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Apple already had some experience with over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones before the release of AirPods Max through Beats by Dr. Dre products like the Beats Studio3. Are these headphones very different? We put them face to face to know what their characteristics are.
Features AirPods Max and Beats Studio3
| SPECS | AIRPODS MAX | BEATSSTUDIO3 |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions and weight | 18.73 cm x 8.34 x 16.86 cm and 384.8 grams | 18.4 cm in height and 260 grams in weight |
| sound technology | Apple-designed dynamic driver, active noise cancellation, ambient sound mode, adaptive equalization, and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking | Real-time audio calibration and noise cancellation |
| sensors | Optical, position, holster and accelerometer sensors in each earcup, and gyroscope in the left earcup. | – |
| microphones | Nine microphones: eight for noise cancellation and three, two shared, to pick up the voice | For calls and noise cancellation |
| connectivity | H1 chip in each earbud and Bluetooth 5.0 | W1 chip and Class 1 Bluetooth |
| controls | Using the digital crown: control volume, play/pause audio or answer call, press twice to skip song, press three times to go back song and press and hold to activate Siri | “Hey Siri” and noise control button | Make and answer calls, change songs, control the volume, and use voice commands by pressing the cup’s multifunction button “b”. |
| Drums | Up to 20 hours of audio playback on a single charge with Active Noise Cancellation or Ambient Sound Mode on | 5 minutes of charging offers about 1.5 hours | Up to 22 hours of battery life with noise cancellation activated and up to 40 hours when noise cancellation is deactivated | Fast Fuel of 10 minutes equivalent to 3 hours of playback |
| Endurance | – | – |
| Price | €629 | €349.95 |
- Design : we start with the first difference, the one that is noticeable to the naked eye: the design. That of the AirPods Max is very elegant, it could be said that it is even futuristic. The one on the Beats Studio3 is less flashy, to the point of resembling other Bluetooth headband headphones on the market. Yes, we must comment on the weight issue, because the AirPods Max weighs 384.8 grams and the Beats Studio3, 260 grams. It’s a considerable difference, but both earphones are comfortable and can be worn for hours.
- Sound technology: The AirPods Max wins on this point because they feature active noise cancellation, ambient sound mode, adaptive equalization, and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking. The Beats Studio3 also have noise cancellation and real-time audio calibration, but they are not as complete in this regard.
- Controls: Although each one approaches it in a different way, with both the AirPods Max and the Beats Studio3 it is possible to control the volume, change songs, activate noise cancellation and answer calls.
- Battery: the autonomy of both headphones is quite good, 20 hours for the AirPods Max and 22 hours for the Beats Studio3. If noise cancellation is deactivated, it can be significantly expanded. Both models have fast charging to provide several additional hours of audio.
- Sensors and connectivity: The AirPods Max are packed with sensors to support spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, and since the Beats Studio3 doesn’t have it, they’re more limited in this regard. And regarding connectivity, they have H1 and W1 chips, respectively, so that they can be easily connected to Apple devices, but they also have Bluetooth.
- Price: the other most differential and critical point. The AirPods Max is priced at 629 euros and the Beats Studio3 at 349.95 euros, they are almost 300 euros apart.
AirPods Max or Beats Studio3, which Bluetooth headphones to buy?
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It could be said that the AirPods Max are the Bluetooth headphones to choose if you are looking for the greatest possible integration with the Apple ecosystem and use the brand’s devices mainly, because there are functions that stop working, such as spatial audio and automatic switching between devices. So if you have Android and Windows devices, they are not the best option.
For its part, the Beats Studio3 are presented as more universal Bluetooth headphones, although it is true that they have the W1 chip for a better connection with Apple devices. However, they get along better with Android and Windows.
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