If Apple’s AirPods Max are too pricey, maybe these knockoff cans are a better, more affordable option. Let’s compare these bargain bin headphones to Apple’s latest.
Recently, while running our usual laundry list of errands — stock up on Coke Zero, drop off old kids toys at Goodwill — we stopped by our local dollar store. While there, we saw what looked like spot-on clones of AirPods Max.
Carrying a hefty price tag of $5 whole American dollars, they were an instant buy for us to get them home and see how they compare to the real deal. Needless to say, it wasn’t close.
Design and materials
The $5 headphones, officially known as the iConcepts Wireless Headphones, come in three colors, including dark grey and pink. We picked up the silver ones since they were that were in stock at the moment.
As the box boasts, these clear knockoffs are only $5 from our local dollar store
We eagerly got them back to the studio for a closer look. Unsurprisingly, the packaging was lightweight and flimsy with a see-through window on the front.
The box touts its features, such as “six-hour battery life” and “swiveling ear cups.” We’re prepared to be impressed here. Sarcasm intended.
As we opened them, we found a charging cable, a getting started guide, and the headphones themselves. No carrying case here, but you could always just replace them if they break!
The iConcept headphones are extremely lightweight
Our first impression was “these are light.” They felt like almost nothing when we picked up them.
Apple took a lot of criticism for the weight of AirPods Max, so maybe this is a win for the budget headphones. Unfortunately, they still weren’t very comfortable.
There’s a little sagging in our AirPods Max headband after years of use
AirPods Max have a woven mesh on the top between two steel bars. Ours have started to sag just a bit after a few years of use.
The iConcept headphones have the same style top bar, but instead of mesh and metal, it’s — you guessed it — plastic. When you wear them, you end up with a plastic top bar pressing on your head.
The iConcept headphones are very warm thanks to their cheap ear pads and hurt the top of our head
Even though they’re very light, because of its “U” shape, it condenses all its downward pressure onto basically a single point. After 20 minutes of wear, we had some pain on the top of our head.
AirPods Max have aluminum ear cups with removable pads. There is also a multi-use button on one side with a Digital Crown that can be used to adjust the volume.
Over on the budget side, they’re unsurprisingly plastic. The ear cups are not removable — no sense in replacing them anyway, and there are buttons on one of the ear cups.
You can’t even make out the glyphs on the iConcept headphones. But at least they have a headphone jack!
The buttons are terrible when you look at them, with molded characters to describe their uses. But they’re so poorly done you can barely make out what they are.
When Apple updated the AirPods Max in 2024, they were met with more criticism when the only change was the adoption of USB-C over the displaced Lightning connector.
The update was so minor, despite our love of the headphones, we didn’t even bother to upgrade this time around.
iConcept includes a microUSB cable
The budget headphones, went a different direction. Obviously they didn’t use Lightning, but apparently USB-C licensing was too expensive as they chose microUSB for power.
Which means yes, they do come with a lovely USB-A to microUSB charging cable. We know we could buy a USB-C to microUSB so we could use our current chargers, but that single cable would cost us more than the headphones in their entirety.
The ear cups do in fact swivel, as advertised
Don’t worry though. We can confirm, the ear cups do in fact swivel — as the box foretold.
Audio quality
Before we listened the headphones, the iConcept headphones do get one more big win. They include a 3.5mm audio jack for wired listening.
Wearing AirPods Max is very comfortable, if a little hefty
Apple’s latest USB-C AirPods Max do not support wired listening at all. Even though the last-gen Lightning ones did.
If you plan to plug then in to listen, AirPods Max aren’t even an option for you.
We did our usual testing for audio on both sets of headphones. This includes our test playlist on Apple Music.
There’s no need for the formality though as the dollar store headphones sounded terrible when compared to AirPods Max. Especially when going immediately from one to another.
The iConcept headphones paired, no problem
They sounded airy, with no noise cancelation, and as though the drivers themselves were very tiny. They sounded, to no one’s surprise, like cheap tiny speakers playing music into our ears.
Not a serious comparison here
In all seriousness, this isn’t a real compare. There’s no one out there who is actively debating between AirPods Max and a $5 set of iConcept clones.
If you want some headphones that are more affordable than AirPods Max that sound great, we can provide dozens of suggestions. We’ve reviewed many here on AppleInsider.
At a glance, the iConcept headphones look the same as AirPods Max
There’s only one reason to buy the iConcept headphones — you want the clout of AirPods Max without the corresponding price tag.
No judgement here. All of Apple’s headphones have been status symbols but with high price tags, even on used or last-gen ones, they are out of reach for many.
The ear cups on the two headphones look near indistinguishable
If you don’t care about audio quality and want it to look like you have AirPods Max on as you walk down the street, these are a slam dunk. With a quick glance, we’d easily mistake these for Apple’s own.
We can sit here and give you many reasons why AirPods Max are better headphones for roughly 100 times the price. You know what you’re getting in either situation though.
It’s $549 versus $5. AirPods versus FauxPods.
