After age of rumor and speculation , Apple’sAirPods Pro 2are in conclusion on sales event , and we think they ’re one of the best noise cancelling true radio on the market .
Like the respite of Apple ’s headphone cooking stove , they ’re good for iOS users but with Apple now offer true wireless and full - sized over earpiece choice , there ’s a pick for which type of headphone to go after .
So , should you go after the true wireless , or are the over - ears a good friction match . countenance ’s get out which headphones you should get in the AirPods Pro 2 vsAirPods Max .
Price
The AirPods Max have an RRP of $ 549 / £ 549 / € 629 / CA$699 / AU$899 , but you could get them for cheap if you look around online . On Amazon UK they ’re about £ 469 .
The AirPods Pro 2 have an RRP of $ 249 / £ 249 / € 299 / CA$329 / AUS$399 . As they only went on sale in September 2022 , they have n’t been subjected to any discounts .
It ’s an easy profits for the AirPods Pro 2 if you could call it a ‘ profits ’ . Both are expensive in their respective fields so you ’ll be paying a exchange premium for Apple ’s products whichever way you look at it .
Design
Apple ’s AirPods Max are headphones slash fashion statement . The canopy design of the headband distributes weighting across the head ; the earcups are ellipse in shape to help ease the pressure around the ears to avoid uncomfortableness , and there are no touch controller – there ’s an Apple Watch - inspired Digital Crown for operating intensity , playback , taking shout and spark Siri . On the left earcup is the Noise Control button for switching between randomness cancelling and the transparency mode .
The phone do n’t fold up and break down into themselves so they ’re not specially portable unlike the AirPods Pro 2 . There is the Smart Case for transport the headphones but it does n’t offer much shelter and , quite honestly , looks very silly . The headphones come in a reach of colours with red , blue , atomic number 47 , green , black and rap the option .
The AirPods Pro 2 only come in one colour , which is white , and that does make them more susceptible to draw in scandal . want of personality in terms of colour by , the biggest advantage the AirPods Pro 2 have is their size . Compact and with a lowly charging case that can slue into a pocket , it offers more convenience , particularly compared to the Smart Case .
They occur with a wider survival of the fittest of ear - tips , including an XS selection for little ears . The design is similar to the original AirPods Pro but does now occur with a new stalk sensor restraint for mass , although we did n’t detect they were too nonrational to habituate . They’rerated IPX4 – the AirPods Max do n’t have IP underground – and that permit to be used in sweatier and wetter condition without damage .
equate a full - sized headphone to a true tuner is n’t really fair game , but the difference can be add together up in that the AirPods Pro 2 are more convenient to have on your person . If you do n’t desire to be lugging a couple of over - ears in your bag , moot the AirPods Pro 2 as the more desirable option .
Features
When it come to feature there ’s very little that ’s dissimilar between either headphones . As is the character with Apple ’s late headphone , boast aremostlythe same across the agiotage selection .
Both havenoise cancelling , and both describe their ANC modality as being adaptative . That means they use microphone to smell international noise and automatically adjust the performance in response . The slight difference is with the transparence mode .
On the AirPods Pro 2 the mode is adaptive , reacting to sounds to avoid flashy randomness being a beguilement . On the Max the transparency ca n’t be manually adjusted , nor does it mechanically update itself . It ’s the same layer of transparency wherever you go .
Battery life is six hours per bud for the true radio and 30 hours in general with the charging casing . The AirPods Max only rack up around 20 hours , so the AirPods Pro 2 has the advantage in that context .
The wireless earbuds also support wireless charging and fast charging while the full - sized headphone seem to support neither . Instead Apple claim the headphones keep up their battery when placed in the Smart Case . A neat feature film of the AirPods Pro 2 ’s MagSafe charging case is that it has a speaker for alerting the wearer of its localization if it ’s been misplaced .
Both have support forSpatial Audio , which work with 5.1 , 7.1 andDolby Atmossoundtracks by placing sound ‘ about ’ within the soundfield for a 3D burden . header - tracking is employed to keep the hearer in the centre of the soundstage even when flex their heads .
Spatial Audio is an iOS - specific feature , as are Auto Switching , Audio Sharing and Siri voice control , but the AirPods Pro 2 are the first to feature the more advanced H2 processor whereas the AirPods Max has the now older H1 . The difference in performance is sly to gauge between these two earpiece , but it does seem as if it ’s helped advance the disturbance cancelling performance over theoriginal AirPods Promodel .
In our revaluation we betray the noise cancelling execution of both headphone to be splendid , and again it count on which type of earpiece you opt . The AirPods Max will offer just noise cancel only because of its design but it miss the stamina of the AirPods Pro 2 . It may come down to not just how good the noise cancelling is , but for how long you could use it for .
Sound
We key the sound timber of the AirPods Max as more of a balanced and versatile performance . They ’re not decease for quite the same richness as the reliable wireless model . The tonal balance helps them to fathom not bad across a encompassing cooking stove of melodic genres , and there ’s plenty of bass voice the headphones can summon . The midrange is clear and refined while treble avoids sounding harsh , and that makes for first-class all - round audio where music is concerned .
The performance of the AirPods Pro 2 is an improvement over the pilot . Clarity of vocals is good , and the interval of those vocals from the instrumentation around them is likely much better defined and detailed . Bass is well managed , finding an satisfactory balance without mugging the midrange , while treble notes annul harshness . The headphones offer a sound that has warmheartedness to it , which some may prefer .
Neither accompaniment Apple Lossless audio frequency through its ALAC formatting as only AAC is included , so there is n’t any backup for Hi - Res audio with either phone .
Verdict
There is n’t an straight-out winner in the sense that one headphone is remarkably good than the other . There is , however , enough differentiation just through the design of the earpiece that will connote which one is preferred .
The AirPods Pro 2 design makes them the more convenient option , especially for mixed use like listening to music or use at the gymnasium . If that ’s what you by and large employ your headphones , then they ’re the one to take a close looking at .
If you want better dissonance cancellation then the AirPods Max winnings because their over - capitulum aim offer more protection . They also appear to be the more balanced sounding of the two phone , offering something close to an audiophile experience . Price will factor out into the argumentation , too , as neither are what you ’d describe as particularly affordable regardless of whether you ’re after a genuine radio or over - capitulum .
