stainless steel with a telescopic design to fit a variety of head shapes and sizes. Apple claims its pricing is justified by a "revolutionary" mechanism that balances and distributes ear cup pressure. However, they don't fold, which will be shame for many travellers. 

Battery life is claimed to provide up to 20 hours of high-fidelity audio, talk time or movie playback with ANC and spatial audio enabled. The headphones will come in a smart case.

Apple AirPods Max, the official name of the rumoured AirPods Studio brings over-ear experience to AirPods photo 3
Apple

On the sound front, you will find many of the same technologies found in the AirPods Pro in-ears. However, these feature much bigger 40mm Apple-designed dynamic drivers.

Apple already offers high-end premium headphones via its Beats brand, but this is the first time in several decades that the company has ranged an over-the-ear device featuring its logo.

Apple AirPods Max - Silver

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