> I don't miss headphone jacks AT ALL ... But then I tried the OG Airpods, and then the Pros with ANC ... Then I tried the AirPods Max ... I bought a pair
Now, what you miss is around $1000, for hardware that will likely fail faster than any wired alternative.
That's the part that pissed off so many people. Apple obsoleted good quality headphones to sell their high margin products. Airpods are decent, but it is a cash grab.
My phone (Galaxy XCover 7) has a headphone jack by the way, and I use it. Not very often, but I sometimes plug my gaming headset to it, or sometimes an AUX jack. And by the way, it also has a removable battery and it is IP68, for those who think that it makes waterproofing impossible.
Aux to USB c converters are cheap and work well btw. I just leave mine permanently attached to my headphones. Not that big of a deal.
My Airpods Maxes are 4 years old and i use them for 8-10 hours a day twice a week.
No issue with battery so far.
Pretty good going, in my experience.
But the killer is the ANC. Bollocks to public transport without it.
I bought Maxes very early, and they've held up MARVELOUSLY well even with some heavy travel periods. Apple kit tends to be quite durable, so I'm not upset about the investment at all.