Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 384 g | 250 g |
| Battery life | 20 h | 30 h |
| Driver size | 40 mm | 30 mm |
| Multipoint | false | true |
| LDAC | false | true |
Between the AirPods Max (Lightning) and WH-1000XM5, the AirPods Max (Lightning) comes out ahead in driver size, while the WH-1000XM5 wins on weight / battery life. Overall, the AirPods Max (Lightning) scores 68 and the WH-1000XM5 scores 69.4 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (68 vs 69.4). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the AirPods Max (Lightning) if you care most about driver size. The biggest gaps in its favor are driver size. The single most decisive one: Driver size — 33.33% more. 40 mm vs 30 mm.
Pick the WH-1000XM5 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are weight, battery life, multipoint, among others. The single most decisive one: Weight — 134.00 g less. 250 vs 384.
Both ship with comparable active noise cancellation, spatial audio, water resistance, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) or Sony - WH-1000XM5?
Sony - WH-1000XM5 leads the current Mars Score by 1.4 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare driver size, battery life, weight against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) if…
Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) has the measurable edge on driver size mm.
Choose Sony - WH-1000XM5 if…
Sony - WH-1000XM5 has the measurable edge on weight g, battery life h, has multipoint.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) wins
- ▲Driver size — 33.33% more. 40 mm vs 30 mm.
Why Sony - WH-1000XM5 wins
- ▲Weight — 134.00 g less. 250 vs 384.
- ▲Battery life — 50.00% more. 30 h vs 20 h.
- ▲Has Multipoint.
- ▲Has LDAC.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | over-ear | over-ear |
| Weight | 384 g | 250 glead |
| Water resistance | none | none |
Audio
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 40 mmlead | 30 mm |
| Impedanceⓘ | 10 Ω | 48 Ωlead |
| Sensitivityⓘ | 105 dBlead | 102 dB |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery lifeⓘ | 20 h | 30 hlead |
| Fast chargeⓘ | true | true |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.0 | 5.2lead |
| Multipointⓘ | false | truelead |
| 3.5mm jack | false | truelead |
| LDACⓘ | false | truelead |
| aptX HDⓘ | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, AirPods Max (Lightning) or WH-1000XM5?+
WH-1000XM5 lasts 30 hours vs 20 hours.
Do AirPods Max (Lightning) or WH-1000XM5 have active noise cancellation?+
Both models have active noise cancellation.
Which supports LDAC, AirPods Max (Lightning) or WH-1000XM5?+
WH-1000XM5 supports LDAC; AirPods Max (Lightning) does not.