Airpods Max In 2025? The Biggest Rumors Hint At Familiar Flaws, Big Upgrades, And A Pro-level Surprise

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Can move quickly and seamlessly crossed an unlimited number of Apple devices.
• The low-latency upgrade successful iOS 18.4 makes nan AirPods Max a batch much viable for pro multimedia producers (and gamers).
• Comfort, artillery life, and audio value lucifer high-end competitors from Sony, Bose, and others.

Even pinch their imperfections and elevated value tag ($549), I person to admit that nan AirPods Max are a merchandise that I emotion to usage each day. What they do champion -- pairing quickly and moving seamlessly crossed my phone, laptop, desktop, and tablet -- is nan point that makes maine for illustration nan AirPods Max to each different over-the-ear headphones.

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However, nan AirPods Max could not traditionally beryllium utilized for master audio and video accumulation because of Bluetooth's latency issues and nan deficiency of an effective wired option. Apple fixed that successful nan outpouring of 2025 pinch nan merchandise of iOS 18.4, which brought a cardinal package upgrade to nan 2024 USB-C exemplary of AirPods Max. 

AirPods Max get pro audio

While nan 2024 relaunch of AirPods Max was comparatively disappointing since it only brought caller USB-C connectivity and caller colour options, nan outpouring 2025 package update for Apple's over-the-ear headphones brought long-awaited master upgrades that landed successful iOS 18.4, arsenic good arsenic iPadOS 18.4 and MacOS Sequoia 15.4. 

The caller package driblet gave AirPods Max 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio. The charismatic statement connected this is that it preserves much specifications from nan original workplace recordings, and Apple reports that Apple Music has complete 100 cardinal songs successful lossless audio. The reality is that nan immense mostly of group aren't going to beryllium capable to show nan quality betwixt a regular opus connected Apple Music (or immoderate different service) and nan lossless version. 

Also: How to fig retired if you should (or shouldn't) bargain nan USB-C AirPods Max

Where this upgrade really made a quality was enabling ultra low-latency audio erstwhile connected via a USB-C cable. This opened nan doorway to master workflows pinch euphony accumulation and video accumulation truthful that technicians could person nan benignant of precision they request for workplace work. It besides allowed nan pros to nutrient Personalized Spatial Audio successful apps for illustration Apple's Logic Pro and instantly preview it pinch AirPods Max. 

Gamers besides benefited from nan ultra-low-latency audio via nan USB-C cablegram to nan AirPods Max, which reduced lag to adjacent zero, matching nan aforesaid acquisition you'd get connected a Mac, iPad, aliases iPhone erstwhile playing sound done nan built-in speakers.

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

Why I still excavation AirPods Max

Before nan AirPods Max, I ne'er recovered a brace of over-the-ear headphones that I could deterioration for much than astir 45 minutes because they would wounded my ears. I tin deterioration nan AirPods Max for hours connected agelong flights, which is 1 of my favourite uses. And their agelong artillery life is different cardinal connected cross-country aliases world flights. 

There are now respective different over-the-ear headphones that are ace comfortable and person awesome artillery life, specified arsenic nan Sony XM6 headphones and Bose QuiteComfort Ultra, which are some astatine nan apical of ZDNET's picks for champion headphones. But pairing and sharing crossed arsenic galore devices arsenic I usage isn't awesome connected headphones that aren't AirPods because it's usually constricted to 2 devices. 

Also: I wore nan champion headphones from Sony, Bose, Apple, and Sonos: Here's really nan AirPods Max wins

At nan extremity of nan day, astir of america move to over-the-ear headphones for 2 things: sound cancellation and audio quality. For some of these, nan AirPods Max are successful nan aforesaid convention arsenic nan champion headphones connected nan market, including nan ones from Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, and others. 

I tin perceive specifications successful euphony and movies utilizing nan AirPods Max that I simply can't perceive pinch AirPods Pro aliases different earbuds. And erstwhile you brace nan AirPods Max pinch an M4 iPad Pro that has a Tandem OLED screen, nan value of nan audio and video acquisition you get feels for illustration it could almost rival a high-quality integer movie theater.

Where AirPods Max request improvement 

There are still a mates of things that I don't emotion astir AirPods Max. The biggest 1 is nan price. At $549, they are $100 much costly than moreover nan Sony XM6 headphones, which person characteristic parity pinch AirPods Max and nan premium Sony brand. Most of nan different premium headphones connected nan marketplace are astir $350.  

The different rumor is that Apple still hasn't integrated its latest H2 spot from nan AirPods Pro 2 into nan AirPods Max. The H2 chip, which has much precocious sound cancellation and sound isolation, was released successful 2022 but was not integrated into nan latest AirPods Max released successful 2024. For Apple to not put its champion audio exertion into its highest-end headphones -- particularly astatine specified a premium value -- is disappointing.

ZDNET's buying advice

The AirPods Max are only worthy nan other money for group who usage a batch of different Apple devices connected a regular basis. Otherwise, I'd urge going pinch nan Sony XM6 headphones -- aliases moreover nan Sony XM5 type -- to prevention money and get virtually each nan aforesaid features, including moreover little latency than AirPods Max.