Apple’s Next AirPods Max May Be Lighter
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Apple’s AirPods Max have become something of an oddity in the company’s lineup. The high-end cans were released in late 2020 to much fanfare, but four and a half years later, they remain largely unchanged, with a 2024 update that added a USB-C port and little else.
There have been some modest software improvements over the years, including the recent addition of wired USB-C lossless audio — an update that restored the wireless listening feature the USB-C AirPods Max lost over their predecessors while adding full lossless quality in the mix. However, the AirPods Max have also been left out of many of the other AirPods software features thanks to their older H1 chips.
Meanwhile, Apple indirectly offers the Beats Studio Pro with nearly all the features of the AirPods Max. About the only thing they’re missing is the higher price tag and the Apple brand.
There’s been a sense that today’s AirPods Max are likely all they’ll ever be. They don’t sell well enough to justify Apple investing in improvements, yet they’re also successful enough to keep on the market in their current form.
However, Apple is reportedly working on a new model of its AirPods Max that could gain at least one improvement: a reduction in weight. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicates that there’s a “lighter version” expected to enter mass production in 2027, although he doesn’t offer any detail on what else Apple might have in store for its premium cans.
The AirPods Max are among the heftiest headphones on the market, thanks to their aluminum construction. Apple’s over-ear headphones come in at 386 grams — nearly a pound. That’s 30% heavier than its nearest contender, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless, and over 50% compared to the Sony WH-1000XM and Bose QuietComfort models.
Needless to say, a lighter weight would be a welcome change for many, although it’s not clear how Apple plans to accomplish this. The current aluminum design offers a premium feel that most rival headphones can’t match (even if they sound considerably better and provide more features).
Apple will likely have to make some substantial design changes to reduce the weight, in which case the 2027 AirPods Max could be a more significant update. By then, we hope Apple will be ready to move away from the H1 chip to the H2 or beyond. This would allow them to support iOS features that are currently available on other AirPods, such as Adaptive Audio, Hands-free Siri interactions, Conversation Awareness, and Voice Isolation.
In November, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said Apple had no concrete plans to update the headphones in any meaningful way. Of course, that was then, and this is now; plans can change. Still, as with most early rumors, we’d recommend taking this one with a healthy dose of salt. Kuo’s information comes from Apple’s supply chain, so it’s not always accurate, especially this far in advance.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
