[ad_1]
After what seems like a lifetime of rumors and leaks, Apple has finally announced the new AirPods Max, the first on-ear headphones to carry the AirPods name. They are also priced at a stunning $ 549.
For that price, you would expect the best of Apple’s audio technology, but that may not be the case. Despite rumors to the contrary, the AirPods Max does not come with Apple’s U1 chip.
For those of you who don’t know, the U1 chip is designed for precise positioning of ultra-wideband radio. That means devices with the chip can detect their exact position to each other in the same room.
It also has a number of uses including quick transfer between the HomePod mini and iPhones, faster AirDrop sharing, and the ability to unlock a car while your iPhone is still in your pocket.
In the AirPods Max, the U1 chip could have been used to determine how the earbuds are used, so you would know which side is left or right without the need for separate controllers. It would have also been able to connect to upcoming AirTags, helping you locate the AirPods Max if they were ever lost.
And if there’s one thing you’d think you’d like to find quickly, it would be a $ 550 pair of headphones.
Unfortunately, this is not the case and it appears that the AirPods Max have the same H1 chip as the AirPods Pro. That’s not too bad, as the H1 enables important features like instant connection with iPhones and Hey Siri support. In fact, there are two H1 chips inside the AirPods Max, which are designed to help deliver flawless audio quality and power everything from adaptive EQ and active noise cancellation to spatial audio.
There are plenty of other great features too, including sensors that indicate when they’re being used (and pause playback when they’re not) and dynamic head tracking to enhance spatial audio.
So while this isn’t a major loss, it’s a shame Apple doesn’t have its latest and greatest tech in the AirPods Max given the price.
