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Apple AirPods Max 2 It will be available to order starting March 25 at midnight in orange, purple, and blue, and will begin shipping in early April. The new over-ear AirPods were announced on March 16, and were met with mixed reactions on social media platforms, with some critics excited to finally see them get a meaningful upgrade after several years. Others expressed their regret They cost $549 when new from Apple MacBook Neo – A full-featured laptop – can be had for as little as $500 with Apple’s education discounts.
The high price of the AirPods Max was a source of contention when the original model launched in 2020, but that didn’t stop people from buying them and helped set a new standard for pricing premium noise-canceling headphones (higher-end models from Bose, Sony, and Bowers & Wilkins have received price hikes in recent years). The AirPods Max 2 price list is unchanged from the original price, and neither is the design. But the new headphones are now powered by Apple’s H2 chip instead of the H1, bringing the Max up to speed with other AirPods models, including AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4.
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This seems to be the biggest difference between Max 2 and Max 1which was updated with USB-C connectivity in September 2024 and USB-C audio in 2025 (with a firmware update). But that’s a big difference, as the H2’s more powerful chip brings a host of new features and some performance upgrades. There are also some other small but noticeable upgrades. Let’s take a look at what all these things are.
What are the AirPods Max 2 performance upgrades?
- Better Active Noise Cancellation (ANC): Apple says the Max 2 delivers 1.5 times more effective noise cancellation. Interestingly, this jump isn’t as large as the jumps in noise cancellation performance that the AirPods Pro made when going from the original AirPods Pro to the AirPods Pro 2 (2x better) to the AirPods Pro 3 (also 2x better or 4x better than the noise cancellation of the AirPods Pro).
- Cleaner sound: The Max 2 has a “new high dynamic range amplifier for clearer sound,” according to Apple.
- Improve spatial audio: Apple says spatial audio content sounds “better than ever, with improved instrument localization, more accurate and consistent bass response, and more natural mids and highs.”
- A more natural transparency mode: Thanks to the H2’s new, improved digital signal processing algorithm and the AirPods Max’s microphone array, Apple says the Max 2’s Transparency Mode (which lets you hear the outside world) sounds more natural.
- Better voice call performance (maybe): Although Apple didn’t mention anything about the upgraded microphones, voice calling performance should be improved a bit, thanks to more advanced algorithmic audio (powered by the H2 chip) that better filters out background noise while focusing on your voice during calls. However, this is something I have to test. There’s Apple’s sound-canceling feature for the Max 1, but the H2 chip provides more processing power.
What are the AirPods Max 2 feature upgrades?
The Max 2 now has most of the same features as Apple’s latest earbuds, including the following:
- Adaptive sound: Based on the noise levels in your environment, Max 2 automatically adjusts ANC and transparency levels to optimize the audio experience.
- Conversation awareness: When you start talking to someone, the volume of what you’re listening to is reduced, and your headphones go into transparency mode so you can carry on a conversation without removing your headphones.
- Studio quality audio recording: Allows you to record content with higher-quality audio and a more natural audio feel (Apple is rolling out this feature for content creators).
- Remote camera: You can capture content remotely by pressing the Digital Crown to take a photo and start or stop video recording while using the Camera app or compatible third-party camera apps on your iPhone or iPad.
- Direct translation: It allows what people say in another language to be translated in near real-time.
- Reduce loudness: Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) automatically blocks out exposure to loud environmental noise while preserving the sound signature of what you’re listening to.
- Personal size: Your listening experience automatically adjusts based on your preferences over time.
- Siri Interactions: You can respond to Siri ads by simply nodding yes or shaking your head no.
Features already available for the AirPods Pro 3 will come to the AirPods Max 2.
What is the difference between AirPods Max and Max 2?
- design: The Max 2 has the same design and dimensions as the Max (both weigh 13.6 ounces or 386.2 grams).
- issue: Comes with the same protective smart case.
- Color options: It is available in the same five color options.
- Battery life: Rated for up to 20 hours with noise cancellation for both models.
- USB-C audio: Both support 24-bit/48kHz lossless audio when connected with the included USB-C cable.
- Low latency: Playing iOS, MacOS, and iPadOS games in Game Mode reduces audio latency when using the Max and Max 2.
The Max 2 comes with the same color options as the Max 1.
How much of an upgrade are the AirPods Max 2 compared to the AirPods Max?
You could criticize Apple for not giving the AirPods Max 2 a bigger upgrade inside and out, with a refreshed design and perhaps new drivers. Some people, like me, were hoping that the upcoming AirPods Max would be the first AirPods to include the upcoming H3 chip, which is rumored to be in development.
All that said, it was a bit silly that Apple’s expensive flagship headphones didn’t at least have the H2 chip, which debuted in the AirPods Pro 2 in 2022. The addition of H2 is certainly welcome and could make the headphones, which already sounded excellent and had very good noise cancellation, up to 20% better when you factor in performance and feature upgrades. But I’ll reserve my final judgment until I get my hands on the AirPods Max 2 and A/B test them with the original.
It will be interesting to see where the price of the Max will change when it is phased out. It currently costs $450 Or $99 off their list price, but we could see that price dropping further. If you’re convinced to get the AirPods Max, the Max 2 are probably worth getting for the improvements. If you can’t afford the $549 price tag, I suspect that in the not-too-distant future, sites like Amazon will offer discounts that initially cut $30 off the price of the Max 2 and gradually bring the price down to closer to $500.