Sony WH-1000XM5 / Apple AirPods Max (Lightning, 2020)

Sony WH-1000XM5: WH-1000XM5; colours vary by region: black, silver, midnight blue, pink and platinum. The later WH-1000XM6 is a separate product.

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	Sony WH-1000XM5	Apple AirPods Max (Lightning, 2020)
Release year	2022	2020
Driver	30 mm dynamic driver, closed back, neodymium magnet Sony	—
Frequency response	Bluetooth: 20 Hz–20 kHz (44.1 kHz), 20 Hz–40 kHz with LDAC (96 kHz/990 kbps); wired: 4 Hz–40 kHz The wider frequency range applies only with LDAC and high-resolution sources; over AAC and SBC the upper limit is 20 kHz. Sony	—
Bluetooth and codecs	Bluetooth 5.2; SBC, AAC, LDAC; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP; multipoint (two devices) Multipoint keeps the headphones connected to two devices at once. Google Fast Pair and Windows Swift Pair offer quick pairing. Range is 10 m. Sony	—
Noise cancelling	Active noise cancelling; Integrated Processor V1 and HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1; 8 microphones in total (4 noise-sensing per earcup) Auto NC Optimizer adjusts noise cancelling to fit and atmospheric pressure; Adaptive Sound Control switches modes based on the environment. Ambient Sound mode and Quick Attention let outside sound in. Sony	—
Call microphones	4 beamforming microphones; AI-based noise reduction, wind noise reduction Sony	—
Battery	30 hours of music with noise cancelling on, 40 hours off; 24/32 hours of calls Times are measured under Sony’s test conditions; volume and codec change real-world runtime. Sony	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
Charging	Full charge in about 3.5 hours via USB; about 3 hours of playback from 3 minutes with a USB-PD adapter Quick charging requires a separately sold USB Power Delivery-compatible adapter. Sony	—
Controls and sensors	Touch panel on the right earcup; NC/Ambient button on the left; wear sensor; Speak-to-Chat The wear sensor pauses music when the headphones are removed and resumes when they are put back on. Speak-to-Chat pauses music and turns on ambient sound when the user starts talking. Sony	—
Spatial audio	DSEE Extreme upscaling; 360 Reality Audio support DSEE Extreme aims to restore high-frequency detail lost in compressed music files by estimating it. Sony	—
Impedance and sensitivity	48 Ω when on, 16 Ω when off; 102/100 dB/mW The headphones can be used passively with a cable while switched off; noise cancelling does not work then. Sony	—
Weight and in the box	About 250 g; soft collapsible carrying case, 1.2 m L-shaped cable (3.5 mm), USB charging cable Sony	—
App	Sony Sound Connect: equaliser, shortcut settings, listening history, Safe Listening Safe Listening tracks sound exposure against World Health Organization guidelines. Sony	—
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
Microphones	—	Nine microphones in total: eight for noise cancellation; three for voice pickup (two shared with noise cancellation) 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
Controls	—	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
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
Size and weight	—	187.3 × 168.6 × 83.4 mm; 384.8 g with cushions; Smart Case 134.5 g 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