In a news post this morning, Apple quietly announced a long-awaited update to its popular AirPods Max headphones. Meet the AirPods Max 2: a subtle makeover that offers advanced noise cancellation, audio performance, and features, all in a similar frame for the same $549 price. They will be available to order from March 25th, with shipping starting in April.
It’s good to (finally) see an update to Apple’s increasingly aging flagship headphones, which, aside from a few upgrades like a USB-C charging port and lossless audio support, have remained largely unchanged since their 2020 release. Apple says the addition of the H2 chip (the same chip in the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3) to the Max 2 delivers noise cancellation that’s “1.5 times more effective” than before, as well as a new amplifier for “cleaner sound” with better spatial audio support.
Courtesy of Apple
The H2 also offers some modern Apple features, like voice isolation, Live Translation, and ambient sound features like conversation awareness and adaptive audio, which adjust audio according to your voice and 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 bit confusing to see Apple upgrading its premium headphones after so long without any meaningful hardware changes. The general design of the AirPods Max looks just as cumbersome as before, with the same heavy aluminum chassis, and no mention of an upgrade to the rubberized “case” that wraps around the earpads with less protection for travel.
This is in contrast to competing headphone brands like Bose and Sony, which have made several generational improvements to their best noise-canceling headphones over the past six years, including big leaps in noise reduction and hardware upgrades to make the latest Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 the most powerful and portable wireless headphones on the market. Many other rival brands, from Bowers & Wilkins to JBL, have made annual or biennial updates to incorporate the latest technologies over the same period.
Given the competition and the fact that the Max 2’s biggest upgrade focuses on the four-year-old H2 chip, this update feels a bit incomplete. Maybe that’s why Apple decided to hold off on this news until its other, more exciting product updates had some time to cool on the window earlier this month.
Apple does things its own way, and the previous AirPods Max managed to stay relevant thanks to a mix of minor upgrades and impressive debut performance, even if they’re no longer up there with best-in-class headphones. I’ll be interested to see what changes Apple makes to the design of the Max 2, and how much improvement they can make with their new chipset and amplifier to regain some of the most competitive spots in audio.
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