Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The long wait for the next generation from Apple is over AirPods Max Headphones, which were first released in 2020. Apple announced today that AirPods Max 2 It will be powered by the H2 chip housed in AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4. They offer 1.5x more effective noise cancellation and a “new high dynamic range subwoofer for cleaner sound.” The new AirPods Max will be priced at $549, the same as the original model.
Read more: The best headphones of 2026
Although the design of the headphones does not appear to have changed, this new version brings the Max up to date with the other AirPods models in the line. It will offer features powered by the H2 chip, including adaptive audio, conversation awareness, sound isolation, live translation, and Siri interactions. It also supports studio-quality audio recording and remote camera control.
The more powerful chip (the original AirPods Max were powered by the H1 chip) should also help improve voice calling performance as it allows for more advanced AI filtering of background noise while isolating your voice. Apple also says that Transparency mode feels more natural.
The new Airpods Max 2 will be available in the same colors as the USB-C AirPods Max.
Apple’s updated USB-C version of the original AirPods Max was hard to call a true 2.0 product, but it does have some small updates along with additional color options. The AirPods Max 2 have a few things in common with them: they also support 24-bit and 48kHz lossless audio when connected with the included USB-C cable. Playing iOS, MacOS, and iPadOS games in Game Mode reduces audio latency when using AirPods Max 2.
There’s been no mention of Apple changing the protective carrying case for the AirPods Max 2. Until I hear otherwise, I’ll assume they come with the same case, which has a more minimalist style. However, not everyone likes it due to its wallet-like aesthetic.
AirPods Max 2 will be available to order starting March 25 at midnight in orange, purple and blue, with availability starting in early April.
I’ll have a full review once I get my hands on a pair.