What’s New in AirPods Max 2? Breaking down Apple’s Headphone Update
Two weeks removed since Apple’s recent product event, where we were treated to everything from the new iPhone 17e to the cheapest laptop Apple has ever made, the company surprised us with “one more thing.”
In a press release this morning, Apple quietly announced a long-awaited update to its popular AirPods Max headphones. Meet AirPods Max 2: a subtle refinement that offers improved noise cancellation, audio performance, and features, all in an identical frame for the same price of $549. They will be available to order from March 25, and will ship in April.
It’s good (finally) to see an update to Apple’s creatively growing headphones, which remain unchanged from their 2020 release, except for a few improvements such as a USB-C charging port and lossless audio support. Apple says the Max 2’s addition of the H2 chip (the same chip in AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3) provides noise cancellation that’s “1.5x more efficient” than before, alongside a new “pure sound” amplifier with improved surround sound support.
Courtesy of Apple
The H2 also offers modern Apple features, such as Voice Isolation, Live Translation, and surround sound features such as Conversation Awareness and Dynamic Sound, which adjusts the sound to your voice and the environment, respectively. Like the Max with USB-C, lossless audio is available on the new pair via wired connection at up to 24-bit/48-kHz with supported devices.
Still, it’s a little confusing to see Apple upgrade its premium headphones after so long without any meaningful hardware changes. The standard design of AirPods Max seems to be as rigid as before, with the same heavy aluminum chassis, and there is no mention of an upgrade to a rubberized “case” that wraps the earpads with a little protection for travel.
That’s in stark contrast to competing headphones like Bose and Sony, each of which has unleashed multiple updates to their best noise-canceling headphones over the past six years, including major increases in noise reduction and hardware upgrades to make the latest Sony WH-1000XM6 and the portable Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 among the most powerful wireless headphones on the market. A number of other competing brands, from Bowers & Wilkins to JBL, have made updates every year or two to incorporate the latest technology at the time.
Given the competition and the fact that the Max 2’s biggest improvements seem to be focused on the four-year-old H2 chip, this update feels a little underwhelming. That’s why Apple chose to hold the news until some of its most exciting product updates from earlier this month had time to cool in the window.
Apple does things its way, and the previous AirPods Max managed to stay relevant thanks to a combination of small improvements and impressive debut performance, even if it no longer matches high-end headphones. I will be surprised to see what, if anything, Apple has changed in the design of the Max 2, and how much improvement they can find in their new chipset and amplifier to restore the place in what is already among the most competitive spaces in audio.
