Apple AirPods Max finally get USB-C plus spatial audio for music

By Simon Cohen Published October 3, 2024

Apple’s AirPods Max wireless noise-canceling headphones will ditch the lightning port in favor of USB-C. Apple announced the update to the headphones at the “It’s Glowtime” event on September 9 along with the new iPhone 16. They still cost $549 and come in five new colors: midnight, blue, purple, orange, and starlight. They can be preordered starting September 9, and will be available on September 20.

The updated AirPods Max are effectively identical to the original model including the iconic aluminum-covered earcups and mesh headband, but now they can be charged via USB-C.

The company also announced that the personalized spatial audio feature will now work with music as well as video content like TV shows and movies, when Apple updates its mobile software to iOS 18.

As welcome as this change is, fans of Apple’s over-ear headphones may be disappointed that no other improvements, like USB audio or support for hi-res audio were mentioned.

Observers had also expected that Apple would revise the AirPods Max case, which had received many critiques for its awkward design, but it looks like this has remained the same.

Many had hoped that a dedicated power button would be included — there’s no way to entirely shut down the AirPods Max. When you place them in their case, they enter a low-power standby mode.

Apple also announced the AirPods 4 in two models: one that features active noise cancellation and transparency mode and a less-expensive version that doesn’t have ANC. Also announced were new hearing health and hearing enhancement features that will be coming to the AirPods Pro.