Apple quietly launches AirPods Max 2

In a surprise launch on Monday, Apple unveiled the AirPods Max 2, the successor to its premium headphones it launched in 2020.

The Max 2 costs $549 and features active noise cancellation, Apple’s own H2 audio chip, live subtitles support, better audio quality, and more. The headphones will be available to order starting March 25, at midnight, in the colors Starlight, Orange, Purple, and Blue, and will be available starting early next month.

Apple says the active noise cancellation (ANC) of the new headphones is up to 1.5 times more effective than its predecessor. The Adaptive Audio feature allows the headphones to automatically adjust ANC and transparency levels based on the user’s surrounding environment to enhance the listening experience.

The company says Transparency Mode is now more natural, thanks to the H2 chip’s new improved digital signal processing algorithm and the AirPods Max’s microphone array, so users can stay aware of their surroundings and the people around them.

The headphones come with live translation, which helps users communicate across languages ​​personally. It also features sound isolation, which uses “advanced algorithmic audio” to prioritize your voice during calls and block out ambient noise.

Apple says the AirPods Max 2 have a new high dynamic range tweeter for clearer sound, and are said to have better spatial audio, with improved instrument localization, better bass response, and more natural mids and highs.

With Camera Remote, users can capture content from a distance by pressing the Digital Crown to take a photo or start and stop video recording in the Camera app or compatible third-party camera apps on iPhone or iPad

Apple says the headphones’ microphone allows interviewers, podcasters, singers and other creatives to capture content with higher-quality sound and a more natural vocal feel.

AirPods Max support 24-bit and 48kHz lossless audio when used with the included USB-C cable.

Airpods Max 2 will be available in more than 30 countries and regions.