Apple AirPods Max 2 Review: Stunning Sound, Stunning Price, Stunning Compromise
Apple AirPods Max 2 review: stunning sound, stunning price and a stunning compromise. USB-C, lossless audio, but the same heavy ear cups Apple refuses to fix.
Apple has finally updated the AirPods Max, and the result is exactly what you would expect from Cupertino: a product that sounds absolutely magnificent, costs an absolutely obscene amount of money, and comes with compromises that would be laughable on any headphone not wearing an Apple logo. The AirPods Max 2 launched on 1 April 2026 at £499 in the UK, and this review verdict is complicated, because these are simultaneously the best-sounding over-ear headphones you can buy and one of the hardest to recommend at that price.
Design: Evolution, Not Revolution — the apple airpods max 2 review angle
Apple has kept the same fundamental design language from the original AirPods Max, and honestly, that is fine. The aluminium ear cups remain beautifully machined, the stainless steel headband with mesh canopy is still one of the most comfortable designs in the over-ear category, and the Digital Crown scroll wheel for volume is still genuinely brilliant. It is one of the few headphone controls that actually works intuitively every single time.
The big physical change is the switch to USB-C, which is overdue but welcome. Apple has also shaved grams off the weight, bringing it down to around 370 grams. That is still heavier than the Sony WH-1000XM6 at 254 grams, and you will feel the difference on long listening sessions. After about three hours, the AirPods Max 2 start to make their presence known on the top of your head in a way the Sonys simply do not.
And then there is the case. Apple has tweaked it, but “redesigned” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. It is still an awkward, bulky affair that does not protect the headband and looks like it was designed by someone who has never actually carried headphones in a bag. Sony’s folding design remains vastly more practical for travel.
Active Noise Cancellation: Best in Class, Full Stop — the apple airpods max 2 review angle
If there is one area where Apple has genuinely leapfrogged the competition, it is ANC. The H2 chip powering the AirPods Max 2 delivers noise cancellation that Apple claims is up to 1.5x more effective than the original, and in real-world use it is borderline unsettling in its effectiveness. On a busy London Underground train, engaging ANC reduces the rumble to a faint whisper. In an open-plan office, colleagues effectively cease to exist. It is remarkable.
The Adaptive Audio mode has also improved, now reacting faster to sudden loud sounds like car horns or construction noise. It ducks the volume almost instantaneously, which is both a safety feature and a comfort one. Sony’s Ambient Sound mode is good, but Apple’s implementation feels a generation ahead in terms of responsiveness and naturalness.
Sound Quality: This Is Where Apple Wins the Argument
The AirPods Max 2 sound phenomenal. There is simply no other way to put it. The 40mm drivers deliver a sound stage that is wider and more detailed than anything else in the wireless over-ear category. Spatial Audio with head tracking is genuinely immersive for film and television content, creating a convincing sense of directionality that makes other headphones sound flat by comparison.
For music, the tuning is neutral with a slight warmth in the low end that avoids the bass-heavy approach many consumer headphones favour. Classical and jazz recordings sound particularly stunning, with instrument separation that reveals details you genuinely miss on lesser headphones. Rock and electronic music benefit from the tight, controlled bass response that never bleeds into the mids.
Lossless Audio support (24-bit, 48 kHz) via the included USB-C cable is a welcome addition, though the difference between lossless and AAC Bluetooth is subtle enough that most listeners will not notice in everyday environments. It is nice to have for critical listening sessions at home, but it is not a reason to upgrade on its own.
Battery Life and Features
Battery life comes in at 20 hours with ANC enabled, which is decent but still trails the Sony WH-1000XM6’s 30 hours and Bose’s flagship by a similar margin. In practice, 20 hours is enough for a week of commuting without charging, but if you are a frequent traveller, the Sonys’ extra endurance is genuinely useful on long-haul flights.
Apple’s ecosystem integration remains a killer feature. Seamless switching between iPhone, iPad, and Mac works flawlessly, and the Find My integration means you are unlikely to lose a £499 pair of headphones permanently. Personalised Spatial Audio, which maps the shape of your ears using the iPhone’s TrueDepth camera, makes a noticeable difference to the surround sound effect. Live Translation, Conversation Awareness and Voice Isolation come to AirPods Max for the first time this generation.
Call Quality: Professional Grade
Call quality on the AirPods Max 2 is excellent, with the beam-forming microphones doing a superb job of isolating your voice from background noise. In testing, callers reported clear audio even when I was speaking from a busy cafe. This makes them a genuinely viable option for remote workers who spend hours on video calls, and it is an area where they comfortably outperform the Sony competition.
The microphone array also works well with voice assistants, picking up Siri commands reliably even in noisy environments. Whether you consider talking to Siri in public a feature or a social faux pas is entirely your business.
The Verdict: Best Over-Ears Money Can Buy, If You Have the Money
The AirPods Max 2 are the best-sounding wireless over-ear headphones available today. The ANC is peerless, the sound quality is extraordinary, and the build quality is impeccable. If money is no object and you live within the Apple ecosystem, these are the headphones to buy without hesitation.
But here is the uncomfortable truth: the Sony WH-1000XM6 retails at £399 (and is often available cheaper), a full £100 less than the AirPods Max 2, and delivers around 90% of the experience with better battery life, a lighter design, and a case that actually makes sense. For most people, the Sonys are the smarter purchase. The AirPods Max 2 are for the subset of buyers who demand the absolute best audio quality and are willing to pay a premium that borders on the absurd to get it. For more, see our Apple coverage. You might also read Google Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite: The AI Model Review Your Phone Bill Will Thank You For.
Score: 8/10. Stunning sound and ANC held back by a price that is difficult to justify when the competition is this close.
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