AirPods Max 2 one-month review: Spot the difference?
The AirPods Max 2 offer minimal changes from the original model, retaining the same design, weight, and problematic case. While the addition of the H2 chip improves active noise cancellation and enables features like lossless audio over USB-C, many longstanding issues remain unaddressed. At $549, the upgrade lacks compelling reasons for existing owners to switch.
- ▪The AirPods Max 2 look identical to the first generation, with the same materials, colors, and design flaws.
- ▪A new H2 chip enables better noise cancellation and USB-C support for lossless audio, but the chip is not new to Apple's product lineup.
- ▪The headphones still use a fragile mesh headband and an inadequate case that offers little protection and is required to put the device into sleep mode.
- ▪Controls and overall weight remain unchanged, with the device continuing to weigh 386.2 grams.
- ▪There is no alternative way to put the AirPods Max 2 into sleep mode aside from using the magnetic Smart Case.
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Review AirPods Max 2 one-month review: Spot the difference? Oliver Haslam 0 e-mail BlueSky Mastodon X Facebook Reddit Fri May 01 2026, 04:07 PM EDT · 7 minute read AirPods Max 2 review: Almost identical to the OG model Review Rating Buy at Amazon -> If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy. A month after Apple's AirPods Max 2 went on sale, there's a lot to like, but little of it is new, and there's not much reason to upgrade from the original model. That's the uncomfortable truth that I came to after spending a few weeks with Apple's premium headphones. But it also shouldn't be a surprise for anyone who took even a cursory glance at the specs sheet. Any second-generation product takes what the first-gen model did well and then builds upon it.
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