iFi UP Play Max brings aptX Lossless, K2 Technology and Auracast to smartphones, tablets and computers

Plenty of Bluetooth headphones can now handle codecs their source device simply won’t send them. iFi audio’s answer is the UP Play Max, a USB-C dongle barely bigger than a fingernail that takes over the wireless side of the connection entirely, rather than leaving it to whatever a phone, tablet or laptop happens to support. The result reads more like a feature list for a full-sized DAC than a 3 g accessory: six Bluetooth codecs including aptX Lossless, JVCKENWOOD’s K2 Technology, a low-latency mode built for gaming and video, dual headphone pairing, a built-in microphone, and — once a promised firmware update lands — Auracast broadcasting. iFi audio is clear that the biggest single beneficiary is likely to be Apple hardware, where iPhone and iPad are otherwise confined to AAC over Bluetooth.

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Key Facts iFi UP Play Max

• USB-C Bluetooth transmitter
• Bluetooth 5.4 with AAC and SBC, Qualcomm aptX Lossless, LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD and aptX
• Bluetooth audio up to 24 bit 96kHz
• K2 Technology
• Dual headphone pairing
• Low-latency mode
• Built-in microphone with Qualcomm noise and echo suppression
• Auracast planned via firmware update
• Control and OTA updates through the iFi Nexis app
• Range of at least 10m
• Dimensions 27,6 × 20,8 × 8 mm, weight 3 g

How a 3 g dongle takes over the job

Setup couldn’t be much simpler: connect the UP Play Max to a source over USB-C and it becomes the Bluetooth transmitter for that device, sending audio on to headphones, true wireless earbuds or a Bluetooth DAC. According to the specification sheet, it supports Bluetooth 5.4 together with aptX Lossless, LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, AAC and SBC, with wireless audio rated up to 24 bit 96kHz. Because the dongle — not the host — negotiates the connection, codec support stops being a lottery based on which phone or laptop happens to be plugged in.

Gaming and video get direct attention through a dedicated low-latency mode, switched on via aptX Adaptive and the iFi Nexis app, aimed at closing the gap between what’s on screen and what reaches your ears. iFi audio pitches the UP Play Max as much as a transmitter for gaming handhelds, tablets and computers as a music accessory, though how well the low-latency mode performs in practice will still depend on the Bluetooth receiver being used.

Shared listening is covered too, via dual headphone pairing, which connects two Bluetooth headsets or pairs of earbuds to the UP Play Max at the same time — useful on a flight or in front of a shared screen. There’s a trade-off worth noting, however: iFi audio confirms that transmission in this dual mode runs over SBC only, meaning aptX Lossless and LDAC are unavailable whenever two devices are paired simultaneously. Auracast goes considerably further, designed to broadcast one source to an effectively unlimited number of compatible receivers, though iFi audio has been upfront that it won’t be live at launch and will instead follow via a firmware update shortly after.

Also built into the housing is K2 Technology, developed by JVCKENWOOD Corporation, which iFi audio describes as a means of reconstructing harmonic content that digital processing can strip away, intended to give playback a more natural harmonic character. It isn’t fixed to one setting — the iFi Nexis app lets listeners switch it on or off depending on whether they prefer the processed sound or an untouched signal.

For Apple hardware specifically, the appeal is fairly direct. iPhone and iPad default to AAC over Bluetooth and don’t natively support LDAC or Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless. Routing audio out through the UP Play Max over USB-C sidesteps that ceiling completely, provided the receiving headphones or DAC also support the chosen codec. iFi audio describes aptX Lossless as delivering lossless, CD-quality wireless transmission, pointing to Apple Music, Spotify Lossless and Qobuz as compatible sources. Android devices benefit in a different way: LDAC is widely available there already, but support for everything else varies by manufacturer, so the dongle offers a consistent codec baseline regardless of which handset is doing the streaming.

A microphone with Qualcomm noise and echo suppression rounds out the hardware, letting the UP Play Max handle calls or voice chat without falling back on the host device’s own microphone. All of it is managed from one place — the iFi Nexis app for Apple iOS and Google Android — which handles paired-device and codec management, toggles for K2 Technology, Auracast and the low-latency mode, and OTA firmware installation. With Auracast arriving only after launch, that update mechanism matters more than it might for a typical companion app.

Small enough to disappear

What’s easy to lose sight of amid that feature list is just how little space it all takes up. The UP Play Max measures 27,6 × 20,8 × 8 mm and weighs 3 g, drawing power directly from USB-C at 5V and at least 0.5A, with iFi audio quoting consumption of under 10mA. Bluetooth range is rated at a minimum of 10m. None of that gets in the way of day-to-day use — plugged into a phone, it barely adds any bulk, and iFi audio’s own product photography shows it sitting just as comfortably on a tablet or laptop, reinforcing the pitch of a genuinely universal, plug-and-play accessory.

All benefits at a glance

• Six Bluetooth codecs on tap, including aptX Lossless and LDAC, regardless of what the host device supports natively
• Dedicated low-latency mode aimed squarely at gaming and video
• Dual headphone pairing for shared listening, with the SBC-only trade-off clearly disclosed
• K2 Technology adds an optional, switchable harmonic-reconstruction stage from JVCKENWOOD
• Built-in microphone with noise and echo suppression for calls and voice chat
• Particularly relevant for Apple iPhone and iPad, which are otherwise limited to AAC
• Auracast broadcasting confirmed for a future firmware update
• iFi Nexis app centralises every feature toggle and handles OTA updates
• Just 3 g and 27,6 × 20,8 × 8 mm, so it barely registers on a keyring or in a pocket

Price and availability

iFi audio has the UP Play Max on sale now, through its own webshop and via authorised retail partners, at a recommended European price of € 99,-. It arrives alongside a smaller stablemate, the iFi UP Play, which uses Bluetooth 5.2 and covers LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, AAC and SBC without aptX Lossless. That model keeps K2 Technology, dual headphone pairing, the low-latency mode and the built-in microphone, and costs € 59,-.

Getting to the point

What makes the UP Play Max worth a look isn’t any single feature so much as how much iFi audio has fitted into 3g: six codecs, a gaming-oriented low-latency mode, shared listening, a harmonic-reconstruction option, a microphone, and Auracast still to come. Apple users stand to gain the most immediately, since aptX Lossless and LDAC simply aren’t options on iPhone or iPad without a workaround like this one. The conditions are worth remembering all the same — the headphones or DAC on the other end need to support whatever codec you’re chasing, dual pairing drops down to SBC, and Auracast isn’t switched on yet.

Technical Specifications

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