The AirPods Max 2 exposes what a rip-off the 2024 refresh was

Six years. That’s how long I’ve watched AirPods Max owners wait for Apple to update its flagship over-ear headphones. The AirPods Max 2 are finally here (well, almost; they will arrive early April), and they’re essentially the 2024 USB-C model with an H2 chip dropped in. That’s it. With so many potential areas for improvement left unchanged, I’m left asking: why wasn’t this the refresh Apple released two years ago?

2024 already brought a half-hearted “upgrade” forced by the EU

When Apple took the stage at its September 2024 event, AirPods Max fans were hoping for a real successor. What they got was a USB-C port and five new colors.

To be clear, Apple didn’t even volunteer that much. The European Union mandated that all new electronics sold in the region use USB-C by the end of 2024. Apple was effectively forced to swap the port out — it had no choice. So it did the bare minimum: new port, new colors, same H1 chip that shipped in the original 2020 model, same $549 price tag.

Now, it’s not like the company couldn’t add the H2 chip back then. After all, the H2 chip has been in AirPods Pro 2 since 2022. The hardware existed; Apple just chose not to put it in the AirPods Max refresh. Instead, it collected the goodwill of a “new” product announcement and left Max owners with a four-year-old chip for another year, missing out on features like Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation, which the AirPods Max 2 now finally support.

Six years later, and all the same problems

Aside from the same-old chip, I could overlook the lack of design changes in the AirPods Max (2024) under the assumption that Apple was working hard on engineering a new and improved AirPods Max 2. Instead, all we’re getting is what the 2024 refresh should have been. My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined, especially given how much needed fixing:

• The case is still a pouch. This has been a punchline since 2020. Apple’s $549 headphones ship with what can only be described as a mesh bra, offering essentially zero protection for the ear cups. A proper hard case has been on every wishlist since day one. It’s still not here.
• Still no power button. To power down the AirPods Max, you put them in the case (the same case everyone hates) to trigger low-power mode. No way to actually turn them off otherwise, and it remains the only option.
• Same weight and fit. The AirPods Max are heavy for an over-ear headphone, and the clamping force has been a point of contention. There’s still no folding mechanism, meaning they take up more bag space than most competitors at this price.
• Same mesh headband. It has divided opinion since launch — some love it, many find it uncomfortable over long sessions, and a pain to clean. Our office pair went from white to yellow within a year, and Apple doesn’t even sell headband replacements. Replacement ear pads are available, but at $69 a pop. There are also known condensation issues with the ear cups in humid conditions.
• Battery life is unconfirmed. Apple hasn’t published a battery life spec for the Max 2 (which is telling). The original managed around 21 hours in our standardized testing at 75dB with ANC on. If the Max 2 holds a similar figure, it’s already behind: the Sony WH-1000XM6 lasted over 37 hours in our lab, and the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless hit 56.
• No IP rating? Apple hasn’t mentioned water resistance anywhere in the Max 2 announcement. The Nothing Headphone (1) proved in 2025 that over-ear headphones can carry an IP rating at a fraction of the price. As it looks, the AirPods Max 2 still won’t be suitable for the gym.
• Still no headphone jack. Wired listening via USB-C is supported — and lossless at that — but if you’re on a plane with a seat adapter or want to plug into older gear, you will have to buy a separate USB-C to 3.5mm cable. For $549, that shouldn’t still be an upcharge.
• No new colors. The five colorways on the Max 2 — midnight, starlight, orange, purple, and blue — are the exact same five introduced with the 2024 USB-C refresh. The original space gray and silver options remain discontinued.

With all that said, if you don’t own the original AirPods Max, the Max 2 are the obvious choice. The H2 chip makes it a better buy at the same price. But if you already own a pair, Apple is asking you to pay full price all over again for just a new feature set. That’s a tough sell. We’ll be getting them into our lab to measure the actual scope of those performance gains, including that “1.5x better ANC” claim, so stay tuned for our full review.