The New AirPods Max 2 Will Finally Have Features Apple’s Earbuds Have Had for Years

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On Monday, Apple officially announced the AirPods Max 2. As the name implies, this is the first major update to the AirPods Max since Apple introduced the over-the-ear headphones in 2020. The company previously rolled out a minor refresh for the AirPods Max, but this only replaced the original pair's Lightning port with USB-C, and enabled Apple to add a couple neat perks via software update. AirPods Max 2, however, come with new features out of the gate—features that Apple's earbuds have actually had for years.

First, an answer to the question most likely on your mind: No, Apple did not change the price. These headphones are still $549, which is expensive, even for high-end over the ear headphones. Take a look at PCMag's list of the best headphones for 2026, and you'll see similar options from competitors like Sony and Bose reach up to $450 or $460, but none break $500—and you'll often find huge discounts on these headphones to boot. The AirPods Max's price tag has always made these headphones hard to recommend, even though I personally love them. That's still the case with the AirPods Max 2.

Still, Apple is offering a lot more functionality for the same price, and seeing as $549 in 2020 is worth nearly $700 in 2025, you are getting quite a bit more for your money with the AirPods Max 2. The new headphones get Apple's H2 chip, which Apple says improves noise cancellation by up to 1.5 times, and enables "even more natural" Transparency mode. The company says the new headphones have a new high dynamic range amplifier "for even cleaner audio," while maintaining the sound signature from the previous generation AirPods Max. Meanwhile, Spatial Audio sounds "better than ever" with "more accurate and consistent bass response, and more natural-sounding mids and highs." Like the USB-C AirPods Max, these headphones support 24-bit 48 kHz lossless audio when connected via a wired USB-C cable.

AirPods Max 2's "new" features

So, according to Apple, AirPods Max 2 sound better than AirPods Max. That's to be expected from a new generation of headphones. In my view, however, the real upgrade here are all the "intelligent" features that AirPods Max 2 now support. For the first time, AirPods Max supports Adaptive Audio, which automatically adjusts noise cancellation and Transparency levels to match your environment. That also includes Conversation Awareness, which automatically lowers the volume and reduces background sounds when you start speaking. That way, you can hear someone clearly while having a conversation with your AirPods Max on, and when you're done talking, your audio comes back at its previous volume.

The new AirPods also support Voice Isolation, which blocks out background noise and emphasizes your voice during calls, as well as Personalized volume, which adjusts the volume based on your past preferences. There's "Loud Sound Reduction," which caps the loudness of externals sounds while preserving the sounds themselves. (You could wear these to a concert and still hear everything, but protect yourself from sounds that are too loud.) You can also nod or shake your head to interact with Siri, rather than speak your commands. (If Siri asks you whether you'd like to respond to a message, you can nod to accept, or shake your head to dismiss.) You can also take advantage of Live Translation, Apple's feature that translates conversations on the fly.

The thing is, none of these features are actually new, and with exception to some (namely Live Translation), have been available on some AirPods models for years. It's great that Apple finally added them to the AirPods Max, but it is frustrating that the USB-C model didn't include them for that $549 price point.

Apple says that you can pre-order AirPods Max 2 starting March 25, in midnight, starlight, orange, purple, and blue, and that the headphones will be available starting early next month. Now that these headphones are official, however, keep an eye out for discounts on the previous generation AirPods Max. Amazon tends to have good deals on AirPods Max from time to time, and now that there's a new model, the previous ones should go down in price even more—as long as there's availability. As of this piece, the best deals appear to be on renewed models.