AirPods Max 2: Apple's over-ears catch up to AirPods Pro
Apple's wireless over-ear headphones have received their first real upgrade: The H2 chip delivers features that have long been standard on the AirPods Pro.
(Image: Apple)
Surprise successor to Apple's AirPods Max at the start of the week. The over-ears will go on sale in their second generation at the end of March, as the manufacturer announced on Monday. Externally, the AirPods Max 2 are practically indistinguishable from their predecessor, even the color selection remains the same. The central innovation, however, is Apple's H2 chip, which has been in the AirPods Pro for well over three years; the predecessor models of the Max 2 remain on the H1.
Many new functions for the Max
This means the AirPods Max will learn several functions already known from Apple's Pro in-ears: The Max 2 will support the adaptive mode for the first time, which offers an automated middle ground between active noise cancellation and transparency mode, thus not completely acoustically isolating the user from the outside world. Also new are voice isolation, which often completely filters out background noise during phone calls, and conversation detection. The latter turns down the music when the wearer suddenly starts speaking – however, this also happens when singing along shamelessly, as long as the function is not turned off.
Similar to the AirPods Pro, Apple also promises higher audio quality for voice and singing recordings with the integrated microphones in the Max 2. New is the optional, personalized volume control and an now automatically active protection function against ambient noise.
Further functional innovations include the Max 2 serving as a remote control for the iPhone camera and support for live translation – in conjunction with iPhones running Apple Intelligence. Head movements can be used to respond to read-out notifications, a function also found on the AirPods Pro (from generation 2).
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AirPods Max 2: Prices and Availability
Apple also promises "improved sound quality" for the AirPods Max 2, and the H2 chip is said to make active noise cancellation (ANC) work more effectively. The over-ears with USB-C can also be operated wired and thus support lossless audio at 24 bits and 48 kHz – with low latency.
The Max 2 cost 580 euros at Apple and will be available from March 25th. The color selection remains Midnight, Polar Star, Orange, Violet, and Blue. In retail, the price for the predecessor, which was quickly switched to USB-C at the end of 2024, is slightly over 450 euros.
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