Apple AirPods Max 2 vs Apple AirPods Max (Lightning)

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AirPods Max 2 compared with AirPods Max (Lightning)

	AppleAirPods Max 2	AppleAirPods Max (Lightning)
Overview
Released
Released	April 2026	December 2020
Sound
Type
Type	Over-ear	Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	Yes	Yes
Driver size
Driver size	–	40 mm
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC and AAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	Yes	No
Chip
Chip	H2	H1
Drivers
Drivers	Apple-designed dynamic driver and custom high dynamic range amplifier	Apple-designed dynamic drivers with dual neodymium ring magnet motors
Chip
Chip	H2 in each ear cup	H1 in each ear cup
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Up to 1.5x more Active Noise Cancellation than the original AirPods Max; Adaptive Audio, Transparency mode and Conversation Awareness	Eight microphones for Active Noise Cancellation; Transparency mode
Audio features
Audio features	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Personalised Volume; Voice Isolation; studio-quality audio recording; Live Translation; 24-bit, 48 kHz Lossless Audio and ultra-low latency audio via USB-C; analogue sources need Apple's USB-C to 3.5 mm Audio Cable, sold separately	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Audio Sharing; AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs (SoundGuys); analogue wired listening through a separately sold Lightning to 3.5 mm audio cable
Hearing health
Hearing health	Loud Sound Reduction	–
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 20 hours	Up to 20 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Storing them in the Smart Case puts them in an ultra-low-power state	Up to 20 hours of movie playback with Spatial Audio; Smart Case puts headphones in an ultra-low-power state; charging via Lightning
Fast charging
Fast charging	5 minutes of charging gives around 1.5 hours of listening	Around 1.5 hours of listening after 5 minutes of charging
Design
Weight
Weight	386.2 g	384.8 g (better)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.3	5.0
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	Yes	Yes
Controls
Controls	Digital Crown (turn for volume; press once to play, pause, answer a call or use camera remote; twice to end a call or skip forward; three times to skip back; press and hold for Siri); listening mode button; “Hey Siri” or just “Siri”; Siri Interactions	Digital Crown for volume, playback, calls and Siri; listening mode button for ANC/Transparency; “Hey Siri”
Microphones
Microphones	Nine microphones in total, eight for Active Noise Cancellation and three for voice pickup (two shared with ANC)	Nine microphones, three for voice pickup (two shared with ANC); optical, position and case-detect sensors and accelerometer in each cup, gyroscope in left cup
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	–	Stainless steel frame, telescoping arms and knit mesh canopy; memory foam cushions; aluminium ear cups
Case weight
Case weight	134.5 g (Smart Case)	134.5 g (Smart Case)
Dimensions
Dimensions	–	187.3 × 168.6 × 83.4 mm (height × width × depth), including cushions
Works with
Works with	Full features with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro on the latest software; works as Bluetooth headphones with other devices, with limited features	Apple devices with current iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS or tvOS; Bluetooth audio with older Apple software and non-Apple devices, with limited features
Colours
Colours	Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple, Orange	Space Grey, Silver, Sky Blue, Green, Pink
In the box
In the box	AirPods Max 2, Smart Case, USB-C Charge Cable, documentation	AirPods Max, Smart Case, Lightning to USB-C cable, documentation