Beats Studio Pro / Apple AirPods Max (Lightning, 2020)

Beats Studio Pro: Beats Studio Pro (2023) over-ear wireless headphones. The Beats Studio3 Wireless and the Beats Solo series are separate models.

Apple AirPods Max (Lightning, 2020): AirPods Max 1, the first version with a Lightning charging port (2020); Silver, Space Grey, Sky Blue, Pink and Green. The 2024 USB‑C version and AirPods Max 2 are separate models.

Specification	Beats Studio Pro	Apple AirPods Max (Lightning, 2020)
Release year	2023	2020
Type	Over-ear wireless noise-cancelling headphones; foldable A carrying case for the folded headphones is in the box. Beats	—
Driver	Custom 40 mm active driver; integrated digital processor Beats says distortion at high volume is up to 80% lower than on the Studio3 Wireless. The digital processor adjusts the frequency response for balance. Beats	—
Noise cancelling	Fully adaptive Active Noise Cancelling (ANC); Transparency mode Adaptive ANC keeps adjusting the cancellation to the fit and surrounding noise. Transparency mode passes outside sounds such as announcements or traffic through the microphones. Beats	—
Spatial audio	Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Dolby Atmos content Head tracking keeps sound anchored to the screen as you turn your head; this works with Apple devices. Beats	—
Wired audio	Lossless audio over USB-C with three sound profiles (Beats Signature, Entertainment, Conversation); 3.5 mm analogue input On a USB-C cable the headphones act as a digital audio interface; the sound profiles are only selectable on this connection: Signature for music, Entertainment for films and games, Conversation for calls and podcasts. The 3.5 mm input is for analogue sources such as in-flight entertainment. Beats	—
Wireless	Class 1 Bluetooth; on Apple: one-touch pairing, “Hey Siri” and Find My; on Android: Google Fast Pair, Audio Switch and Find My Device Class 1 Bluetooth uses higher transmit power for longer range and fewer dropouts. Beats says pairing on Apple spreads to every device on the iCloud account; on Android the Beats app adds settings. Beats	—
Microphones	Upgraded voice-targeting microphones Beats	Nine microphones in total: eight for noise cancellation; three for voice pickup (two shared with noise cancellation) Apple
Battery	Up to 40 hours with ANC off, up to 24 hours with ANC or Transparency on; Fast Fuel gives up to 4 hours from a 10-minute charge; rechargeable lithium-ion Charging is via USB-C; no power adapter is included. Beats	Up to 20 hours of listening with Active Noise Cancellation or Transparency on; up to 20 hours of movies with Spatial Audio on; 5 minutes of charge gives about 1.5 hours of listening Apple’s figures come from pre-production tests with an iPhone 12 Pro Max in November 2020. Apple
Controls	“b” button for music and calls; volume rocker; multi-function button for listening modes, EQ modes, power and pairing Beats	Digital Crown (volume, play/pause, calls, track skip, Siri) and noise control button Turning the Digital Crown changes the volume; the noise control button switches between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode. Apple
Design	UltraPlush engineered leather cushions; metal sliders Beats	—
Size and weight	17.8 × 7.8 × 18.1 cm; 260 g Beats	187.3 × 168.6 × 83.4 mm; 384.8 g with cushions; Smart Case 134.5 g Apple
In the box	Headphones, carrying case, USB-C to USB-C cable for charging and audio, 3.5 mm analogue audio cable Beats	—
Colours	Black, Deep Brown, Navy, Sandstone Additional retailer-exclusive colours have also been sold. Beats	—
Audio technology	—	Apple-designed dynamic driver; Active Noise Cancellation; Transparency mode; Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ A Personalised Spatial Audio profile is created with an iPhone that has a TrueDepth camera; the feature needs compatible content and apps. Apple
Chip	—	Apple H1 headphone chip in each ear cup Apple
Sensors	—	Optical, position and case-detect sensors plus an accelerometer in each cup; gyroscope in the left cup The position and optical sensors detect when the headphones are put on or taken off to pause and resume playback. Apple
Charging and case	—	Charging via Lightning; the battery enters an ultra-low-power state in the Smart Case The box contains the headphones, the Smart Case and a Lightning to USB‑C cable. There is no separate power button; the Smart Case handles power saving. Apple
Connectivity	—	Bluetooth 5.0 Apple
Compatibility	—	Apple devices running the latest iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS or tvOS They work as Bluetooth headphones with Apple devices on older software and with non-Apple devices, but functionality is limited. Apple