Apple AirPods Max 2 Review: The Best Over-Ears for iOS

The Bluetooth connection has also been improved from Bluetooth 5.0 to Bluetooth 5.3. As anyone has experienced popping up 45 different strangers’ headphones on their iPhone at the airport, the improvement in connection stability is most noticeable in Bluetooth-heavy environments; I didn’t see any dropouts. You can now plug headphones into your phone for reduced latency and better sound quality, which is a bit of a bummer for me as I’m one of the vast majority for whom lossless audio doesn’t matter.

As far as sound is concerned: these are the best sounding headphones I’ve ever tried. (In listening tests I compared them to the Sonos Ace.) Anything with a big bass line sounds amazing with Apple headphones, and that iconic “headbanger” intro to Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On” vibrates through my skull without sounding garish.

Photograph: Adrienne So

Normally the main criticism of the AirPods Max line is that the highs are painfully bright, but I didn’t mind this with Kacey Musgraves’ pure, clear vocals on “Everybody Wants to Be a Cowboy.” I could also enjoy the full speed and expression of Billy Strings’ intricate fingerpicking. The dance music also sounds incredible—I loved the big artists at La Roux trouble in Paradise And also found that I’ve been listening to a lot of Robin songs sexual related. There’s still no manually adjustable EQ, so you’re better off being happy with how it sounds since you’re not changing it.

As is the case with most Apple products, if you already have a pair of the OG AirPods Max, you don’t really need to spend money to upgrade. However, if you have an iPhone and are considering whether to get these, the Sony Pair, or the Bose, these are probably the ones you should go for.

They look amazing; They block out the wheezing of giant propeller blades of death and the screaming of your children while playing paper mario in the next room. They now come with a brand new set of software upgrades that make them the most useful headphones for iOS alongside the AirPods Pro 3.

And if it matters to you — it probably does, because you’re reading this review — the AirPods Max 2 still look and feel completely different from every other headphone. Why mess with a design that can be seen by anyone even from 100 yards away? However, I wish they still came in green.