Good buy right now

AirPods Max 2

Even better Active Noise Cancellation, elevated sound quality and intelligent features in the iconic over-ear design.

Amazon is usually cheaper and comes with the same one-year Apple warranty. Either way you can add AppleCare+ within 60 days of purchase.

iHelp's verdict

H2 chip, March 2026. I wrote about whether it's worth upgrading on the blog.

Key facts

Released: April 2026
Colours: Midnight, Starlight, Orange, Purple, Blue
Chip: Apple H2 headphone chip (each ear cup)
Battery: Up to 20 hours of listening time on a single charge with Active Noise Cancellation enabled
Audio: Apple-designed dynamic driver

Who should buy it

People who prefer over-ear headphones and want the full set of H2 features. If you have AirPods Pro 2 or 3, there's less reason to switch.

In more detail

The same over-ear design with the H2 chip, up to 1.5x more effective noise cancellation, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Live Translation and lossless audio over USB-C.

Not sure if it's right for you? Book a session and an iHelp specialist will talk it through with you. Amazon links are affiliate links; iHelp earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Tech specs

Full details at Apple →

Audio

Apple-designed dynamic driver
Custom high dynamic range amplifier
Active Noise Cancellation
Adaptive Audio

Sensors

Optical sensor (each ear cup)
Position sensor (each ear cup)
Case-detect sensor (each ear cup)
Accelerometer (each ear cup)

Chip

Apple H2 headphone chip (each ear cup)

Controls

Turn for volume control
Press once to play or pause media
Press once to answer a call or mute or unmute
Press once for camera remote

Size and weight

Weight: 386.2 grams (13.6 ounces)
Weight: 134.5 grams (4.74 ounces)

Battery

Up to 20 hours of listening time on a single charge with Active Noise Cancellation enabled
5 minutes of charge time provides around 1.5 hours of listening time.
Storage in the Smart Case preserves battery charge in ultra-low-power state
Charging via USB‑C