Apple has announced the AirPods Max 2, continuing its recent wave of product launches. The new over-ear headphones come more than five years after the original AirPods Max and keep the same $549 price tag.
Apple will open pre-orders for the AirPods Max 2 on March 25 in more than 30 countries, ahead of a wider release in early April. The company has kept the same industrial design, making the update feel more like a refresh of features and hardware than a visual redesign.
Apple says the AirPods Max 2 improve on the current model with stronger Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), better audio quality, and new intelligent features. The headphones use the same H2 chip found in the AirPods Pro 3 and introduce additions like Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation.
The most significant hardware upgrade appears to be in noise cancellation. Apple says the new headphones can deliver up to 1.5× more effective ANC than the original AirPods Max, driven by the H2 chip and updated computational audio algorithms. Transparency mode is also being improved, with Apple aiming for a more natural pass-through sound.
On the audio side, the Max 2 add support for 24-bit, 48kHz lossless audio and ultra-low-latency playback through the included USB-C cable. Apple says this will be particularly useful for musicians, editors, and other creators, as the headphones can also be used to create and mix in Personalized Spatial Audio with head tracking.
Adaptive Audio automatically balances ANC and Transparency depending on the user’s surroundings. Conversation Awareness lowers playback and reduces background noise when the wearer begins speaking with someone nearby.
Voice Isolation is meant to improve call clarity by prioritizing the user’s voice over background noise. The more eye-catching addition, though, is Live Translation, which enables real-time translated speech through the headphones. The feature requires an Apple Intelligence, capable iPhone and may be limited depending on language support and regional availability.
Apple has also included a number of creator-oriented features, such as studio-quality audio recording and camera remote controls using the Digital Crown. Other additions include Personalized Volume, Loud Sound Reduction, and reduced wireless latency in Game Mode on compatible Apple devices.
Apple lists battery life at up to 20 hours of listening with ANC and Spatial Audio active. Despite the addition of newer silicon, overall endurance remains largely unchanged.
Weight hasn’t changed much either. At 386.2 grams, the AirPods Max 2 are slightly heavier than the original version. Apple is also keeping the Smart Case and offering the headphones in midnight, starlight, blue, purple, and orange.
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