Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Apple announced Tuesday it is expanding its lineup of its popular AirPods headphones, with the launch of a new, more expensive version, the AirPods Max.
And the new headphones that are placed on the head over the ear instead of inside it cost $ 549, more than the iPhone SE, which starts at $ 399. In contrast, the new iPhone 12 costs $ 699, while the basic AirPods cost $ 199.
The new headphones are also more expensive than competing products from other brands, such as the Bose 700 headphones with noise canceling technology, which costs $ 339, and the Beats Studio 3 headphones, which costs $ 349.
The wireless headphones come with noise cancellation technology and Apple’s “Siri” voice aid feature. It is also equipped with the famous “transparency” technology of its counterpart, “AirPods Pro”, which allows users to hear some of the sounds around them.
Apple says that the headphones have a battery life of 20 hours before charging again. And when placed inside the “smart bag” that comes with it, the headphones switch to low power mode in order to conserve their battery. The headphone can also automatically switch between its connection with different Apple devices, such as the iPhone, iPad and Mac.
AirPods Max, which will be launched on December 15th, will be available in gray, silver, blue, green and pink.
The company’s line of headphones, AirPods, has proven a huge success for Apple. However, the move raises questions about what something like this means for Beats, the cutting-edge headphone brand that Apple acquired in 2014 for $ 3 billion.
