Hands-on with the AirPods Max Shield case from WaterField Designs

Earlier this week, we highlighted a number of third-party accessories that aim to address some of the shortcomings of Apple’s AirPods Max Smart Case, including a new zippered case from WaterField Designs that protects the headphones much better when not in use. .

Our videographer Dan had the chance to try out the new $ 99 Leather Shield Case from WaterField, and he’s impressed with the quality and usability. However, he believes this is the kind of thing that should have come with the ‌AirPods Max‌ in the first place, rather than having to buy a third party accessory on top of the $ 549 price tag for the ‌AirPods Max‌ themselves.

The Shield Case is certainly bulky, but there isn’t much that WaterField could have done about it, given the design of the ‌AirPods Max‌, which allows the earcups to be turned inward only and does not allow for a more compactly folded setup like many other over- ear headphones.

If you can live with the crowd, the Shield Case offers several nice features, including a zippered design that fully protects the ‌AirPods Max‌, unlike Apple’s Smart Case that exposes the headband and even parts of the earcups.

In addition to the main compartment for the ‌AirPods Max‌, the Shield Case contains three smaller compartments for cables and other accessories: a deep, padded one with a zipper on the front, a mesh on the back and a small one with a Velcro closure in the case.

One of the main benefits of Apple’s Smart Case is that it can instantly put your AirPods Max into a power saving mode to conserve battery power, using magnets built into the case to activate the mode. WaterField’s Shield Case does the same thing, thanks to what it calls the Magnetic Leather Butterfly, a leather flap with built-in magnets that not only activates power-saving mode, but also helps prevent the two ‌AirPods Max‌ earcups from touching while in the case.

If you want to take your Smart Case with your ‌AirPods Max‌, the Shield Case is there too, because the ‌AirPods Max‌ / Smart Case combo fits nicely in it and the leather butterfly can be folded.

All in all, the Shield Case from WaterField Designs is a quality product that does its job well. It’s a bit pricey at $ 99, but if you’re already looking to spend $ 549 on the AirPods Max, it might be a worthwhile add-on to protect your purchase.

The Shield Case is available in four styles: chocolate leather and waxed canvas, black leather with ballistic nylon, blue leather with ballistic nylon, and crimson leather with ballistic nylon. Like the ‌AirPods Max‌ themselves, the Shield Case is in short supply, with new orders scheduled for February 19th.