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This $89 dongle brings aptX Lossless support to any Android or iPhone
Sep 24, 2026 — 7:02 AM ET
- iFi has launched the UP Play Max dongle for $89.
- It brings plug-and-play aptX Lossless and LDAC support to any Android phone or iPhone.
- It also supports dual headphones and will get Auracast support with a future update.
Bluetooth audio is convenient, sure, but it often comes with trade-offs in sound quality. That is especially true when a smartphone doesn’t support codecs like LDAC or aptX Lossless. While several Android phones come with support for these codecs, many don’t. iPhone users are often worse off, since Apple still only supports SBC and AAC for Bluetooth audio, which handicaps expensive wireless headphones and lossless streaming services alike.
That’s the exact problem iFi is trying to fix with the new UP Play Max. It’s a USB-C dongle that plugs into any smartphone and bypasses its native Bluetooth codecs, offering its own set of high-quality codecs, including LDAC and aptX Lossless. The UP Play Max also includes a low-latency mode for gaming and a built-in mic for taking calls while the dongle is connected to your phone.
iFi says the UP Play Max can also restore harmonic information lost in digital processing using its K2HD technology. You can enable (or disable) this through the iFi Nexis app. It will be worth seeing whether K2HD actually results in better-sounding music, but it’s good to know the feature isn’t always on, leaving the choice to the user.
The dongle also lets users connect two pairs of headphones to a single device for shared listening. However, it’s worth noting that the UP Play Max is limited to the SBC codec when two headphones are connected. For users with Auracast-compatible headphones, a future update will add Auracast support to the dongle, allowing them to connect as many headphones as they want without pairing requests or passwords.
The iFi UP Play Max is available from the iFi website and authorized retailers for $89.
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