Sony WH-CH720N / Apple AirPods Max (Lightning, 2020)

Sony WH-CH720N: WH-CH720N closed over-ear wireless headphones; black, white, blue and pink. The WH-CH710N (previous generation), WH-CH520 (no ANC) and the WH-1000X series are separate models.

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.

SpecificationSony WH-CH720NApple AirPods Max (Lightning, 2020)
Release year20232020
Noise cancellingActive noise cancelling with Integrated Processor V1 and Dual Noise Sensor; Ambient Sound mode

Microphones inside and outside each cup sample noise to generate an inverse signal; Ambient Sound mode lets you hear surroundings without removing the headphones.

Sony		—
Driver and frequency30 mm dynamic driver; 7–20,000 Hz (JEITA); 20–20,000 Hz over Bluetooth (44.1 kHz) Sony—
Bluetooth and codecsBluetooth 5.2; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP; SBC and AAC; about 10 m range

AAC works well as the default codec on iPhones; no high-bitrate codec is listed.

Sony		—
MultipointConnection to two Bluetooth devices at the same time

For example, you can switch between a phone and a laptop without re-pairing.

Sony		—
BatteryMusic up to 35 hours with NC on, 50 hours off; calls up to 35 hours NC on, 40 hours off; about 3.5 hours to charge over USB SonyUp 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’s figures come from pre-production tests with an iPhone 12 Pro Max in November 2020.

Apple
Wired useDetachable cable of about 1.2 m with gold-plated L-shaped 3.5 mm plug; passive operation

When the battery runs out you can keep listening passively over the cable.

Sony		—
Microphone and processingPrecise Voice Pickup beamforming mic; wind noise reduction structure; DSEE

DSEE tries to restore high frequencies lost in compressed music files.

Sony		—
Impedance and sensitivityNC on 325 Ω / off 31 Ω (1 kHz); NC on 108 dB/mW / off 99 dB/mW Sony—
WeightAbout 192 g Sony—
Audio technology—Apple-designed dynamic driver; Active Noise Cancellation; Transparency mode; Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ

A Personalised Spatial Audio profile is created with an iPhone that has a TrueDepth camera; the feature needs compatible content and apps.

Apple
Chip—Apple H1 headphone chip in each ear cup Apple
Microphones—Nine microphones in total: eight for noise cancellation; three for voice pickup (two shared with noise cancellation) Apple
Sensors—Optical, position and case-detect sensors plus an accelerometer in each cup; gyroscope in the left cup

The position and optical sensors detect when the headphones are put on or taken off to pause and resume playback.

Apple
Controls—Digital Crown (volume, play/pause, calls, track skip, Siri) and noise control button

Turning the Digital Crown changes the volume; the noise control button switches between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode.

Apple
Charging and case—Charging via Lightning; the battery enters an ultra-low-power state in the Smart Case

The box contains the headphones, the Smart Case and a Lightning to USB‑C cable. There is no separate power button; the Smart Case handles power saving.

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

They work as Bluetooth headphones with Apple devices on older software and with non-Apple devices, but functionality is limited.

Apple