AirPods Max (USB-C, 2024) (2024)

Apple announced the USB-C revision of AirPods Max on September 9, 2024, opening preorders that day with availability from September 20 at $549 in the US. Apple documented its arrival in stores on the 20th. It retained H1 in each ear cup and added USB-C charging and five colors: midnight, starlight, blue, purple and orange. This is the 2024 revision, not the 2020 Lightning model or H2-based AirPods Max 2.

MIKI Yoshihito / Flickr, CC BY 2.0. Apple Shibuya, September 21, 2024. Three pairs of the USB-C revision; informal title Gen2 is not an Apple name. Flickr 1024 × 576 version, unchanged.

Specs

Chip	H1 in each ear cup
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0; USB-C
Audio	Active Noise Cancellation; Transparency mode
Battery	Up to 20 h with ANC (Apple); 386.2 g
Price	549 USD (US, launch)
Availability	2024-09-20

Announcement and store arrival

Technology and battery life

The technical page lists Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, Adaptive EQ, Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking, Bluetooth 5.0 and Digital Crown. Apple claims up to 20 hours of listening with cancellation and a weight of 386.2 grams with cushions; battery life depends on conditions. Smart Case preserves charge in an ultra-low-power state, rather than charging the headphones from its own battery.

Audio update and photograph

USB-C lossless audio is not backdated to the September 2024 launch. Apple announced it on March 24, 2025 for a free April update; firmware 7E101 release notes confirm lossless and ultra-low-latency audio with iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4 or macOS Sequoia 15.4 and later. MIKI Yoshihito photographed three pairs in the new colors at Apple Shibuya on September 21, 2024. The informal photo title "Gen2" is not Apple's model name for this revision.

Sources

AirPods Max (2020) · AirPods Max 2 (2026)

MIKI Yoshihito / Flickr, CC BY 2.0. Apple Shibuya, September 21, 2024. Three pairs of the USB-C revision; informal title Gen2 is not an Apple name. Flickr 1024 × 576 version, unchanged.

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