AirPods Max 2: All the Rumors and Leaks so Far

Apple released its first AirPods Max in December 2020. These premium over-ear headphones gained immense popularity for their luxe design, comfort, and superior sound quality. Now that it’s been more than three years since Apple launched its original AirPods Max, there are all the reasons to believe that a new AirPods Max 2 is in the works. While there’s no official announcement, several rumors and leaks have started surfacing the horizon.

In this article, we’ve summed up all the rumors and leaks about Apple’s upcoming premium over-ear headphones. Whether you’re curious to know when the AirPods Max 2 is coming out or will the AirPods Max 2 have an H2 chipset, we’ve got all the information you need. Without any ado, let’s begin!

AirPods Max 2 New Colors

The current AirPods Max looks super-stylish with its mesh headband, sleek aluminum cups, and extendable armbands. Also, they come in some beautiful color options, including Space Gray, Pink, Silver, Green, and Sky blue. Thanks to the interchangeable interchangeable ear cushions, you can mix and match your favorite combinations. According to Mark Gurman, Apple will launch the next-gen AirPods Max 2 with refreshed color options. However, he didn’t specify the shades.

USB-C Connectivity

Now that Apple has to embrace the USB-C standard due to EU laws, it is moving most of its products over to USB-C. Be it the latest iPads, iPhones, and even AirPods Pro, they all have the USB-C connector. The upcoming AirPods Max 2 is likely to follow suit. Unsurprisingly, Mark Gurman also reported that Apple will release the AirPods Max 2 with USB-C rather than the Lightning port. Well, this is one of the major design changes Apple is planning to bring to its AirPods Max 2. The overall design is likely to remain the same. We just hope the AirPods Max 2 are at least slightly lighter than the current model, and come in a redesigned Smart Case.

Touch Controls

According to a patent discovered by Patently Apple, the Cupertino tech giant seems to be working on Touch Controls for AirPods Max 2. The patent figures primarily illustrate the technique of “processing gestures on a touch-sensitive surface”. Also, the digital crown found on the current AirPods Max is missing from the patent diagrams. This means we might see an AirPods Max model with bespoke touch controls. The patent was originally published in February 2022 and depicts touch controls on future AirPods Max. However, there’s no evidence that these controls will be added to the AirPods Max 2 or a later model.

Same Older H1 Chipset

The original AirPods Max are powered by Apple’s proprietary H1 chipset. Now that it has been more than three years, it makes all the sense for AirPods Max 2 to feature an H2 chipset. This would deliver superior sound quality, advanced features, and improved battery life over the existing model. However, even after offering the H2 chipset in AirPods Pro 2, Apple might stick to the older H1 chip for the upcoming AirPods Max model.

Mark Gurman suggests that Apple might not be ready to include the same technology in AirPods Max 2. If it arrives with the older H1 chip, we apparently won’t get the Adaptive Audio features like Personalised Volume and Conversation Awareness. These features require a newer chipset like the H2 chip present in the AirPods Pro 2.

Also, there was a rumor on Chinese social media (reported by MacRumors), claiming that the AirPods Max 2 won’t feature Adaptive Audio due to the presence of the same H1 chipset.

Since the second-generation AirPods Max will arrive almost four years after the original model, Apple might (in fact, it should) change plans and please its fans.

Support for Lossless Audio

Now that the AirPods Pro 2 supports lossless audio, we have all the reasons to expect the same lossless audio support on the AirPods Max 2. Interestingly, another major patent spotted by Patently Apple sheds some light on Apple’s plans to develop a new high-quality optical audio transmission technology to deliver a superior Spatial Audio experience on AirPods.

However, that won’t be the main transmission technology, and people will still use Bluetooth to connect their devices. At the moment, this doesn’t even seem to be a guaranteed feature for the AirPods Max 2. Apple might release a follow-up model with this technology.

AirPods Max 2: Release Date Rumors

Apple launched the first AirPods Max on December 15, 2020. Unlike iPhones and Apple Watch, Apple doesn’t have a predictable schedule for its AirPods. The Cupertino tech giant launched the AirPods Pro 2 in September 2022, three years after it launched the original AirPods Pro in October 2019. So, it’s difficult to say when new AirPods Max 2 are coming. That said, the AirPods Max have started looking quite outdated, they are likely to be updated soon.

Mark Gurman predicts AirPods Max 2 will arrive late in 2024. Also, analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Jeff Pu also reported a late 2024 release date for AirPods Max. That means, the almost four-year wait might soon come to an end.

AirPods Max 2: Price Predictions

At the moment, we don’t know how much the AirPods Max 2 will cost. The original AirPods Max hit the shelves with an outrageous price tag of $549. Although you can find regular discounts of around $100 on the AirPods Max, they are still way more expensive than high-end offerings from other brands like Sony and Bose. Also, it’s unlikely for Apple to launch an upgrade that costs less than its predecessor. So, there aren’t any hopes for price drops.

That’s everything we know so far about the AirPod Max 2. We’ll keep updating this piece as the rumor cycle evolves. Stay tuned!