Apple finally gave customers a good reason to buy the recently released AirPods Max with a USB-C port. According to the company, a software update will finally give these headphones the long-awaited lossless capabilities and ultra-low latency audio.
A press release shows AirPods Max with USB-C will unlock 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio, which preserves the integrity of original recordings. In addition, it will be possible to listen to lossless while still enjoying Personalized Spatial Audio.
Apple says users will be required to use the included AirPods Max’s USB-C cable with their iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices to take advantage of lossless. More interesting than that, gamers and live streamers can also take advantage of ultra-low latency audio to experience no response delay while playing or live streaming, which, according to Apple, becomes “reliably smooth and even more immersive for users.”
That said, it’s important to note that lossless support for AirPods Max is only included with the USB-C version. The original model with a Lightning port technically can’t stream in this higher quality. With that, the USB-C AirPods Max are Apple’s second headphones to support this feature, as the Beats Studio Pro was the first one.
When Apple announced the new AirPods Max last year, it was criticized for delivering virtually the same headphones but with new colors and fewer features, as wiring these headphones wouldn’t bring lossless support.
A few months later, the company revealed that this major feature will be part of the iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 releases. The company will most likely also offer a firmware update for AirPods Max to unlock this experience.
While users might finally have a reason to upgrade to these headphones, it’s important to note that they still feature the same H1 chip and lack several functions available with AirPods Pro 2 because they don’t have the latest technologies.
It’s unclear if Apple will ever release a revamped version of its most expensive headphones.
