Apple recently announced the AirPods Max 2, or the ‘AirPods Max’ as they’re now labelled on Apple’s website.
The AirPods Max 2 replace the original AirPods Max that launched back in 2020. However, instead of a redesign and feature overhaul, Apple has decided not to fix something that isn’t broken, only applying a handful of minor upgrades to its over-ear AirPods.
Keep reading to discover how the AirPods Max 2 compare to the AirPods Max, or head to our best AirPods guide to learn more about Apple’s audio line-up, including the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 3.
We’d also recommend checking out some of our other best headphones and noise-cancelling headphones reviews, including key AirPods Max rivals, like the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.
Price
The AirPods Max 2 are available to buy from September 20 2024, with pre-orders open now. The headphones are priced at £499.
The original AirPods Max launched in December 2020, but are no longer available directly through Apple. You can, however, pick up the headphones from many third-party retailers, such as Amazon, for the same £499 price.
The AirPods Max 2 comes in new colours
The AirPods Max 2 are available in five new colours, including Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple and Orange.
The original AirPods Max came in five colours: Silver, Space Grey, Sky Blue, Pink and Green.
The AirPods Max 2 feature USB-C charging
The biggest upgrade coming to the AirPods Max 2 this year is easily USB-C charging.
The USB-C port has replaced the Lightning port on the original AirPods Max 2, making charging significantly more convenient. You can now use the same cable to charge your headphones that you use to charge to your iPhone 15 or 16, MacBook or USB-C-supporting iPad.
This essentially means fewer charging cables to sort through at home and carry around on the go.
Unfortunately, this upgrade hasn’t improved the charging time or battery life, with both remaining the same across the two generations of AirPods Max.
The AirPods Max and Max 2 share the same features
Otherwise, the AirPods Max and AirPods Max 2 are practically identical.
The two headphones share the same eye-catching, over-ear design, the same sound quality and the same features, from active noise cancellation to Hey Siri support. Both pairs of headphones also include Adaptive EQ and Spatial Audio with dynamic head-tracking technology.
Finally, both the AirPods Max and the Max 2 are primarily controlled via the Digital Crown on the left earcup and share the same 20-hour battery life.
Early verdict
The AirPods Max 2 is a very minor upgrade over the original AirPods Max. In four years, Apple has added five new colours to the same unique design and has swapped the Lightning charging standard for the more universal USB-C.
If you already have the AirPods Max 2, this generation probably won’t justify an upgrade, but those who haven’t picked a pair up yet will want to get the AirPods Max 2 for the USB-C port.
All of that being said, we haven’t gotten our hands on the AirPods Max 2 just yet, so we recommend waiting for our review to hear our final verdict on Apple’s second pair of over-ears.
