Apple quietly launches AirPods Max 2

In a surprise starting on MondayApple has unveiled the AirPods Max 2, the long-awaited successor to its premium headphones launched in 2020.

The Max 2 costs $549 and features active noise cancellation, Apple’s audio-specific H2 chip, live translation support, better audio quality, and more. The headphones will be available for pre-order from March 25, in midnight, starlight, orange, purple and blue colors and will be available 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. And the Adaptive Audio feature allows the headphones to automatically adjust ANC and Transparency levels based on the user’s environment to optimize the listening experience.

The company says transparency mode is now more natural, thanks to a new digital signal processing algorithm optimized for the H2 chip and AirPods Max microphone array, so users can be aware of their surroundings and the people around them.

The headset comes with Live Translation, which helps users communicate in person between languages. They also feature voice isolation, which uses “advanced computational audio” to prioritize your voice during calls and block out background noise.

Apple says the AirPods Max 2 have a new high-dynamic-range amplifier for clearer sound, and spatial audio is said to be better, with improved localization of instruments, better bass response, and natural mids and highs.

The headset also supports Camera Remote, a feature that lets you trigger the shutter of your iPhone or iPad camera remotely. On the Max 2, you press 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.

Additionally, Apple says the headphones’ Loud Sound Reduction feature helps protect users from loud background noise while preserving the sound signature of what they’re hearing.

Apple says the headset’s microphone allows interviewers, podcasters, singers and other creators to record content with higher-quality sound and a more natural voice texture.

AirPods Max 2 support 24-bit, 48kHz lossless audio when used with the included USB-C cable.

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