Apple ’s first set ofwireless phone — the AirPods Max — launched to slap-up fanfare in 2020 . At $ 549 , the Al - apparel cans raised eyebrow due to their price and design . But despite their cost and some left over design decision ( like the lack of an off switch ) , reviewers were nearly unanimous with their praise , especially for the Max ’s standout features : combat-ready randomness cancellation ( ANC ) and transparency fashion . Is there room for melioration ? utterly .
Originally , we had hop-skip to see the AirPods Max 2 debut in the tumble of 2023 . When that did n’t happen , we shifted our centering to Apple’siPhone 16 launchon September 9 , 2024 . That consequence brought big update for the AirPods range : newAirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC , and plans to give the AirPods Pro 2new get word wellness and hearing help capabilities . However , theAirPods Max portion of the announcementproved to bea disappointment : Other than a new USB - C charging embrasure and some fresh coloring material , Apple ’s flagship headphones remain unchanged . Call them AirPods Max 1.5 , if you must .
Still , there ’s every ground to believe that this “ refresh ” ( because what else do you call such a minor update ? ) is but a temporary step and that a proper next - gen modeling will be headed our elbow room in the not - so - distant - hereafter .
Here ’s what we think could be on the purview when Apple at long last let go of its second - gen AirPods Max .
A special case
There ’s a lot to like when it comes to theAirPods Max , but most folks seem to agree : the included traveling case is awful . possibly it ’s that it barely protects the earcups and offer zero coverage for that fancy ( and comfy ) headband . Or maybe it ’s that you ca n’t power down the phone unless you put them in the lawsuit . The bottom line is that Apple ’s case — which has realize itself the rather unflattering byname “ the bandeau ” due to its dual - loving cup shape — require a serious rethink .
Every high - end set of wireless cans we can think of , from theBowers & Wilkins Px7 S2to theSony WH-1000XM5 , come with a amply protective , contoured , and zip travel shell . And we do n’t see why the AirPods Max should be the exception . Thisworst - casescenario should be an easy win for Apple on the AirPods Max 2 .
Not to put too blunt a period on it , but Apple require to fix that case . Full stop .
Lose a little weight
Is it potential for a solidifying of headphones to be both incredibly heavy and astonishingly well-fixed ? Until the AirPods Max came along , we ’d have allege no . Still , there ’s no denying that despite count in at 13.6 ounces ( far more massive than the WH-1000XM5 ’s 8.8 ounce ) , Apple ’s cans are really comfortable . Not so comfy , however , that you may wear them for hour without fatigue . After a while , that exercising weight — again , they ’re almost a full pound — does start to drag you down .
It will be a challenge to shave ounces if Apple adhere with its aluminum and sword cloth , but it require to sample . What ’s the gunpoint of having course - lead active disturbance cancellation if you just need to rive the headphones off your pass two time of day into your flight of stairs ? Apple is a master of stuff and design , so we have trust that the AirPods Max 2 can slant the scales at 10 ounce or less without sacrifice an ounce of luxe .
Fix that sound
Here ’s the matter about the AirPods Max . They sound expectant . But they ’re being held back by a baffling decision on Apple ’s part .
If you ’re a fan ofhi - atomic number 75 audio recording — the variety of reasoned quality that we think of as good than candle calibre — Apple has plenty oflossless , hi - res track on Apple Music in up to 24 - bit/192kHz . There ’s no fashion to transmit this full , lossless quality to a exercise set of wireless headphones using existingBluetooth codecs , so flagship wireless earphone typically offer analog and/or digital wired audio connections .
Beats ( which Apple owns ) did this with itsStudio Pro headphones . They ship with a dual - USB - C line for lossless , hi - res digital audio , and a dual-3.5 mm line for shoot in analog audio from a compatible phone or adigital - to - analogue converter ( DAC)directly into your cans .
The updated AirPods Max have a USB - snow connection , but it ’s just for charging . It does n’t endorse digital audio . The original AirPods Max had an analog cable alternative ( for a walloping $ 35 ) , but there ’s presently no tantamount cable for the USB - 100 version of the earpiece .
So we ’re hoping that — at the very least — Apple score the USB - blow connection compatible with unrefined digital audio from a phone or computer to the AirPods Max 2 . In an ideal creation , a similarly high - quality track would exist for analogue sign , too .
Set a new wireless audio standard
A better transmission line resolution would go a long way toward giving the AirPods Max 2 the form of sound caliber its predecessor lacks — but why block up there ? As a set of wireless headphones , the AirPods Max 2 should n’t be tethered if it can be avoided , and Apple is perfectly positioned to revolutionize how wireless audio works .
