Apple's AirPods Max 2 will be available to order starting March 25 in midnight, starlight, orange, purple and blue, and begin shipping in early April. Announced out of the blue on March 16, the new over-ear AirPods were greeted with mixed reactions on social-media platforms, with some pundits excited to see them finally getting a meaningful upgrade after several years. Others lamented that they cost $549 when Apple's new Macbook Neo -- a full-fledged laptop -- could be had for as little as $500 with Apple's education-pricing discounts.

The AirPods Max's high price 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 benchmark for pricing for premium noise-canceling headphones (top models from Bose, Sony and Bowers & Wilkins have all received price hikes in recent years). The list price for the AirPods Max 2 hasn't changed from the original, and neither has the design. But the new headphones are now powered by Apple's H2 chip rather than the H1, which brings the Max up to date with other AirPods models, including the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4.

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That appears to be the biggest difference between the Max 2 and the Max 1, which was updated with USB-C connectivity in September 2024 and USB-C audio in 2025 (with a firmware update). But it's a big difference, as the more powerful H2 chip brings a host of new features and some performance upgrades. And there are also a few other small but notable upgrades. Let's have a look at just what all those are.

What are the AirPods Max 2 performance upgrades?

• Better active noise canceling (ANC): Apple says the Max 2 offers 1.5x more effective noise canceling. Interestingly, that jump isn't as big as the jumps in noise-canceling performance that the AirPods Pro made when moving 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 AirPods Pro's noise canceling). 
• Cleaner sound: The Max 2 has a new "high-dynamic range amplifier for even cleaner audio," according to Apple.
• Improved spatial audio: Apple says that spatial audio content sounds "better than ever, with improved localization of instruments, more accurate and consistent bass response and more natural-sounding mids and highs."
• Even more natural transparency mode: Thanks to a new digital signal processing algorithm optimized for H2 and the microphone array on AirPods Max, Apple says the Max 2's transparency mode (which allows you to hear the outside world) sounds even more natural.  
• Better voice-calling performance (maybe): While Apple didn't mention anything about upgraded microphones, voice-calling performance should be slightly improved, thanks to more advanced computational audio (powered by the H2 chip) that better filters out background noise while homing in on your voice during calls. That said, this is something I'll have to test. Apple's Voice Isolation feature exists for the Max 1, but the H2 chip does provide 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 Audio: Based on the noise levels in your environment, the Max 2 automatically adjusts the levels of ANC and transparency to optimize the audio experience.
• Conversation Awareness: When you start speaking to someone, the volume of whatever you're listening to is reduced, and the headphones enter transparency mode so you can have a conversation without taking the headphones off.
• Studio-quality audio recording: Allows you to record content with higher-quality audio and a more natural vocal texture (Apple pitches this feature toward content creators).
• Camera Remote: You can capture content at a distance 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 iPhone or iPad.
• Live Translation: Allows for near real-time translations of what people are saying in another language.
• Loud Sound Reduction: ANC automatically kicks in to prevent exposure to loud environmental noise while preserving the sound signature of what you're listening to.
• Personalized Volume: Your listening experience is automatically fine-tuned based on your preferences over time.
• Siri interactions: You can respond to Siri announcements by simply nodding your head yes or shaking your head no.

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What's the same between the AirPods Max and Max 2

• Design: The Max 2 has the same design and dimensions as the Max (they both weigh 13.6 ounces or 386.2 grams).
• Case: It comes with the same protective smart case.
• Color options: It's available in the same five color options.
• Battery life: It's rated at up to 20 hours with noise canceling for both models.
• USB-C audio: They 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. 

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How much of an upgrade is the AirPods Max 2 compared to the AirPods Max?

You can criticize Apple for not doing an even more substantial AirPods Max 2 upgrade inside and out, with an updated design and perhaps new drivers. And some folks, like me, were hoping that the next AirPods Max would be the first AirPods to include its upcoming H3 chip, rumored to be in development.

All that said, it was getting a bit ridiculous that Apple's pricey flagship over-ear headphones didn't at least have the H2 chip, which first appeared in the AirPods Pro 2 in 2022. The addition of the H2 is certainly welcome and could make the headphones, which already sounded excellent and had very good noise-canceling, as much as 20% better when you factor in the performance and feature upgrades. But I'll withhold my final verdict until I get my hands on the AirPods Max 2 and A/B test them against the original.

It will be interesting to see where pricing shakes out for the Max as it's phased out. They currently cost $450 or $99 off their list price, but we could see that price drop even more. If you're sold on getting the AirPods Max, the Max 2 are likely worth getting for the improvements. If you can't afford the $549 price, I suspect that in the not-so-distant future, sites like Amazon will offer discounts that initially shave $30 off the Max 2's price and gradually bring the price down closer to $500.