Apple’s AirPods Max are now two and a half years old. While Apple’s most premium headphones still offer an incredible listening experience and long battery life, there are even more signs that no one should buy this product right now, despite Apple being unclear about a new iteration of the AirPods Max being available anytime soon.
During the WWDC 2023 keynote, the company announced several features for AirPods, but most of them will be exclusive to AirPods Pro 2 with the H2 chip, as noted by 9to5Mac. Here they are:
- Adaptive Audio: It dynamically blends Transparency and Active Noise Cancellation to tailor the noise control experience as you move between changing environments and interactions throughout the day.
- Personalized Volume: Uses machine learning to fine-tune your media experience based on your preferences over time and the environment around you.
- Conversation Awareness: If you begin speaking to someone nearby, this feature automatically lowers any media volume, reduces background noise, and enhances the voices in front of you.
- Siri: Say just Siri to activate the personal assistant instead of Hey Siri.
That said, the only new feature AirPods Max users will get is the ability to mute their voice on a call by pressing the Digital Crown.
Besides that, the AirPods Max also lack several features that newer AirPods have or will have in the near future, such as the H2 processor, Bluetooth 5.3 support, the U1 “Precision Finding” chip, a USB-C port, and Lossless support.
Is Apple working on AirPods Max 2?
Since Apple still sells AirPods Max for the same price and every color is still available, it doesn’t seem the company will be ready to announce a new model anytime soon.
Although Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman didn’t confirm that Apple is working on a new model, he said in his Power On newsletter that he would bet “the next versions of the regular AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max all move to USB-C, and that transition should be done by 2024.”
Top Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple could update its premium headphone by 2024 or 2025. That said, customers that are looking for an AirPods Max replacement – or a model for the first time – should consider whether they should spend all this money now or wait at least one more year for an uncertain update.
