With the new Beats 360 already here, Apple comes very close to what the AirPods Max offer. After the first leaks, the new headphone model comes in at $349.99 versus the AirPods Max’s $549.00. The price difference is especially striking, even more so when we consider that Apple has put much of its high-end audio experience into these Beats.
Customization matters more than it seems
Much like the AirPods Max (although in that case we’re talking only about the ear cushions), with the Beats 360 we can swap out their ear cushions and headband. Here we can choose between Performance Knit and UltraPlush with different textures and combine different colors. We can adapt comfort, looks, and how we use them in seconds.
The headphones automatically detect what type of ear cushion we’ve installed and instantly adjust the acoustics and noise cancellation to offer us the best sound quality. On top of that, there are several top-tier features: IPX4 resistance, 32 hours of battery life with ANC on, and the personalized Spatial Audio system that we already enjoy in the company’s other headphones.
AirPods Max with a different philosophy
While Apple refreshed the AirPods Max with USB-C and the Beats Studio Pro sit in a different tier in the lineup, with the Beats 360 the company clearly expands our options. With up to 1.75 times the noise-canceling capability of the Studio Pro and integration with iPhone, Siri, Find My, and automatic switching between devices, these are some really interesting headphones.
For $199 less than the AirPods Max, the Beats 360 offer remarkable flexibility. The ability to change the parts we touch most can quickly transform them depending on what we want to do with them, while the quality of the ANC and sound wins us over in every other area.
