Apple AirPods 5 (Wireless Charging Case): A3439 / A3440 / A3441; A3529 wireless case; white
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 | Apple AirPods 5 (Wireless Charging Case) | Apple AirPods Max (Lightning, 2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Release year | 2026 | 2020 |
| Announcement / availability | 9 / 18 September 2026 Apple | — |
| Chip | Apple H2 Apple | Apple H1 headphone chip in each ear cup Apple |
| Noise control | ANC, Adaptive Audio, Transparency Apple | — |
| Audio | Custom dynamic driver; Adaptive EQ Apple | — |
| Spatial audio | Dynamic head tracking Apple | — |
| Sensors | Optical in-ear sensor; motion and speech accelerometers Apple | Optical, position and case-detect sensors plus an accelerometer in each cup; gyroscope in the left cup Apple |
| Microphones | Dual beamforming and inward-facing microphones Apple | Nine microphones in total: eight for noise cancellation; three for voice pickup (two shared with noise cancellation) Apple |
| Controls | Press controls; swipe volume adjustment Apple | Digital Crown (volume, play/pause, calls, track skip, Siri) and noise control button Apple |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 Apple | — |
| Earbud battery life | Up to 5 hours ANC on / 7 hours off Apple | — |
| Total with case | Up to 22 hours with ANC on Apple | — |
| Quick charge | 5 minutes in case: about 1 hour listening Apple | — |
| Charging case | USB-C; Qi and Apple Watch chargers Apple | — |
| Find My | Speaker in case Apple | — |
| Protection | IP57 Apple | — |
| Earbud size / weight | 30.2 × 18.3 × 18.1 mm; 4.3 g each Apple | — |
| Case size / weight | 46.2 × 50.1 × 21.2 mm; 34.7 g Apple | — |
| Other devices | Bluetooth audio; some features require Apple devices Apple | — |
| Case compatibility | A3529 pairs only with wireless-case AirPods 5 earbuds Apple | — |
| Audio technology | — | Apple-designed dynamic driver; Active Noise Cancellation; Transparency mode; Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ Apple |
| Battery | — | 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 |
| Charging and case | — | Charging via Lightning; the battery enters an ultra-low-power state in the Smart Case 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 Apple |