Headphones · Review
Apple AirPods Max 2
The most luxurious-feeling headphones here, but heavy, short on battery and hard to justify outside the Apple ecosystem.
86
out of 100
Our verdict
The AirPods Max 2 brings Apple's H2 chip to its over-ear headphones, adding Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness and noticeably stronger noise cancellation than the original. The aluminum and mesh construction still feels more luxurious than any competitor, and the sound is rich and spacious, with excellent spatial audio on Apple devices. The trade-offs are familiar: at 386 grams they are heavy, the 20-hour battery trails rivals by a wide margin, and the Smart Case remains the only way to put them to sleep. Outside the Apple ecosystem they are hard to justify.
What's good
- Premium aluminum build that feels built to last
- Big ANC upgrade from the H2 chip
- Lossless audio over USB-C
- Seamless switching across Apple devices
What's not
- Heavy at 386g
- 20-hour battery is well behind rivals
- No power button; sleeps only in the Smart Case
- Lossless is wired-only and Android users lose most features
How it scores
How we rate →Specifications
- Type
- Over-ear, wireless (USB-C wired)
- Noise cancellation
- Active, with Adaptive Audio and Transparency
- Battery life
- 20 hours ANC on
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth 5.3 (H2 chip), 24-bit/48kHz lossless over USB-C
- Weight
- 386g