Just like that, out of the blue, Apple finally updated its “highest-end” over-the-ear headphones after it was left virtually untouched since its original debut. For years, the AirPods Pro has had the latest generation of Apple’s headphone chip, allowing for several advanced AirPods features, but now, the AirPods Max finally plays catch-up to make the AirPods lineup make sense once and for all (hopefully!)
AirPods Max 2 features the H2 headphone and Bluetooth 5.3 – the same technology found in the latest AirPods Pro. With the H2 chip built in, AirPods Max finally gets even more advanced features that AirPods Max users have been waiting for: Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and Live Translation.
With the built-in USB-C port, listeners can also take full advantage of 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio with the included cable, allowing them to listen to lossless audio offered by Apple Music, have a more responsive/immersive experience when playing games in Game Mode, or even ultra-low latency audio for Logic Pro, GarageBand, and other music creation apps.
AirPods Max 2 also brings several new features introduced in iOS 26 and other platforms, such as Live Translation and Personalized Volume. For AirPods Max 2, the camera remote feature can be achieved by pressing on the built-in Digital Crown so you can start recording seamlessly on the Camera app or any third-party camera apps.
AirPods Max 2 will continue to be offered in midnight, starlight, purple, blue, and orange. Pre-orders begin March 25, and it will be available to customers at the beginning of next month.
For what it’s worth, this is the update that Apple should’ve done a few years ago. For years, the AirPods Max has been neglected since it originally came out in December 2020. The only things that Apple updated during its original iteration were new colors and a USB-C port in September 2024 – nothing else, so the refresh was really bare-minimal. Apple did put out a firmware update to allow the built-in USB-C port to support true lossless playback. But other than that, even other sources claimed that Apple would continue to put the AirPods Max on the back burner. With Apple pushing out many improvements to its lower-priced in-ear models: the AirPods and the AirPods Pro, and other competitors pushing out improved over-the-ear headphones, Apple apparently felt pressured into really upgrading its over-the-ear headphones, so the AirPods Max 2 is really the update that customers really deserve. Sure, there are some features that could’ve made it to AirPods Max 2, such as improved water resistance and the built-in heart rate sensor, but at least it gives the AirPods Pro 3 a chance to shine in that department. It’s better late than never, but I’m glad that the AirPods lineup makes more sense for what the Max model is positioned at.
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