AirPods Max 2: When to Expect Apple's Next Over-Ear Headphones

[MacRumors]

AirPods Max were first released in December 2020, and the over-ear headphones have received minimal hardware changes since then.

Below, we recap when AirPods Max 2 are rumored to launch.

According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but he did not mention a specific weight. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds, excluding the charging case, according to Apple.

Kuo expects the AirPods Max 2 to enter mass production at some point in 2027, but he did not provide any other details about the headphones.

By the time the AirPods Max 2 launch in 2027, it will have been a seven-year wait for them. It is unclear what other changes they might have, beyond weighing less.

Last year, Apple updated the AirPods Max with a USB-C charging port and new color options, but they are still considered first-generation AirPods Max. The headphones did not receive Apple's H2 chip that debuted in the AirPods Pro 2 in 2022, so they continue to miss out on Adaptive Audio features, and there were no other changes.

AirPods Max still have the outdated H1 chip that Apple introduced in 2019, and yet the headphones continue to cost $549 in the United States.

AirPods Max with USB-C did gain support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio in a firmware update released earlier this year.

Article Link: AirPods Max 2: When to Expect Apple's Next Over-Ear Headphones

 

[jz0309]

headphones used to be somewhat of a lifelong purchase back in the pre-digital days ...

 

[repoman016]

headphones used to be somewhat of a lifelong purchase back in the pre-digital days ...

My Bose qc25 still feel and sound amazing. Only downside is the battery (some might find that a plus, being able to hot swap a dead battery)

 

[vertsix]

Hopefully they fix the severe engineering oversight of condensation build-up which corrodes internal components and leads to eventual failure of the units.

Great headphones though. I love their sound and features. I have a love-hate relationship with them, much like my ex.

 

[tonie walker]

Take your time, no need to release one if minor update only…. Selling my APM as i develop skin allergy probably due to heat with the ear cushion even wearing for 30 minutes.

 

[russell_314]

headphones used to be somewhat of a lifelong purchase back in the pre-digital days ...

Yup and the typewriter your grandmother had would work 75 years later. Technology changes though and sometimes that means new things

 

[russell_314]

Hopefully they fix the severe engineering oversight of condensation build-up which corrodes internal components and leads to eventual failure of the units.

View attachment 2523211

Great headphones though. I love their sound and features. I have a love-hate relationship with them, much like my ex.

That looks more like an issue with the conditions they’re being used in rather than some type of defect. Any metal will attract condensation if placed in the right environment. The only solution would be to switch to plastic.

 

[vertsix]

That looks more like an issue with the conditions they’re being used in rather than some type of defect. Any metal will attract condensation if placed in the right environment. The only solution would be to switch to plastic.

Disagree. Gaskets can be used to protect the internal components. They do not use them.

 

[technocoy]

Those parts are plastic. Never in any other headphone I’ve owned and I currently have about 8 pairs of over the ear in addition to my Max’s. It’s a design flaw.

 

[ignatius345]

Bought mine shortly after launch and am still using them daily now. I've had one battery change early 2024, and if they keep on trucking I'll probably get another in a year or so.

I'm still very happy with mine, although I was pretty disappointed they didn't bother putting the H2 chip into them with the last update, and enabling Adaptive Audio and the other new features. Definitely a missed opportunity.

I see them everywhere on the streets of NYC, but I think anyone wearing them in this heat is a masochist, frankly. AirPods Pro are much better suited to heat/sweat/exercise.

 

[michaelsaxon]

Mine quit connecting to my devices for some reason, of course outside of the warranty. I was forced to trash them because repair was nearly as expensive as the new price.

 

[Corpuscle]

headphones used to be somewhat of a lifelong purchase back in the pre-digital days ...

Because they didn't have any software?

 

[Corpuscle]

Selling my APM as i develop skin allergy probably due to heat with the ear cushion even wearing for 30 minutes.

very unlikely. have you seen a dermatologist?

 

[ignatius345]

headphones used to be somewhat of a lifelong purchase back in the pre-digital days ...

So were telephones.

 

[Palindrom]

The only design flaw I experience with the max is that it can’t be turned off fully and keeps discharging although I don’t use them for days.

 

[russell_314]

Disagree. Gaskets can be used to protect the internal components. They do not use them.

Gaskets where? You want them to seal off the part where sound comes out? Sure they can waterproof the circuits but I don’t see where a gasket would go.

Seriously though if you have a better design contact Apple. Maybe you have something figured out that their engineers overlooked.

 

[jz0309]

So were telephones.

View attachment 2523218

wrong model - the below was

 

[shawnforever]

Hopefully they fix the severe engineering oversight of condensation build-up which corrodes internal components and leads to eventual failure of the units.

View attachment 2523211

Great headphones though. I love their sound and features. I have a love-hate relationship with them, much like my ex.

I don’t think the condensation is actually a problem. The problem is the ear cup swivel design when attached with the ribbon cable. The ribbon cable frays and causes connection issues. This has been actually shown on APM tear downs of headphones that had connection issues.

 

[russell_314]

I don’t think the condensation is actually a problem. The problem is the ear cup swivel design when attached with the ribbon cable. The ribbon cable frays and causes connection issues. This has been actually shown on APM tear downs of headphones that had connection issues.

Ribbon cables are annoying. One of the MacBook Pro models had display issues because of a ribbon cable

 

[tonie walker]

very unlikely. have you seen a dermatologist?

Why? You from apple? It only happens when wearing them then i stop using my skin heals, using them again the allergy return. I have multiple ear cushion new, old or newly wash same result.

 

[Kirkster]

Would like a pair. But not till Apple gets off the lazy train. USC-C and a couple colors was pathetic for a 6 year old product update.

 

[GradientWinds]

can't wait for new colors

 

[tgwaste]

headphones used to be somewhat of a lifelong purchase back in the pre-digital days ...

I have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 250, and I live and die by them.

 

[poematik13]

I bet they'll just axe the product entirely. The USB-C "refresh" showed how low of a priority it is.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

headphones used to be somewhat of a lifelong purchase back in the pre-digital days ...

Those types of headphones are still around, and still being made.