Hands-on: Unboxing and first look at standalone AirPods Max ear cushion sets

Earlier this week, Apple made standalone sets of AirPods Max ear cushions available for purchase. If you didn’t already know, AirPods Max ear cushions are magnetic, so they’re interchangeable both for repair and customization purposes. We got our hands on a set of green AirPods Max ear cushions, and here’s what they look like when you buy them on their own.

We’ve been wondering if Apple would treat these separate ear cushion sets like Apple Watch bands since AirPods Max were announced or more like repair replacements. Apple could offer cushions in any color and over time build up a catalog of them in the same vain as the giant collection of Apple Watch bands that have been introduced over the past six years.

I picked up a set of green AirPods Max cushions, and they look very nice on my silver/white AirPods Max. You can theoretically create all kinds of unique pairings with different colors to set your AirPods Max apart from the rest of the pack. It also helps you add a pop of color if you picked up one of the neutral pairs like the space gray and silver models.

The packaging of these standalone ear cushions seems to imply that the idea is customization rather than simply for replacements. The box reminds me a lot of Apple’s watch band packaging. It has a simple pull tab to remove the cushions from the box and could be used to store other sets of cushions that aren’t in use.

It’s worth noting that right now, red, blue, and green cushion sets are all delayed and won’t arrive until March or April, according to Apple. The silver and black cushions are still available for delivery next week. It’s possible that cushions will start appearing in Apple stores soon, but pick up isn’t available yet. If you remember, it took quite awhile for Apple Watch bands to be widely available in 2015 following the watch’s launch.