Ugly, Generic, hard cases for your $550 AirPods Max: A Guide
Left to right: Caseling Hard CASE ($13.99), LTGEM Travel Carrying Full Size Headphone Case ($14.99) and the Bose QC35 travel case for scale.
It’s not a secret: the AirPods Max come with a godawful case. On the off-chance that you’re going to want to use a pair of AirPods Max away from your home, here are two options for generic cases, readily available on Amazon via the handy affiliate links below!
Both cases are a water-resistant, hard EVA shell. They’re all photographed alongside a Bose QC35 case to get a sense of scale. Neither of them can accommodate the AirPods Max while configured for the beloved AirPods Max Smart case.
Caseling Hard CASE
Pros:
The AirPods Max fit inside!
Small D-ring attached to nylon hoop on the flat side of the case
Cons:
AirPods earcups cannot fit flat, or inside the official AirPods Max Smart Case
Advertised “cable management” is just a circle of velcro?
Huge
Generally, this case is massive. Shaking it with the AirPods Max inside causes them to move and rattle in every direction. Compared to the Bose QC35 case it’s nearly twice the thickness with no additional storage for cables or dongles.
Caseling’s product images on Amazon show a USB cable cleverly wrapped around the “cable management” circle on the top side of the case, but it’s literally a piece of circular velcro.
LTGEM Travel Carrying Full Size Headphone Case
Pros:
The AirPods Max fit nicely
Large rubber handle for carrying or carabiner clips
Cons:
AirPods earcups cannot fit flat, or inside the official AirPods Max Smart Case
No pocket for accessories
I’m not sure who Lieutenant Gem is, but their namesake headphone case is almost as reasonable as it gets when it comes to cases for our very excessive headphones. The height is a perfect match for the AirPods Max, and the interior fit is snug enough to keep them from spinning around.
Once again, there’s nothing in terms of room for dongles, cables or accessories. If somebody were to clone the dimensions of this case with an additional pouch for extra bits (and possibly a few sleep-inducing magnets), it would be a wonderfully capable case for the AirPods Max. As it is now, it will successfully keep your cans from being damaged while inside a bag.
Dumping this case inside the top pocket of a Peak Design 30L backpack takes up a good portion of the available real-estate. Then again, a set of AirPods Max in the Smart Case take up a little bit more room with the earcups turned flat. Either way, you’re going to lose one compartment of your backpack