Apple made an announcement on Monday morning that surprised many, as AirPods Max 2 have been unveiled, bringing the latest technology found in the AirPods Pro.
While the design remains essentially the exact same, the internal hardware has been replaced by the H2 chip, which brings intelligent features for the first time on the Max line.
In Canada, the price has seen a slight increase to $799, up from the $779 price point of the original model. In the U.S., AirPods Max are $549 US which works out to $750 CAD after current exchange rates. Apple has added a $50 premium to the headphones in Canada, likely trying to hedge on any future dollar fluctuations.
AirPods Max 2 pre-orders open on March 25, with the first units shipping early next month in the five same colours including midnight, starlight, orange, purple, and blue (these debuted when Apple updated them with USB-C in 2024).
“With the incredible performance of H2, AirPods Max are upgraded with up to 1.5x more effective ANC for the ultimate all-day listening experience,” said Eric Treski, Apple’s director of Audio Product Marketing, in a statement on Monday. “The sound quality is remarkably clean, rich, and acoustically detailed — and when combined with capabilities like Personalized Spatial Audio, AirPods Max 2 deliver a profoundly immersive experience.”
The move to the H2 chip and still USB-C brings computational audio algorithms that allow the headphones to cancel significantly more background noise, targeting low-frequency sounds like airplane engines and traffic with 1.5x more effectiveness than the previous generation.
Other features powered by Apple Intelligence include Live Translation, which can translate in-person conversations in real-time directly into the user’s ears.
Also new is a Camera Remote function also allows the Digital Crown to trigger a photo or start and stop a video on a connected iPhone or iPad from a distance. The headphones now support the full range of modern Apple audio features such as Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and Voice Isolation.
Siri Interactions now allow users to respond to announcements by simply nodding or shaking their head, just like we’ve seen on AirPods.
AirPods Max are five years old and come with the same heavy design. Apple is really milking this and on top of all this, there’s a price increase in Canada of $20 (now that’s a bad Apple). Who’s ready to drop $800 CAD plus on a set of AirPods Max 2?
As for the current AirPods Max with USB-C, Amazon.ca has them on sale for $599 right now, so get them while you can.
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