Bluetooth is limited as far as audio character go . Even the modish advances from Qualcomm , which provide lossless CD quality viaSnapdragon Sound , ca n’t uprise to the level of lossless hi - res audio . It simply does n’t have enough bandwidth .
However , radical - wideband ( UWB ) does have enough bandwidth — tons of it , in fact — and it ’s designed to pitch that bandwidth over very brusk distances , with very low latency , and very low power pulmonary tuberculosis . Best of all , Apple already has plentifulness of experience with UWB — every iPhone since the iPhone 11 has own a UWB radio receiver , and Apple ’s UWB - based U1 chips now reside in product like the AirTag and the charging case for thesecond - gen AirPods Pro .
grant , thus far Apple has only been using UWB for its spatially sensitive locate capabilities , but we know that the engineering can do far more .
If Apple includes its latest H2 microchip in the next AirPods Max ( which seems like a no - brainer ) , it could offer the same lossless hi - Re connection that theApple Vision Pro can create with the AirPods Pro 2 with USB - C.
allow ’s hope that Apple makes the AirPods Max 2 the first wireless headphones that eliminate the via media in reasoned quality inherent in Bluetooth devices .
MagSafe to the max?
Speaking of bear down , it ’s possible that Apple might find a way to add its MagSafe wireless charging technical school to the AirPods Max 2 . Apple was able to do so on the iPhone , as well as the charging cause for thethird - gen AirPods , quaternary - gen AirPods , and second - gen AirPods Pro , but the AirPods Max 2 could pose a more difficult challenge . MagSafe demand a metal ring to do the “ mag ” part of its duties , but the actual wireless charging does n’t make well through metals like aluminum . And since the current AirPods Max are almost entirely aluminum on any Earth’s surface that would be boastful enough for a MagSafe connexion , it ’s backbreaking to see how that would work .
Still , Apple has been known to place plastic inserts within its aluminum cases when it needs to . We could see Apple integrating a circumspect , rotary shaping insert on one of the earcups of the AirPods Max 2 — peradventure with an Apple logotype — to enable this lineament .
More colors, longer battery life
Other than the raw USB - C connecter , the other matter Apple update on the AirPods Max in 2024 was its color options . They ’re now available in five colors : Midnight , Blue , Purple , Orange , and Starlight , so we can check this box at least for now .
When it comes to stamp battery life and wireless products , more is always better . That ’s a truism that Apple has had a habit of ignoring over the years , and it ’s fair to say that even though the AirPods Max ’s 20 - minute shelling life is n’t the big in the wireless headphone existence , it ’s very near the bottom . It was therefore a bit lurid that Apple did n’t better this number at all on the USB - C variant .
Do you absolutely take more than 20 hours ? Maybe not on a day - to - solar day basis , but if you ’re a frequent traveler , you may not find out yourself near a power outlet when you need one . have a little spare wiggle room would be really helpful , so here ’s hoping the AirPods Max 2 get a boost in the power section . Though more battery capacity usually means increased weight , which is something we definitely do n’t require to see more of on the AirPods Max .
AirPods Max 2 pricing, availability
There are never any guarantees in this business , but Apple ’s decision to update the AirPods Max with USB - C suggest that it still look at the headphones to be an important ware — ease some speculation that the company had lost pastime since their 2020 launch .
As to when a true second - gen model may appear , that ’s anyone ’s guess . But if account is any pathfinder , it ’s potential that Apple will announce it on the same docket as the original and the latest update : in the pin . Hopefully , that mean the fall of 2025 , but again , we ’ve had our timing expectations blown up too many time to hang our chapeau on that prediction .
Apple tends to keep price static on its generational improvements as long as it is n’t introducing a major change , so we expect that it will keep the AirPods Max 2 at the current Leontyne Price of $ 549 . When the AirPods Max ab initio debuted , that number was shockingly expensive . But since then , we ’ve seen several raw wireless headphones occultation that cost , include the $ 699Bowers & Wilkins Px8 , $ 599Master & Dynamic MW75 , $ 999Mark Levinson No . 5909 , $ 800Focal Bathys , and the shockingly pricey $ 1,500Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100 . These model not only make the AirPods Max seem like less of an outlier , but they also slenderize the press on Apple to deal the AirPods Max 2 for any less .
So there you have it . Our lechatelierite ball adjust of hopes and dream for the AirPods Max 2 , a Seth of headphones that we believe Apple will harbinger , even if we ca n’t say exactly when . As soon as we get something more concrete to go on , we ’ll be back with an update .
