The AirPods Max's Smart Case has garnered a lot of attention, not just for its looks but also for how it seems to be a necessary accessory to switch off these Apple headphones entirely. A new Apple support document, though, refutes this assumption. The AirPods Max has three power modes: in use, low power, and ultra-low power. Whether you put the AirPods Max in the case or not, the headphones enter low power mode almost instantaneously. If you put it in the case, it's immediate; it takes around five minutes if you don't.
The difference lies in the drop into ultra-low power mode. If you don't place it in the case, this mode where Bluetooth and the Find My feature is turned off will take 72 stationary hours to kick in. If you put it into the Smart Case, ultra-low power will kick in after 18 hours.
As 9to5Mac points out, we don't know how big the power draw difference is between these two modes. Another unanswered question is: what will happen if the headphones are inside your bag or slung around your neck? The headphones won't be considered stationary then if you move around. We don't know what the power draw will be then. Apple usually doesn't divulge full technical specifications, but we hope they will share the typical power draw in these instances. Or we'll have to rely on independent testing to find out.