Apple AirPods Max 2 vs AirPods Max: which are better?

Earlier this year, Apple launched the AirPods Max 2. And they were long overdue – the original AirPods Max launched at the end of 2020, followed by a minor refresh in 2024. Given that most major brands update their headphones every couple of years, Apple fans were left waiting an age.

While the 2024 refresh switched the connector port from Lightning to USB-C, very little else changed. The AirPods Max 2, however, bring new features, more effective ANC and enhanced sound quality.

So should you buy the new model? Or would you be better off with the original AirPods Max? Now we've put the AirPods Max 2 through their paces, let's see how they compare to the first-gen cans.

Apple AirPods Max 2 vs AirPods Max: tech specs

Apple AirPods Max 2 vs AirPods Max: price

The original AirPods Max launched at £549 / $549 / AU$899, which at the time was an unprecedented price for a pair of wireless consumer headphones (though similarly-priced rivals soon emerged). The 2024 refresh dropped the UK price to £499, while the US and Australian price tags remained unchanged.

The AirPods Max 2 cost the same in the UK and US, though the price has risen by AU$100 in Australia. You'll pay £499 / $549 / AU$999 for the sequel.

Apple no longer sells the original pair, but you can still find them at third-party retailers. Coupled with the higher chance of a discount now that they're being replaced, this round just goes to the original AirPods Max.

** Winner: Apple AirPods Max **

Apple AirPods Max 2 vs AirPods Max: build & comfort

The original AirPods Max set new standards in terms of luxurious materials and comfort levels, and for the second-gen pair, there's good and bad news. The good news? They have the same build and materials. The bad? They have the same build and materials.

That's good because they're exceptionally well made – the anodised aluminium earcups, the stainless steel headband and memory foam earcups all exude a high level of luxury. Weight is well distributed across your head, the earcups' pressure is well judged to keep them in place without clamping too tightly, and the hinges, telescopic arms and buttons are all beautifully made and finished to precision.

It's just after waiting six years, we expected Apple to advance the design a little.

It also means that the original issues persist. The headphones still don't fold up into a ball, and they still have that silly case that looks ridiculous and doesn't really protect them if dropped.

They also weigh 386g, and while they don't feel heavy to wear, taking them off does come as something of a relief to your ears.

On the plus side, they offer the same winning digital crown control method as the original pair.

In summary, very little has changed in terms of design. The AirPods Max 2 even come in the same five finishes as the 2024 refresh: Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple and Orange.

** Winner: Draw **

Apple AirPods Max 2 vs AirPods Max: features

So far, so standard. But it's in the features department that Apple has made some real strides. The AirPods Max 2 have an H2 chip, compared to the original pair's H1. This enables features previously seen in Apple's AirPods Pro 3 earbuds.

Adaptive Audio automatically adjusts levels of noise cancelling to account for environmental noise, Conversation Awareness automatically detects when you're speaking and lowers the volume of your music for a brief chat, while Live Translation translates conversations in real time (though you'll need an iPhone 16 or later running Apple Intelligence to make this work).

Voice Isolation brings voices to the fore while minimising ambient noise, so you can hear the person you're calling more clearly. Next-gen Adaptive EQ optimises the sound to your head/ear shape and fit. And you can press the Digital Crown to activate your iPhone's camera shutter.

You can also respond to Siri announcements by nodding or shaking your head.

These join the original AirPods Max's feature set, which includes Bluetooth (version 5.0 on the original, 5.3 on the AirPods Max 2), active noise cancellation (ANC) and Transparency mode, Spatial Audio with dynamic headtracking, as well as wired listening over USB-C.

Sadly, the battery life remains at 20 hours. That's borderline pitiful, considering that some rival pairs manage three times that.

** Winner: Apple AirPods Max 2 **

Apple AirPods Max 2 vs AirPods Max: noise cancellation

The noise cancellation was one of the highlights of the original AirPods Max, and Apple has improved it for the Max 2.

Thanks to the H2 chip and revised audio algorithms, the AirPods Max 2 offer active noise cancellation that's up to 1.5x more effective than their predecessors. Transparency mode – which allows in outside sounds to keep you more aware of your surroundings – should also sound more natural thanks to the optimised algorithm for processing digital signals.

The AirPods Max 2 have the same total of mics as the original pair – nine, eight of which are used for ANC.

We found them better at reducing noise across the frequency range, reducing common sounds to a mere murmur. On the London Underground, the Max 2's ANC "does a fine job of damping down the loud rumbles and screeches so they don’t intrude upon the music," we wrote in our AirPods Max 2 review. "The noise-cancelling effect is also quite natural and airy, and you’re never much aware of the processing going on each second."

Midrange sounds do occasionally slip through, so if you do want absolute silence from your ANC, you might be better off with another pair of the best noise-cancelling headphones.

Adaptive Audio and Transparency modes work well too, with a natural effect that keeps sudden loud noises in check.

But then the original AirPods Max are no slouch in this area. In our Apple AirPods Max review, we described the original's noise cancellation as "excellent". They let very little noise through, and are very good at combatting chit-chat. It's a subtle, natural effect which many people will prefer over the vacuum-like feeling of some more effective pairs.

But they're trumped by their successors.

** Winner: Apple AirPods Max 2 **

Apple AirPods Max 2 vs AirPods Max: sound

The original AirPods Max earned five stars and a What Hi-Fi? Award, so they obviously sound pretty amazing. And the AirPods Max 2 have had a sonic upgrade.

While they have the same sonic signature as the originals, there's a new high dynamic range amplifier to make the audio cleaner. Spatial Audio claims to have improved instrument placement, along with more accurate and consistent bass response, and "more natural-sounding mids and highs," according to Apple.

You get the same 24-bit/48kHz lossless audio over the USB-C cable as their predecessors, while we're also promised reduced audio latency over wireless.

How do these play out in the real world? In short, very well indeed.

You get the same natural sense of airiness, but with slightly more detail, precision, dynamics and weight. The sonic balance is smooth, with a little more punch, and they sound a bit more open than their predecessors.

"Voices are a strong point, with Laura Marling's lilting vocals on Hope In The Air sounding immediate and nuanced, and there is a good amount of brooding menace to Ice T's Addicted To Danger," we wrote in our review.

The top end is a little rolled off though, which can lessen the impact of certain aspects of a track.

So, they are an improvement on the original Max, which were themselves game changers back in 2020. In our original AirPods Max review we praised their "super-crisp and spacious" delivery. "Light on their feet, rhythmically nimble and exciting, they feel like a significant step up in terms of sonic sophistication, as well as build quality, from most headphones that came before them," we noted.

(It's worth noting that this was in 2020, before the premium class of wireless headphones really existed.)

While the sequels do take things on a step sonically, it's only a small step – the difference between the two isn't night and day. With such fierce competition around this level, we had to dock the AirPods Max 2 a star.

** Winner: Apple AirPods Max 2**

Apple AirPods Max 2 vs AirPods Max: verdict

The AirPods Max 2 are better than the originals in several ways. They have a handful of new features and deliver advances in both the crucial areas of sound quality and active noise cancellation. Like the 2024 refresh, they also have the more modern USB-C connection, as opposed to the older Lightning port.

But with the same design, same finishes, same battery life, and only marginal gains in terms of sound and ANC, the AirPods Max 2 are nothing like the revelation that their predecessors were. That says more about the current premium headphones market than it does about Apple, but it's a little disappointing nonetheless.

** Winner: Apple AirPods Max 2 **

MORE:

Read our Apple AirPods Max 2 review

And our original Apple AirPods Max review

Apple AirPods Max vs AirPods Max 2024: what are the differences?

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