I compared this $150 AirPods Max stand against a $30 one - here's my buying advice

9 hours ago 5

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Mophie's $150 AirPods Max basal works, but feels overpriced.
A $29 basal delivers astir the aforesaid charging experience.
Missing Lightning enactment undermines the premium positioning.

At $549, Apple's over-the-ear AirPods Max are ridiculously expensive. Even so, and adjacent though they're a small excessively tiny for my large head, I've recovered them to beryllium worthy the price.

They bash 2 things precise well: they power betwixt my Apple devices smoothly and mostly automatically, and they artifact noise. My woman and I stock a household room, wherever we walk astir of our workday. When she's connected a Zoom meeting, I tin enactment connected my AirPods Max and artifact retired her conversation. She besides has a pair, and they enactment for her successful the aforesaid way.

Sadly, arsenic with each different noise-canceling instrumentality I've tried, they can't withstand the high-pitched barking of my small 8-pound Yorkipoo. His insistent nuclear-powered yips tin chopped done adjacent the astir precocious technology. For conscionable astir everything else, the AirPods Max bash a large job.

Also: Should you bargain AirPods Max successful 2025? A long-awaited upgrade volition entice professionals

One happening that's not convenient is charging. Unlike each my different mobile Apple devices, which complaint wirelessly, the AirPods Max are expected to beryllium kept successful their lawsuit and plugged into charge. This whitethorn dependable a spot silly, but I'm often holding my small canine with 1 limb (he likes to snuggle successful connected my shoulder). Plugging successful the AirPods Max is beyond my dexterity with 1 hand.

Fortunately, determination are a assortment of AirPods Max docking stations that obviate the request for the case. The enactment is acold from what you'd find for regular AirPods, but determination are immoderate vendors retired there. Most are successful the nether $30 terms range.

Then there's the ridiculously costly Mophie AirPods Max Headphones Charging Stand, which sells for $150 (and is presently discounted astatine $135). It seems to spell successful and retired of banal each fewer days astatine Amazon, but you tin besides get it straight from Mophie, but lone for the afloat $150 database price.

Also: If your AirPods Max stopped working, effort this highly chill trick

Mophie sent maine 1 of its stands to trial out. It does what it's expected to do, truthful there's that. But is it truly worthy 5 times the terms of its competitors? I'm not truthful sure.

When I asked Mophie astir the terms discrepancy, its PR rep told me, "Mophie believes the Max Stand is hands down the best, astir premium instrumentality connected the market."

Mophie premium-ness

When it comes to "most premium," the Mophie basal is surely heavy, weighing successful astatine a small implicit a lb and a fractional (1.61 lb, to beryllium precise). It offers not lone a robust frame, but besides a padded landing country for the headphones to remainder in.

Speaking of resting, the mode the headphones easy driblet successful to complaint is done the usage of a tiny magnetic dongle that plugs into the USB-C larboard of the AirPods Max. As soon arsenic you driblet your headphones into the dock, it automatically activates slumber mode for your headphones.

Also: I enactment my AirPods Max distant wrong hours of investigating these headphones

And yes, I said "USB-C port." All you AirPods Max users who person AirPods Max with Lightning ports are beauteous overmuch retired of luck. The Mophie basal only supports USB-C devices.

This is simply a silly, unnecessary regularisation connected the portion of Mophie, particularly with specified a "premium" headphone stand. The $29 AirPods Max basal I've been utilizing up until present came with some a USB-C and Lightning dongle, and it's one-fifth of the price.

Fortunately, astatine slightest according to reviewer n2alpha, who commented connected the Mophie site, you tin get a workable Lightning dongle four-pack from Amazonfor an further $12. I haven't tried this, but it's an enactment if you're dormant acceptable connected the astir premium basal solution for your older AirPods Max.

There is 1 much diagnostic offered by the Mophie basal that tin travel successful clutch: The basal besides charges the smaller AirPods wirelessly, with a Qi wireless charging presumption located betwixt the cans.

Personally, I usage a 3-in-1 wireless charging station that charges my iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods Pro, each connected 1 stand. That basal is besides $29.

The inexpensive seats

Prior to getting the Mophie stand, I've been utilizing an AirPods Max charging dock from VAWVVA. At a small much than fractional a lb (0.64 lb), it's a 3rd of the value of the premium Mophie stand. It besides doesn't see an AirPods charger successful summation to the AirPods Max charger.

Also: I wore the champion headphones from Sony, Bose, Apple, and Sonos: Here's however the AirPods Max wins

Then again, it's $29 alternatively of $150. You could get the VAWVVA stand, the 3-in-1 stand, and 3 much VAWVVA stands for the outgo of the 1 Mophie stand. I'm not definite wherefore you'd request 4 VAWVVA stands, but you could bargain them and enactment nether $150.

It besides works and puts the AirPods Max into slumber mode. I did tally into a snag a fewer weeks ago, wherever it refused to complaint my AirPods Max. But I recovered a notation online (sorry, I don't person that link) wherever idiosyncratic other who had a akin occupation enactment the AirPods Max backmost successful their archetypal pouch, and that reset the device. I did the aforesaid thing, and my AirPods Max resumed due charging connected the VAWVVA stand.

What should you buy?

I similar the heft of the Mophie stand. I had to double-sided sticky portion the cheaper basal down truthful it wouldn't move, but the Mophie basal has capable heft to clasp its position.

But placing the AirPods Max into the costly Mophie basal is finicky. They look to person sized the separation of the cups for small-headed AirPods Max users. With some cans extended to their maximum, I had to driblet 1 tin into the charging broadside and past finagle the different tin into the different receiver cup.

By contrast, I could conscionable driblet the headphones into the cheaper basal with precise small finagling. In some cases, I had to cautiously marque definite the magnetic transportation connected the dongle matched up successful bid to charge.

The happening is, the magnetic dongle is fundamentally precisely the aforesaid connected some devices. So it's not similar the astir important portion of the stand, the connection, is immoderate much premium connected 1 instrumentality than the other.

Also: The apical 10 headphones readers bought this twelvemonth (don't see Beats, Sony, oregon Bose)

I'm annoyed that Mophie didn't see some USB-C and Lightning adapters with its $150 device. That cuts disconnected what is astir apt the biggest portion of its market, and why? The per-adapter retail terms is lone 3 bucks. Mophie's outgo of goods for adding the 2nd adapter astir apt wouldn't beryllium much than a subordinate oregon so.

Personally, based connected my acquisition utilizing both, if I had to spell retired and take 1 now, I'd bargain the $29 VAWVVA unit. I don't caput buying premium if there's value. After all, I did bargain the AirPods Max. But I'm having a hard clip wrapping my caput astir however the Mophie basal could beryllium worthy 5 times the terms of the cheaper stand.

Double, maybe. But 5 times? That's not for me.

But that's not to accidental I don't deliberation you should bargain the Mophie. It's a good merchandise and does the job. If you similar the look oregon privation a heavier device, oregon you privation an AirPods charger arsenic good arsenic an AirPods Max charger, it mightiness beryllium the close solution for you. Only you and your wallet tin cognize for sure.

What bash you think? Would you ever walk $150 connected a premium AirPods Max charging stand, oregon does a $29 enactment marque much sense? How overmuch bash weight, design, and easiness of usage substance to you? Does the deficiency of a Lightning adapter alteration your view? Comment beneath and stock your experience.

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