Key Takeaways
- AirPods Max do not use USB-C charging, however engineer Ken Pillonel discovered a method so as to add it himself.
- Pillonel has expertise modifying Apple merchandise, creating USB-C variations of iPhone and AirPods Professional.
- Different choices: Agvee and FQSH supply USB-C to Lightning adapters for older Apple units.
Apple’s over-ear headphones, the AirPods Max, do not cost over USB-C, and have not been up to date since Apple launched them nearly four years ago in 2020. There are rumors that Apple plans on updating the headphones with new colours aside from the silver, grey, blue, pink, and inexperienced colours at present accessible and a USB-C port. However why anticipate Apple? An engineer named Ken Pillonel merely added a USB-C port on his personal and made a video to show it.
4 features I want to see from the AirPods Max 2
Apple’s AirPods Max 2 are rumored to be launched this 12 months, and these 4 options would make me need to purchase them over again.
Pillonel lined his course of, and the brand new board he created to make the mod work, in a video you’ll be able to watch on YouTube proper now. He is additionally promoting the board on his website and has written instructions for anybody courageous sufficient to tear open their very own headphones to observe.
You do not have to have a screwdriver and the arrogance of an engineer to get the advantages of USB-C charging, although.
The method, whereas finicky, would not appear significantly sophisticated, with many of the elements of the AirPods Max secured with screws. Primarily based on an iFixit teardown, a pair of AirPods Max headphones are far simpler to disassemble than regular AirPods, that are held along with a regarding quantity of glue.
In the case of modifying Apple merchandise, Pillonel has a good quantity of expertise. Earlier than Apple added USB-C to the iPhone 15 and AirPods Pro in response to a ruling from the European Commission, Pillonel created a USB-C iPhone, AirPods, and AirPods Pro. You do not have to have a screwdriver and the arrogance of an engineer to get the advantages of USB-C charging, although. With the correct adapter, you’ll be able to obtain the identical impact with out taking on an excessive amount of further area.
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The AirPods Max have nice audio, a contemporary design, and are tremendous fashionable. However these specific options make me a Max loyalist.
The choice: USB-C to Lightning adapters
AGVEE USB-C to Lightning Adapter
$14 $25 Save $11
Agvee’s USB-C to Lightning adapter makes it simple to cost older Apple units with a USB-C cable.
Whereas Apple solely formally sells a Lightning to USB-C adapter in its retailer, there are a number of choices that do the identical factor in reverse, taking a USB-C cable and turning it right into a Lightning one. The Agvee USB-C to Lightning Adapter is offered in a pack of two four-inch cables and is designed in order that it’s miles much less prone to break off inside your gadget in the event you stumble upon it or pull your charging cable out too quick. A great downside to keep away from in the event you intend on utilizing your adapter for a very long time.
FQSH USB-C to Lightning Adapter 2 Pack
$5 $12 Save $7
FQSH’s compact USB-C adapters are sufficiently small to slot in your pockets and are available in a number of completely different colours and finishes.
For a fair smaller different, FQSH sells two-pack bundles of USB-C to Lightning adapters in a number of completely different colours. There is not any telling how sturdy they could possibly be in the long term, and having an adapter jutting out of the underside of your AirPods Max provides some extra threat that you just may not need to cope with. Nonetheless, there’s some attraction to an adapter that is sufficiently small to slot in a pockets. Or, in the event you do not personal a pair of over-ear wi-fi headphones in any respect, try our guide for some glorious picks to contemplate.
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