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-CH720N |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 384 g | 192 g |
| Battery life | 20 h | 35 h |
| Driver size | 40 mm | 30 mm |
| Spatial audio | true | false |
| Multipoint | false | true |
Between the AirPods Max (Lightning) and WH-CH720N, the AirPods Max (Lightning) comes out ahead in driver size / spatial audio, while the WH-CH720N wins on weight / battery life. Overall, the AirPods Max (Lightning) scores 68 and the WH-CH720N scores 71.4 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The WH-CH720N edges ahead on the Mars Score (68 vs 71.4), but the 3.4-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the AirPods Max (Lightning) if audio quality and feature breadth (ANC, codecs, multipoint) are the lead criteria for your purchase. The biggest gaps in its favor are driver size, spatial audio. The single most decisive one: Driver size — 33.33% more. 40 mm vs 30 mm.
Pick the WH-CH720N 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. The single most decisive one: Weight — 192.00 g less. 192 vs 384.
Both ship with comparable active noise cancellation, ldac, 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-CH720N?
Sony - WH-CH720N leads the current Mars Score by 3.4 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, has spatial audio.
Choose Sony - WH-CH720N if…
Sony - WH-CH720N 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.
- ▲Has Spatial audio.
Why Sony - WH-CH720N wins
- ▲Weight — 192.00 g less. 192 vs 384.
- ▲Battery life — 75.00% more. 35 h vs 20 h.
- ▲Has Multipoint.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - WH-CH720N |
|---|---|---|
| Type | over-ear | over-ear |
| Weight | 384 g | 192 glead |
| Water resistance | none | none |
Audio
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - WH-CH720N |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 40 mmlead | 30 mm |
| Impedanceⓘ | 10 Ω | 48 Ωlead |
| Sensitivityⓘ | 105 dBlead | 100 dB |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | truelead | false |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - WH-CH720N |
|---|---|---|
| Battery lifeⓘ | 20 h | 35 hlead |
| Fast chargeⓘ | true | true |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - WH-CH720N |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.0 | 5.2lead |
| Multipointⓘ | false | truelead |
| 3.5mm jack | false | truelead |
| LDACⓘ | false | false |
| aptX HDⓘ | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, AirPods Max (Lightning) or WH-CH720N?+
WH-CH720N lasts 35 hours vs 20 hours.
Do AirPods Max (Lightning) or WH-CH720N have active noise cancellation?+
Both models have active noise cancellation.
Which supports LDAC, AirPods Max (Lightning) or WH-CH720N?+
Neither supports LDAC.