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AirPods Max 2 vs AirPods Max: What’s the difference?
In This Article
Apple recently announced the AirPods Max 2, or the ‘AirPods Max’ as they’re now labelled on Apple’s website.
The AirPods Max 2 replace the originalAirPods Maxthat launched back in 2020. However, instead of a redesign and feature overhaul, Apple has decided not to fix something that isn’t broken, only applying a handful of minor upgrades to its over-ear AirPods.
Keep reading to discover how the AirPods Max 2 compare to the AirPods Max, or head to ourbest AirPodsguide to learn more about Apple’s audio line-up, including theAirPods Pro 2and theAirPods 3.
We’d also recommend checking out some of our otherbest headphonesandnoise-cancelling headphonesreviews, including key AirPods Max rivals, like theSony WH-1000XM5and theBose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.
Price
The AirPods Max 2 are available to buy from September 20 2024, with pre-orders open now. The headphones are priced at £499.
The original AirPods Max launched in December 2020, but are no longer available directly through Apple. You can, however, pick up the headphones from many third-party retailers, such as Amazon, for the same £499 price.
The AirPods Max 2 comes in new colours
The AirPods Max 2 are available in five new colours, including Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple and Orange.
The original AirPods Max came in five colours: Silver, Space Grey, Sky Blue, Pink and Green.
The AirPods Max 2 feature USB-C charging
The biggest upgrade coming to the AirPods Max 2 this year is easily USB-C charging.
The USB-C port has replaced the Lightning port on the original AirPods Max 2, making charging significantly more convenient. You can now use the same cable to charge your headphones that you use to charge to youriPhone 15or16,MacBookor USB-C-supportingiPad.
This essentially means fewer charging cables to sort through at home and carry around on the go.
Unfortunately, this upgrade hasn’t improved the charging time or battery life, with both remaining the same across the two generations of AirPods Max.
The AirPods Max and Max 2 share the same features
Otherwise, the AirPods Max and AirPods Max 2 are practically identical.
The two headphones share the same eye-catching, over-ear design, the same sound quality and the same features, from active noise cancellation to Hey Siri support. Both pairs of headphones also include Adaptive EQ and Spatial Audio with dynamic head-tracking technology.
Finally, both the AirPods Max and the Max 2 are primarily controlled via the Digital Crown on the left earcup and share the same 20-hour battery life.
Early verdict
The AirPods Max 2 is a very minor upgrade over the original AirPods Max. In four years, Apple has added five new colours to the same unique design and has swapped the Lightning charging standard for the more universal USB-C.
If you already have the AirPods Max 2, this generation probably won’t justify an upgrade, but those who haven’t picked a pair up yet will want to get the AirPods Max 2 for the USB-C port.
All of that being said, we haven’t gotten our hands on the AirPods Max 2 just yet, so we recommend waiting for our review to hear our final verdict on Apple’s second pair of over-ears.
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Hannah joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer in 2019 after graduating with a degree in English from Royal Holloway, University of London. She’s also worked and studied in the US, holding positions …
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
