Just when everyone thought Apple was done with the year, the firm came out today to announce its newest piece of hardware that will have audio files buzzing. After many months of rumours, Apple finally unveiled its own over-ear noise-cancelling headphones dubbed Airpods Max.

The headphones come with a premium design that you would normally expect from any Apple flagship product. The headphones will launch at a retailing price of $549 (about KES 61,000), so they are one of the most premium headphones you will find out there.

The Airpods Max feature what Apple insists on calling a “custom acoustic design” with a 40mm driver system “that provides rich, deep bass, accurate mid-range, and crisp, clean high-frequency extension so every note can be heard.”

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Apple has also insisted that the headphones are meant to bring in the Airpods experience as they bear a number of familiar features. Some of them include adaptive EQ, transparency mode, spatial audio, and audio sharing. There is even a Digital Crown that looks a lot like the one on Apple Watch.

According to Apple, it “offers precise volume control and the ability to play or pause audio, skip tracks, answer or end phone calls, and activate Siri.” There’s also a separate “noise control” button for switching between noise-cancelling and transparency modes.

“The breathable knit mesh canopy, spanning the headband, is made to distribute weight and reduce on-head pressure. The stainless steel headband frame provides strength, flexibility, and comfort for a wide variety of head shapes and sizes. Telescoping headband arms smoothly extend and stay in place to maintain the desired fit”, says Apple in the unveiling statement.

“Each ear cup attaches to the headband through a revolutionary mechanism that balances and distributes ear cup pressure, and allows it to independently pivot and rotate to fit the unique contours of a user’s head.”

The headphones offer up to 20 hours of battery life and charge over Apple’s Lightning port. The headphones also come with a “smart case” for the Airpods Max that automatically puts them into a low-power state. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that Apple is selling a more protective hardshell case at this time.