WWDC 2023 was full of updates for Apple products, and audio was no exception. In fact, Adaptive Audio is coming to AirPods Pro 2, along with a host of other useful features. Unfortunately, it has been confirmed that this update will not be coming to the most expensive device in the AirPods lineup — the $549 AirPods Max.
Adaptive Audio is designed to combine AirPods Pro 2’s Active Noise Cancellation with Transparency Mode to adapt to the local environment — which makes sense given the name. This update will also come with custom volume and conversation awareness, which should automatically adjust and improve your AirPods experience.
There’s also an Auto Switch feature, which makes switching AirPods between Apple devices faster and simpler. Unfortunately, these features are all exclusive to the AirPods Pro 2.
We can’t expect Apple to launch all the latest and best features of the new AirPods on our old earbuds, no matter how much we want to use them. But given the AirPods Max’s price, which is more than the PS5’s, it’s a pity that they won’t receive such a useful update.
Despite this high price, we can’t ignore the fact that the AirPods Max are now almost 3 years old – with appropriately old hardware. The headphones have only one level of transparency, and they are powered by the Apple H1 chip.
Meanwhile, the AirPods Pro 2 launched in September 2022, powered by the H2 chip and packing in more advanced ANC and transparency options. This is especially evident given the fact that other AirPods are not receiving this update either.
So if you want Apple’s Adaptive Audio features on a pair of over-ear headphones, you’ll probably have to wait for the AirPods Max 2 or hope Apple adds them to a future pair of headphones. The best Beats headphones. Given that the AirPods Max 2 isn’t expected to arrive until 2024 or 2025, the latter might be your best hope.
Assuming you want to care about headphones made by Apple at all. the Bose QuietComfort 2 earphones You already have a similar feature, and it’s likely that the companies with the best headphones will be working on something similar. So we’ll just have to play the waiting game, and see how this all plays out.
In the meantime, be sure to check out our WWDC recap to learn more about what Apple has in store for us over the coming months. Likewise, you can follow the latest news and rumors about Apple’s next line of headphones in the AirPods Max 2 hub.
More Tom’s guide
