Just when we all thought Apple was done with its big blitz of spring launches, the tech giant has dropped something none of us were expecting – an all-new pair of wireless headphones.
The Apple AirPods Max 2 have been a long time coming. Arriving with an H2 chip, the new headphones promise up to 1.5 times better active noise cancellation, improved sound quality and a bunch of intelligent new features, including adaptive audio, conversation awareness and live translation.
Apple’s over-ear headphones haven’t been given a major update since they first launched in 2020. While Apple added new colour variants in 2024 and replaced the Lightning port with USB-C, the headphones themselves had started to feel increasingly dated. Available to pre-order soon, here’s everything you need to know about the AirPods Max 2.
Apple AirPods Max 2 UK price and release date
The AirPods Max 2 cost £499 in the UK. That’s the same price as the original AirPods Max. You’ll be able to pre-order the headphones on 25 March.
They’ll be available in five colours – midnight, starlight, orange, purple and blue, and will be available to buy officially in April.
Apple AirPods Max 2: £499, Apple.com
While the AirPods Max 2 look exactly the same as the previous model, Apple has yanked its over-ear headphones into the present with the inclusion of an H2 chip, which has been a mainstay of the regular AirPods since the AirPods Pro 2.
Apple says the H2 chip improves the headphones’ audio processing and enables up to 1.5 times more effective active noise cancellation (ANC) compared with the previous generation. This will be interesting to test given the AirPods Max already have some fantastic active noise cancellation.
The new chip is also responsible for a series of new features on the latest pair of headphones – many of which have already been available on the AirPods Pro for some time.
This includes adaptive audio, which automatically adjusts noise cancellation and transparency mode depending on the sounds in your environment, as well as conversation awareness, which lowers your music and enhances voices when you start speaking to someone nearby.
Like the AirPods Pro, the AirPods Max 2 now feature voice isolation, which isolates your voice and strips out background noise. Apple is also bringing onboard live translation, which can translate conversations in real time when paired with a compatible iPhone. It has also added its studio-quality audio recording feature for podcasters and interviewers, as well as the camera remote feature, so you can just press the the digital crown to take a picture or start/stop video recording on your iPhone or iPad.
Apple also says that sound quality has been improved. The AirPods Max 2 now feature a high dynamic range amplifier, which is designed to deliver cleaner audio with better separation between instruments. Audiophiles will also be pleased to hear that the AirPods Max 2 now support 24-bit, 48kHz lossless audio when connected via USB-C. This means sound engineers will also be able to use the headphones for studio-quality listening and mixing.
You still get 20 hours of battery life on a single charge with ANC turned on.
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