AirPods Max 2: everything we know about the features and the release date

Apple’s AirPods Max launched two years ago today, but rumors of a successor remain slim, so what exactly can we expect from the ‌‌AirPods Max‌‌ 2?

After months of rumours, the ‌AirPods Max‌ began arriving in customers two years ago, but the device now seems to be showing its age, with the second-generation AirPods Pro adding a range of technological innovations that the AirPods Max lack, as Adaptive. Transparency, IPX4-rated sweat and water resistance, skin-detection sensors, and the U1 chip for precise searching with Find My.

While it seems likely that the next generation of ‌AirPods Max‌ will gain many of the above features, there have been surprisingly few rumors about the device. In May 2021, BloombergMark Gurman said that Apple was not actively working on the second-generation AirPods Max, and previous talk of an update to color options for the first-generation appears to have subsided.

new features

The most recent mention of a second-generation model was Gurman’s claim in October that the next version of ‌AirPods Max‌ will feature USB-C and be released “by 2024.” Beyond this unique feature, we don’t have any concrete rumors from reliable sources about what the new model might offer, but there is some evidence that could provide some interesting indications as to what to expect.

In 2020, Gurman said that the ‌AirPods Max‌, which at the time was thought to be called the “AirPods Studio”, had suffered from various development challenges, such as issues with the headband being too tight, leading to multiple delays and reduced production. the funcionality. It seems plausible that after several more years of iterating on aspects that didn’t make it to the first version of the device, the second-generation ‌AirPods Max‌ could introduce some of these initially discarded features.

It was originally believed that ‌AirPods Max‌ would offer unique customization with interchangeable headbands and ear cups, just like the Apple Watch straps. In the midst of these delays and development problems, Bloomberg he predicted that Apple would drop the concept of a replaceable headband to speed up production.

Evidence of this concept can be seen in the final design of ‌AirPods Max‌. Users can easily remove the headband from AirPods Max without disassembling the earbuds. To do this, users simply need to remove the magnetic ear pads, fold the earcups, and insert a SIM eject tool into a small hole above the speaker.

Once the earcups are removed, the spokes on either side of the headband reveal a small Lightning-style connector for transferring power, and potentially data, between the earcups. It’s possible that this system for removing the headband is a carryover from the original more modular approach of ‌AirPods Max‌. The earbuds can be magnetically removed and can easily be swapped out for a different colour.

Additionally, it was believed that ‌AirPods Max‌ would have left and right ear detection so users could reverse the orientation of the earcups, as well as touch pads on the earcups for controls. This appears to have been replaced by the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown in the final product.

Rumors also suggested that the ‌AirPods Max‌ would be available in two varieties, including a more affordable sporty model. Leaker Jon Prosser repeatedly said that ‌AirPods Max‌ would come in a “sports variant” for $350 and a “luxury variant” for $599. While Prosser’s $599 price tag wasn’t too far off the final retail price of $549 ‌AirPods Max‌, the cheapest $350 “sports variant” has yet to emerge. Apple could still release this lower-end version of ‌AirPods Max‌ at some point in the future.

Based on the information above, the second generation ‌AirPods Max‌ may offer some of these features:

Release date

At least one new AirPods product has been released every year since 2019. To date, Apple seems to wait two and a half to three years to update each AirPods device, and since 2019, a different AirPods product line has been updated every year. . Based on this pattern, ‌AirPods Max‌ should be the next AirPods device to receive an update, perhaps between June and November 2023.

1. AirPods (1st generation): September 2016
2. AirPods (2nd generation): March 2019 (two years and six months after the previous generation)
3. ‌AirPods Pro‌ (1st generation): October 2019
4. AirPods Max: December 2020
5. AirPods (3rd generation): October 2021 (two years and six months after the previous generation)
6. ‌AirPods Pro‌ (2nd generation): September 2022 (two years and 11 months after the previous generation)
7. AirPods Max (2nd generation): June to November 2023?

Of course, Apple could wait even longer to update the device. Previous release dates don’t always indicate Apple’s future plans, but they can provide insight into the patterns to be expected from the company. There’s even the slim chance that there are no plans to update the ‌AirPods Max‌, with the product potentially meeting the same fate as the HomePod. It’s simply too early in the rumor cycle to say at this time.