The Frustrating Brilliance of AirPods Max (And Why I’m Still Using Mine)

I didn’t expect this

Image courtesy of author

AirPods Max were originally launched in December 2020 and immediately confirmed their place as one of the best and most frustrating pair of headphones on the market.

A long-awaited updated version arrived in September 2024. Apple made just two changes: the Lightning charging port was swapped for USB-C and the colour options were tweaked.

Image courtesy of author

That was it. No H2 chip. No case redesign. No meaningful change beyond charging convenience and aesthetics. There have been suggestions that the noise cancelling has been tweaked and that the sound is slightly different but in truth, I haven’t been able to identify anything along those lines. You can read my original AirPods Max (USB-C) review here.

These are, basically, the same pair of headphones.

So, why have I kept the pair I bought for review? More importantly, why am I still using them every single day?

Why I bought USB-C AirPods Max