The AirPods Max are the latest product launched by Apple this year. This week, the first units just arrived and iFixit got their hands on one of them. The unlucky headphones are currently on your operating table in a procedure still in progress. This is what we have seen so far, which is not small.
Some x-rays showing the guts of the AirPods Max
Before getting familiar with the inside of the helmet, iFixit performed an x-ray test. Performed by a third party, with it many things are discovered as a preliminary step when disassembling the AirPods Max. There they found the following:
- Lots of small magnets to line up the headphones with your Smart Case and ear pads.
- Two huge double-ring pilots.
- Two battery cells, both in the same right ear cup.
It is striking that the batteries are all on the same side. Batteries are often heavy and to be both in the same helmet, one side would be heavier than the other. However, on the other hand, we don’t see any weight to offset.
AirPods Max batteries are replaceable. As we have seen, if we have subscribed to Apple Care + the cost of changing the batteries is 29 dollars. While if we have not contracted this service, the cost is 79 dollars.
A cut that calls for heat that reveals huge conductors
Just look at the image above to see that the AirPods Max disassembly process required heat to remove the glue. Despite a few screws, it is not enough to delete them to access the interior. After applying more temperature to the headphones, they were able to access the interior.
Here we see two logic boards of different sizes and shapes, this time yes, one in each helmet. There we come across what appears to be SoC H1, responsible for managing communications and sound for AirPods Max. Recall that Apple said it has 10 audio cores each.
iFixit claims that the drivers for the headphones are quite large. Specific, they measure 40 mm each and are dynamic type. These types of drivers are compact and lightweight, in addition to being more affordable than other technologies. Their size can be used as an indicator of the quality of sound they can reproduce, although this is not the only variable involved.
The AirPods Max were announced by surprise last week, with pre-orders starting immediately. Priced at 629 dollars, are Apple’s most expensive wireless headphones to date. In a few days, we’ll be posting our comprehensive review on Applesfera.
