Today during Apple’s ‘It’s Glowtime’ event, the company debuted new AirPods products. One such product is AirPods Max. However, instead of shipping AirPods Max 2, Apple is instead releasing an “updated” AirPods Max with some new features.

New colors for AirPods Max

The original AirPods Max launched in 2020 as a premium, over-ear version of Apple’s popular AirPods line. Since then, AirPods Max have grown in popularity.

Many expected AirPods Max 2 to release today. Instead, Apple announced some small changes to the original AirPods Max.

There are new color options:

• Starlight
• Midnight
• Purple
• Orange
• Blue

These provide a fresh look for AirPods Max.

USB-C port for charging

Apple also added USB-C charging to AirPods Max. This marks the latest in Apple’s progressive shift to a single USB-C charging standard for its entire lineup of devices.

The previous AirPods Max model used Lightning for charging. Now, we’re one step closer to every Apple product offering USB-C.

iOS 18 features

Apple mentioned that in iOS 18, AirPods Max would support Personalized Spatial Audio. However, it’s unclear whether this comes with a new H2 chip, or any other audio features that were previously exclusive to the AirPods Pro.

Based on Apple’s announcement, it seems that everything about the updated AirPods Max remains the same. The only exceptions are the new colors and USB-C port.

Pricing and availability

The revised AirPods Max are available today for pre-order, and will ship on September 20.

They are available at the same price point of $549.

If the new AirPods Max truly don’t include an H2 chip or any of the features it enables, like Voice Isolation and Adaptive Audio, it will be a real disappointment. AirPods Pro 2 have offered these features for years, and now the AirPods 4 get them too.

Are you interested in the updated AirPods Max? Let us know in the comments.