Should you buy AirPods Max in 2024? No! They’re surprisingly terrible value.

At $549, AirPods Max are the most expensive model in the lineup. But they’re hopelessly outdated, making them impossible to recommend at this point.

The AirPods lineup was updated during Apple’s iPhone 16 “Glowtime” event on September 9, 2024. We got two new AirPods 4 models, AirPods Pro 2 and refreshed (?!) AirPods Max, which only received some new colors and a USB-C charge port.

They don’t even run Apple’s audio improvements that came last year with iOS 17 like adaptive audio, let alone the latest audio features in iOS 18 such as voice isolation, lower audio latency and personalized spatial audio in games. That’s because they still run the outdated Apple H1 chip instead of the current H2 silicon.

The new AirPods Max colors

AirPods Max now come in the new Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple and Orange colors, with ear cushions available on Apple’s online store. In contrast, the Lightning version of AirPods Max is available in Space Gray, Silver, Sky Blue, Green and Pink.

Ear cushions fit both the Lightning and USB-C versions of AirPods Max. Like before, you can buy those in different colors from the external chassis to create cool looks—especially by mixing two different ear cushion colors.

AirPods Max don’t support the following Apple features

Both Lightning and USB-C versions of AirPods Max support active noise cancellation, a significant feature for today’s headphones. Apple claims the over-ear headphones are capable of suppressing two times more background noise than the first AirPods Pro and the new AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.

Adaptive Noise Control
The adaptive noise control mode is unavailable on AirPods Max. This feature dynamically adjusts noise control in response to the changing conditions in your environment, but it doesn’t work on AirPods Max.

Conversation Awareness
This feature debuted alongside iOS 17 in 2023. It automatically lowers the media volume and enhances the voices before you when it detects you talking. You guessed right; conversation awareness doesn’t work on AirPods Max. Even its manual 2021 version, dubbed Conversation Boost, won’t work on AirPods Max.

Voice Isolation
The voice isolation mode, a new feature in iOS 18, is unsupported on AirPods Max. This improves sound quality for the other party by using machine learning to suppress background sounds like the wind blowing around the caller.

Personalized Volume
The Personalized Volume feature doesn’t work on AirPods Max either. When on, this adjusts the volume in real time based on your environment and volume preferences.

New health features
AirPods Max also don’t support the new health features arriving this fall with iOS 18, including Hearing Test, Hearing Aid and Hearing Protection.

Why you shouldn’t buy AirPods Max in 2024

The whining doesn’t stop here. AirPods Max still use Bluetooth 5.0 instead of the power-friendlier Bluetooth 5.3. And they’re not dust, sweat or water resistant, which seems insane for premium headphones in 2024. They also lack force sensors and touch controls. And while you can track lost AirPods Max in the Find My app, the Precision Finding feature is unavailable (requires Apple’s U1 chip).

Apple calls AirPods Max “the ultimate over-ear personal listening experience,” but that doesn’t change the fact that these headphones are getting left behind. Apple was forced to add USB-C in order to comply with EU requirements. Maybe it should have equipped AirPods Max with Apple H2 silicon to enable support for modern audio features, which would have made the high price easier to swallow.

Why anyone would drop $549 on AirPods Max only to be unable to use Apple’s audio enhancements rolled out in the past few years is beyond my comprehension. What exactly is Apple’s pitch here to people who have never owned a pair of AirPods Max? And what about existing owners? Does Apple really think people will spend another $549 just for USB-C charging and some new colors?

Compare AirPods

The anger owners must feel having learned about this so-called refresh could ruin Apple’s chances to sell them AirPods Max 2 in the future. Until the company modernizes AirPods Max, these over-ear headphones will remain overpriced.

For further discussion, visit Apple’s Compare AirPods page which does a great job listing and comparing the key features of any three AirPods models you choose.

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2024/09/10/should-you-buy-airpods-max-value-proposition-year-2024/