Design

• No visible design changes over the original
• Fairly useless case
• Heavy, but comfortable

The AirPods Max 2 look exactly the same as the previous, slightly refreshed USB-C iteration of Apple’s over-ear headphones. That’s right down to the same five colour options, the purple of which I have in for review, and the Digital Crown for volume control.

The design is clearly popular. I see AirPods Max everywhere now, from the tube to the gym, and they’ve clearly become a fashion statement – something rival headphones from Sony and Bose have struggled to do. While they might be a staple of gyms everywhere, there’s no actual IP rating, so keep that in mind.

Part of the appeal is the look, and they are good-looking headphones. The AirPods Max 2 retain the same mesh-covered headband and telescoping arms, with those large aluminium earcups. They’re supremely well built, with none of the usual plastic so common in headphones.

But with metal comes weight, and the AirPods Max 2 are heavy. They weigh 386g, which makes them a lot heavier than the 250g Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen). As most of the weight is equally divided between the ear cups rather than on the top of the head, I mostly found them comfortable to wear during the testing period, but they do clamp tightly, and a few others I gave the headphones to noted they become harder to wear after an hour or so.

Some of my other issues with the original AirPods Max have carried over to the second generation, too. There is still no physical power button anywhere, with the pair only powering down when left untouched for an extended period or put in the included case. This is so frustrating and such an odd design omission. Let me turn the headphones off, please.

The Smart Case itself is another part of the package that needed a design rethink. To even call this a ‘case’ is a bit weak, as it’s basically just a piece of soft material that wraps around the earcups. There’s no protection for the headband at all, and no pockets to store cables – a feature you’ll find on just about every competing product.

Battery Life

• USB-C charging
• Good standby time in the Smart Case
• Around 20 hours of charge with ANC on

From my testing, and from what Apple has said, it doesn’t appear that there are notable increases to battery life here. The claim of 20 hours of charge with ANC on remains the same as when the AirPods Max launched, and in my testing, this claim rings true.

In my tests – a Spotify playlist playing at 50% volume – the AirPods Max 2 lasted about just over two hours before they dropped 10%. 20 hours is enough for most situations, even most of the longest flights, although it’s a number quite a lot lower than much of the competition.

You can’t really turn the headphones off, but when they’re placed inside the included case they power right down and can last for a long time without draining.

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd gen), Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 all hit closer to 30 hours, while the Nothing Headphone A can get to a whopping 75 hours (and near double that without ANC). 

Using the included USB-C cable,  a 5-minute fast charge added 90 minutes of listening time.

Features

• Spatial audio in supported apps and services
• Live translation
• Fantastic connectivity with iOS and other Apple devices

The biggest upgrade for the AirPods Max 2 comes with the new H2 chip. For anyone who has the AirPods Pro 3 (or AirPods Pro 2), that’s the same chip that sits inside those wireless buds. 

By moving to the H2, the AirPods Max 2 support a load of new features, like live translation, Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness. These are all available on the AirPods Pro, but were not on the AirPods Max.

I’ve used Conversation Awareness and Live Translation, and both work well – especially the latter. It’s best used for slower conversations, as the translation skills can get a bit confused in longer, more natural chats. Whether or not you’d feel comfortable talking to someone with these headphones on is another matter.

Like the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods Max 2 support Bluetooth 5.3. There’s no support for modern higher-res audio formats, like Snapdragon Sound or aptX Lossless. If you do want lossless audio, the included USB-C to USB-C cable can output audio at 24-bit / 48kHz.

The AirPods Max 2 work best when used as part of the Apple ecosystem. When paired with Apple devices, pairing is seamless and once they are connected to one device, any other device associated with that Apple ID is also immediately connected too. No need for any more pairing.

They can, of course, connect to any Bluetooth device, but the feature set is limited. Connect to a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, for example, and you have to rely on the physical controls for mode switching as there’s no dedicated app. Many of the H2 chip features also don’t work, like Live Translation and Adaptive Audio.

If you don’t live the Apple Life, I think you’re better off elsewhere.

Noise Cancellation

• An improvement over the AirPods Max
• Up there with the best from Sony and Bose
• Adequate microphone quality

Even though Apple is a relative junior when it comes to making ANC headphones, the noise cancelling here is just as good as the best Bose and Sony have to offer. My only real qualm is that you don’t have much control over it, with no settings available to tweak the effect.

Compared to the AirPods Max, the Max 2 are much better at cancelling out noise in all forms. From the low-end thump of machinery to the high-pitched squawk of an approaching London Underground tube carriage. The background chatter in a cafe is completely cut out and it’s replaced with silence.

It’s not perfect: I found loud cars pierced through the vale of silence as I walked to work. But again, even this is better than the first-gen product.

There are three ANC modes to pick from, and that’s all the customisation you get – where other brands other different levels of ANC, Apple does not. These modes include ANC on, Transparency and Adaptive Audio. Apple has the best Transparency mode around, with voices coming through perfectly naturally without any robotic edge. 

Adaptive audio aims to combine the transparency and ANC, letting in a little more sound – like people talking – but cancelling out the most egregious stuff. When I am walking around outside, this is the mode I typically stick with.

Call quality from the microphones is fine, but not as good as the AirPods Pro 3 (or the gold standard: Apple’s wired Earpods). Callers could hear me fine, although some noted that windy conditions could get in the way.

Sound Quality

• Wonderfully clear vocals
• Immersive, warm sound
• Same 40mm drivers, just with an updated amp

Thanks to the updated internals and the move to the H2 chip, the AirPods Max 2 sound amazing. These are some of the best mainstream headphones for pure sound quality I have ever listened to, and there’s a noticeable bump over the first-gen pair.

For me, the biggest upgrade is with vocals. There is much more definition here than with any of the AirPods I have ever used, and it makes for such a pleasing listening experience. Vocals are warm and immersive, even when streaming fairly average 320kbps songs via Spotify. In the softly spoken parts of Olivia Rodrigo’s Obsessed, the headphones produce a very impressive sound. I even noticed this extra bump to voices when listening to audiobooks.

Bass is tuned for fun, and that might annoy some purists. But it does make for a fun listen. I always love using Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy as a bass test, and the first few thumping seconds of the bass-heavy track sound tremendous here. Lively. Immersive and well defined, especially with the crisp vocals.

Apple makes headphones for the mainstream, rather than audiophiles, and as such, they adapt well to various genres. The soundstage is exceptionally wide, giving a very immersive feel. The opening bars of Geese’s Taxes have plenty of definition between all the instruments, and even on the high-end things don’t get too messy. There’s plenty of atmosphere in the orchestral elements of Charli XCX’s Altars, with far more richness than the AirPods Max.

While Apple doesn’t support any fancy new high-res streaming formats over Bluetooth, you can plug in via the included USB-C to USB-C cable at 24-bit / 48kHz. When plugged in and listening to the correct source, everything is amped up ever so slightly. There’s even more richness, definition and thump of bass.

Apple has been a big supporter of spatial audio for a while, and Apple Music has plenty of Dolby Atmos tunes. Spatial audio can be very hit and miss, especially with music. If a song is mixed badly, the Atmos version can often sound terrible – almost like you’re hearing it from far away. If you like the effect, the AirPods Max 2 are good at producing it.

Where Atmos does come into its own is with supported movies and TV shows. I watched Daredevil Born Again – an Atmos-enabled show on Disney Plus – and the extra dimension is really obvious here.

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Should you buy it?