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Apple’s $549 AirPods Max 2 add better ANC and live translation

The Verge / 3/16/2026

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Key Points

  • Apple has announced the AirPods Max 2, featuring an H2 chip and AI-powered live translation for real-time speech translation.
  • The new over-ear headphones start at $549 and offer 1.5x better active noise cancellation than the original model, along with improved sound quality.
  • The device includes conversation awareness that lowers volume when nearby people speak and adds voice isolation to prioritize the speaker.
  • Apple positions the AirPods Max 2 as expanding AI-enabled features in consumer audio hardware, potentially shaping competition in wearables and home audio.
An image showing Apple’s AirPods Max 2 headphones

Apple has just announced the AirPods Max 2 with better noise cancellation and sound quality. The second generation of Apple's over-ear headphones starts at $549 and comes equipped with an H2 chip that powers a bunch of new features, including AI-powered live translation, which translates speech to your preferred language in real-time.

As noted by Apple, the AirPods Max 2 offer active noise-cancellation that's 1.5 times more effective when compared to the original AirPods Max, which launched in 2020. The AirPods Max 2 also add conversation awareness, a feature that lowers volume when someone starts speaking nearby; voice isolation to priorit …

Read the full story at The Verge.