Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version?
According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier options in the premium over-ear headphones category. It is unclear what other changes they might have, beyond weighing less.
Both Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Ming-Chi Kuo believe that new AirPods Max are on the way. Kuo expects the AirPods Max 2 to enter mass production at some point in 2027—seven years after the first-generation model launched.
In 2024, Apple updated the AirPods Max with a USB-C charging port and new color options, but they are still considered to be first-generation AirPods Max. The headphones did not receive Apple's H2 chip that debuted in the AirPods Pro 2 in 2022, so they continue to miss out on Adaptive Audio features, and there were no other changes. The AirPods Pro 3 have a range of features that could feasibly come to the next-generation AirPods Max, including:
- IP57 dust, sweat, and water resistance
- H2 chip
- 2.4GHz and 5GHz connectivity
- Lossless audio support with Apple Vision Pro
- "Siri" voice commands
- Adaptive Transparency
- Adaptive Audio
- Loud Sound Reduction
- Hearing Protection
- Hearing Test
- Hearing Aid
- Conversation Boost
- Conversation Awareness
- Live Translation
- U2 chip for Precision Finding
By 2027, the AirPods Pro could be even more advanced than the recently unveiled third-generation model, adding the "H3" chip and IR cameras. As a result, these features are also possibilities for the second-generation AirPods Max.
A refreshed design seems likely, especially given the rumored weight reduction and complaints from some users about the durability of the headband's mesh canopy. The Smart Case, which simply serves to put the headphones into their ultra-low power state, could also be due a redesign.
Gurman said that the long wait for a new model is due to the fact that the headphones are stuck in a kind of commercial limbo—"too popular for Apple to stop selling them, and not popular enough for the company to invest a ton of time and money into creating a new version." Apple's audio team is apparently more focused on annual updates for earbud AirPods and supporting audio components across other products.
