Apple’s new Beats headphones are AirPods Max for athletes

Macworld

The newest Beats over-ear headphones are here, and as evidenced by the many leaks, are made for athletes. Specifically, athletes who liked the idea of AirPods Max but passed on them because they were too heavy, too drab, or, most importantly, too expensive.

First, the price: Beats 360 are $350, significantly less than the $449 AirPods Max. For that price, you’re getting much of what Apple’s high-end headphones offer: Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, and Adaptive EQ. iPhone users will also get one-touch pairing, Automatic Switching, Audio Sharing, Find My support, and hands-free “Hey Siri.”

While Beats says they have “the best acoustics from Beats to date, as well as the best noise cancellation yet from Beats,” they don’t have some features AirPods users might miss. Since they have a custom-designed proprietary Beats chip rather than an H2, you’re not getting AirPods features such as Live Translation, Hearing Protection, and Conversation Boost.

However, if you can live without those features, Beats 360 are everything AirPods Max aren’t. Most notably, they’re very light, weighing just 295 grams, versus AirPods Max’s 386 grams. The cushions are available in one of two options: performance knit for workouts or ultralush for longer listening sessions. They also come in a variety of bright colors–Black, Cloud (off-white), Pink, and Sky (blue)–that are encouraged to be mixed and matched with different cushions, which are available in their own set of colors and cost $50 each, with a special launch price of $10.

While AirPods Max aren’t rated for water resistance, Beats 360 have IPX4 sweat and water resistance, making them very gym friendly. They also feature on-device controls for controlling music. You get 32 hours of battery life, about 50 percent more than AirPods Max.

You can order Beats 360 on the Beats websites, or through Amazon and other third-party retailers for shipping beginning Thursday.

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