AirPods Max are now $100 more expensive

In the wake of the iPhone 17 reveal, Apple has quietly increased Australian pricing for the AirPods Max. Apple's top-end headphones now start at $999, up from their old price of $899. 

While Apple refreshed the AirPods Max last year with USB-C connectivity and support for high-resolution audio when used wired, they're otherwise identical to the model it launched in late 2019. 

Older tech getting a price rise has been a recurring theme in 2025. Fetch recently increased the price of its current Mighty set-top box by $100 locally, pointing the finger at supply costs. Microsoft and Sony also increased the price of their consoles in Australia earlier this year. At the time, Microsoft pointed the finger at "market conditions", presumably referring to tariffs being imposed by the United States on its trading partners.  

Apple hasn't publicly commented on why the AirPods Max got more expensive, but it has adjusted in-market product pricing from time to time based on factors like exchange rates. 

While Apple is already charging $999 for the AirPods Max, retailers like Amazon are still listing $899 as the recommended retail price. In fact, Amazon has the orange variant for $699, and the purple and starlight variants available for $734.95 at the time of writing. 

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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