Apple has had a busy start to 2026. The tech giant has already launched impressive new products, including the more wallet-friendly iPhone 17e, faster M5-powered iPad Air and a £599 laptop called the MacBook Neo. But the US technology giant isn’t stopping there.

There’s now a big refresh to its AirPods Max over-ear headphones that sounds pretty impressive. Although things look identical on the outside, there’s plenty of upgrades going on inside, thanks to the latest H2 chip being popped under the colourful aluminium earcups.

This boost promises to bring a swathe of smart features to the Max, including Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness and Live Translation for those times when you head abroad and don’t understand the local lingo.

So, are they any good and should you really splash out a whopping £499 to own a pair?

I’ve been trying out these new premium cans ahead of their official release next month, and there’s no question that the Max are another truly great pair of headphones.

Thanks to a new high-dynamic range amplifier and improved Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), you get an even better audio experience than the previous AirPods Max, which were refreshed in 2024. Those were already regarded as some of the best music makers in the business, but the Max 2 takes things up to 11.

Out of the box, they take seconds to set up thanks to Apple’s fast pairing technology, and once seamlessly connected to my iPhone, the sound experience is absolutely faultless.

All of my playlists and different genres of music have been enjoyed in super-rich detail, ultimate clarity and with plenty of bass. The Max 2 are total joy and easily as good as other top-rated headphones – such as Bowers & Wilkins Px8 – I’ve tested over the past year.

Thanks to the H2 chip, the upgraded ANC now blocks out more background noise than before. That’s vital for anyone who wants to hear music on trains, planes or in bustling cafes without the din of life getting in the way.

Putting the old Max and new Max 2 to a background noise test, there’s no question that Apple has improved things with the latest headphones doing a much better job of cutting out sounds you don’t want to hear.

For those wanting the ultimate listening experience, AirPods Max 2 also support 24-bit, 48kHz lossless audio via USB-C, so you can hear music the way artists intended. Another audio bonus is the additional bandwidth of H2. This enables the next-generation Adaptive EQ algorithm, which more accurately optimises the listening experience and adapts settings for different head and ear shapes.

Of course, the new Max 2 also get Apple’s smart Spatial Audio tech with dynamic head tracking. This makes listening to music, watching movies and playing games feel far more immersive with sound hitting ears from all directions.

This update isn’t just about audio quality as it also adds a swathe of useful upgrades to Apple’s premium over-ear cans. Firstly, there’s Voice Isolation, which definitely helps when making calls as it’s able to enhance your voice whilst significantly reducing background noise.

Personalised Volume learns your listening preferences over time and automatically adjusts the media volume to suit both personal tastes and the environment.

Another bonus is Live Translation, powered by Apple Intelligence, which now comes to AirPods Max.

Finally, you can use the Digital Crown on the aluminium case to snap images or video via the Camera Remote function.

Talking of that Digital Crown, I’m still a big fan of this tactile dial as it offers a much easier way to control the volume without annoying touch controls found on some rival headphones.

The AirPods Max 2 are excellent, but I do have some niggles.

There’s no design change in 2026 – even the colours stay the same as the 2024 refresh that added USB-C charging.

Clearly, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and there’s nothing wrong with the way they look. The Max 2 are also supremely comfortable and feel super premium on your head. That said, it would have been nice to see some subtle changes, new colours or a refresh that separates the old from the new.

Another concern is that Apple hasn’t changed the much-criticised “handbag” case, which offers little protection when shoving them in a backpack.

Every new pair of cans I’ve recently tried come with a hard case that covers the whole product. It’s a strange decision not to change that smary case. The only bonus is a clever ultra-low power mode which preserves battery life for months once the headphones are popped inside.

Finally, there’s the price. The AirPods Max 2 cost £499. It’s a lot of money especially when there are so many rivals that offer top-notch audio at a lower cost.

For example, you can grab the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 or Sony’s WH-100XM6 for £329 – that’s over £150 less.

So, should you buy them?

I’ve loved every minute of using the new AirPods Max 2 and this is another smart update from Apple. They sound great, the ANC is incredible, and the clever upgrades – such as Live Translation and Conversation Awareness – are genuinely useful.

Just be aware that they don’t look any different from before, and there are many cheaper options available.