When Apple in mid-March this year, he introduced a new generation of headphones to the world through a press release AirPods Max, many users were very surprised by this step. This is because until the presentation itself, there was practically nothing to indicate the imminent arrival of this product, which is surprising given the number of leaks surrounding other Apple products almost a miracle. However, considering what improvements you Apple pro AirPods Max prepared intergenerationally, it is not surprising that there are no leaks. The only thing that has changed in the headphones is the chip that powers them. But is that enough to keep them scoring points in 2026? I have been asking myself this exact question in recent weeks and now I have no choice but to try to answer it through the final evaluation. So let's get to it, the review AirPods Max 2 is here.
Design unchanged – fortunately and unfortunately
First generation AirPods Max introduced Apple December 8, 2020 – more than five years ago. Relatively recently, he “updated” it by replacing Lightning port behind USB-C and by installing a few new colorful variant. So if you were expecting that headphones would now be obsolete given their past,oneThey will definitely get a major design refresh, I have to disappoint you. AirPods Max 2 They look exactly like the 2020 model, which means two aluminum shells connected by a nice headband, soft, easily detachable ear cushions, and a "joint" connecting the bridge to the earcup, which is retractable and can therefore be used to adjust the "size" of the headphones.
Me personallyonemaintenance of the existing design in the second generation AirPods Max It doesn't matter, because even after years I still find this product attractive and, to some extent, timeless. AppIn short, they managed to hit the nail on the head years ago and create headphones that are visually recognizable "at first sight" as soon as you put them on your head. This is the same effect that was achieved with classic headphones. AirPods, or rather AirPods Pro. It is, however, quite strange that at least with colors Apple With the second generation, it absolutely failed to convince users to switch, at least because of their color preferences. The choice is again between blue, purple, dark ink, star white, or orange.
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Nice "iconic" look that exudes miniMalism, however, is one thing, and how the headphones are used thanks to it is another and a little sadder. Hand in hand with the use of the same body from the first generation AirPods Max the old familiar ailments that users have been complaining about since the winter of 2020 are also returning. I specifically mean the high weight, which stopped at 386,2 grams, and possible problems with water condensation inside the headphones if they are cold and you put them on your head in the heat. While I (fortunately) did not encounter the latter thing during testing, although people still mention it on discussion forums, the weight is really quite a problem for me.
I dare say that with my 185 centimeters and 85 kilograms I am not a toothpick that would collapse as soon as I put on something heavier. However, I must say that the weight of the headphones is really noticeable in such a way that it will probably take you the first few days or weeks before you can use them for a longer period of time without your neck hurting or generally not feeling pressure in the head and neck area. I got used to the headphones after about a week, but the first few days I only managed to keep them on my head for about half an hour at a time. For example, an Xbox Wireless The headset I use to play Xbox games with weighs 312 grams and I can easily wear it for two hours straight. So if you're not used to wearing something heavier, know that instead of being happy, you might find yourself getting used to it a bit painfully at first.
On the one hand, I want to say that it's actually normal, because in the same way I personally got used to a new floorball goalie mask, which is both slightly differently balanced and a few dozen grams heavier than my older one. On the other hand, I think that when Apple The weight of the headphones has already drawn some harsh criticism in the past, wondering if there wasn't a way to pay more attention to weight, to shave off a few grams and make wearing the headphones more comfortable from the very beginning. After all, more than five years is an incredibly long time in the technological world, which has brought with it great advances, among other things, in terms of materials and miniaturization of technologies. Apple However, for some reason, he ignored all progress in this direction, and it's a bit of a shame.
It seems a bit illogical and strange to me from the outside. Appand ignoring another user request in the form of a more intuitive or, if you prefer, simpler switching of the headphones to power saving mode, or the possibility of turning them off completely. Nothing like that can be done with the first generation simply without the Smart Case, i.e. the included case á la "purse", and unfortunately, neither with AirPods Max 2 it is no different. Without a case from AppSo you can't do without it this time either - otherwise your headphones will switch to a deeper power saving mode for longer and will therefore consume more energy unnecessarily for longer. If only the case itself was of some use... But its protective capabilities are really weak and actually the only thing you will do with it is to put the headphones to sleep faster through it. So here too Apple He didn't break his head, which is quite a shame.
However, it is pleasing to note that you don't really have to worry about the battery life of the headphones, because they will last you a long time when charged and played with the headphones on. ANC up to 20 hours, which is a really generous portion of music. And thanks to the support for fast charging, where you can "feed" them for up to an hour and a half of listening time in 5 minutes via USB-C, there is nothing to worry about in this regard either.
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ANC and the sound is simply fun
Major improvements AirPods Max 2 compared to the original model with Lightningem from 2020 and the USB-C model from 2024 is the deployment of a pair of H2 chips, each found in a single aluminum shell. The original generation relied on the H1 chip and as you can probably guess, Apple by deploying a newer generation of chip, it brought AirPods Max 2 features that arrived with the same improvements on AirPods Pro 3 last fall. So we're mainly talking about the more advanced ANC or throughput mode, but also conversation recognition and shutdown ANC based on it, adaptive audio, etc. However, H2 should also have a positive effect on sound quality.
