Apple launches new AirPods Max 2024 with minor upgrades – and one big omission

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple has launched new AirPods Max over-ear wireless headphones at its September 2024 event.

The over-ear headphones were unveiled by CEO Tim Cook alongside the iPhone 16 line of phones and AirPods 4 wireless earbuds. The updated model appears to be a very modest tweak to the first-generation AirPods Max rather than a completely new model.

They have the exact same design, with the only difference being a switch from the old Lightning connector to USB-C connectivity and a wealth of new colour options. These include new midnight (blue), starlight (purple) and orange options.

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The shift to USB-C will be welcome, but sadly it appears Apple hasn’t made any wider improvements, instead promising they would continue to offer the same “highest fidelity sound quality” and “personalised spatial audio for film and music” as the first generation. The new version will also retail for the same $549 as the original AirPods Max when they launch in September. They will cost £499 in the UK.

This goes against past rumblings that the company would launch a more significant next generation of its wireless headphones, commonly referred to in pre-event rumours as the AirPods Max 2.

These were expected to address some shortcomings of the original, like their inability to offer lossless audio, even when cable connected to a compatible Apple source. This has long been a desired feature among the What Hi-Fi? reviews team, due to the fact Apple added lossless audio quality tracks to Apple Music in 2021. The lack of an upgrade to support lossless feels like a key omission as a result.

We haven’t had a chance to test the AirPods Max yet to check if there have been any sonic improvements. But even if there have not been, if they can match the original AirPods Max for audio quality, they should remain a solid option for Apple fans.

The original AirPods Max launched in 2020 and, despite their age, remain a staple part of our best wireless headphones buying guide and a step above many rivals, including the new Sonos Ace and Dyson OnTrac, when it comes to audio quality.

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Alastair is What Hi-Fi?’s editor in chief. He has well over a decade’s experience as a journalist working in both B2C and B2B press. During this time he’s covered everything from the launch of the first Amazon Echo to government cyber security policy. Prior to joining What Hi-Fi? he served as Trusted Reviews’ editor-in-chief. Outside of tech, he has a Masters from King’s College London in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, is an enthusiastic, but untalented, guitar player and runs a webcomic in his spare time.