Honestly, I still vividly remember how much it improved. ANC u AirPods Pro 3 compared to the Pro 2, let alone the Pro 1. I was therefore extremely curious to see how much ANC moved by AirPods Max, since its first generation was already at a pretty high level for me personally. Although I personally haven't used the first generation of these headphones in recent years, I spent a few months with them after their introduction and I borrowed them now to have a direct comparison with AirPods Max 2And I must say that the difference is noticeable, and it's really significant.
The intensity of the ambient noise cancellation is so hard to describe in words, because it's more of a thing that you have to experience. But when I went out into the city with AirPods Max 1 and then 2, taking the exact same route, I couldn't help but notice that, for example, at busy intersections, I was with the 1st generation AirPods Max cars were heard quite intensely, while in the case of the 2nd generation they were heard minilittle by little and even more so when she made a more intense sound.
I noticed the same result when walking around construction sites, which one AirPods Max He could hear slightly with the 1st generation, but when using the 2nd generation he couldn't hear anything anymore. Especially in combination with music, it's a pretty interesting experience, because even places you've been to a million times suddenly breathe a little differently - calmer, more pleasant, and therefore often better.
I am then in AirPods Max 2 It also found favor because our eight-month-old daughter really likes to train her vocal cords, as well as fine motor skills and everything else that is appropriate for her age. On the one hand, this is beautiful, but on the other hand, it is home office in a smaller apartment it is sometimes quite a struggle because of the need to concentrate. And I must say that with AirPods Max 2 a person can close himself off into "his own world" compared to AirPods Max 1 significantly better and the returns to noise are all the more "painful" for him. By the way, a nice test ANC is when a person activates it using the side button on one of the shells and then switches the sound mode to the throughput mode. The jump that occurs between these two modes is in the case of Max The 2nd generation is noticeably larger than the 1st generation, which just proves how qualitatively ANC So if you've been as bewitched as I have, ANC u AirPods Pro 3, know that at Max 2 you will also be excited.
As for the sound, I would like to say again that it would be best if you could listen to the headphones somewhere, because it is really worth it. Their sound performance is at a very high level in all genres, but you can also enjoy podcasts with them, or you can handle conference calls perfectly with them. Honestly, the sound as such does not seem fundamentally better between generations, although I would say that miniThe bass component is slightly better, as is the recognition of the individual "components" of the song. In general, however, it can be said that you can expect a very pleasant listening experience full of lively tones, details and very accurate lows, highs and mids.
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I am on AirPods Max 2 I've listened to a really huge amount of songs of all genres in the last few weeks and I haven't come across anything that sounded bad or "just" that I wasn't completely satisfied with. If you're looking for wireless quality nestačila, after connecting the headphones with a cable, you can also use their Lossless mode, which, to be honest, leaves me quite cold.
If I were to describe how sound works against, say, AirPods Pro 3, I would honestly say that it is a completely different listening experience. Not in terms of quality, which is at a very high level with both models, but in terms of the perception of what you are listening to. Because listening to the same song through AirPods Pro 3 to Max 2 simply feels completely different, which, given the nature of the products, probably won't be entirely convincing. AirPods Pro 3 are, however, more for faster consumption of anything anywhere and anytime in this comparison, while Max 2 are, in a way, for enjoying the moment and your music more when you can (and want to) afford it.
Something extra
Although the sound is of course the most important thing with headphones, and therefore the modes ANC and others that are directly linked to it, it's fine miniat least that's what happened AirPods Max 2 decided Apple Bluetooth has also been improved, which is no longer just version 5.0, but has jumped to 5.3. This should reduce latency, which you should appreciate when playing games, where lower latency should result in less response. But to be honest, you probably won't even notice the difference.
What I think will please you a little more, although it is also more of a detail, is the possibility of AirPods Max control the camera on your iPhone. Specifically, through the Digital Crown, you can either remotely press the shutter button to capture a photo, or start and stop video recording. So if you are Apple products are also used as a remote camera control, which has been used for a long time, for example Apple Watch, you'll find your way here and I think it's actually quite cool. After all Apple products have always been about details and this one may really appeal to some.
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Summary
Honestly, evaluate AirPods Max 2 Despite the fact that these are excellent headphones, it is actually quite difficult. This is because their price tag is still set quite high (in the Czech Republic you will pay 13,990 CZK for them), and they actually differ from the previous generation in only a few things, which is why the transition of existing owners AirPods Max 1 to a newer model may not make much sense. On the other hand, who AirPods Max 1 right when they were first released, or let's say two years ago and beyond, you may already be experiencing a bit of battery life degradation, and in that case, purchasing the 2nd generation would definitely make sense.
To the apple lovers who AirPods Max they don't have experience yet and they are attracted to it, I would definitely recommend it, because this model is definitely better than the first generation. Yes, in the end it only improved slightly, but if it is important to you ANC, then there is nothing to talk about here and go for it. However, it is still somewhat true that this is a relatively controversial Apple a product that, even after five years on the market, may not make sense to many people. But in the end, it's okay - after all, for many people, it doesn't even make sense Apple Watch and yet millions of people will not let them go. Nakonec is all about whether you can find a way to a given product based on your needs and habits or not. Personally, I find a way to AirPods Max 2 I definitely found it, what about you?
