In terms of pricing, the original AirPods Max remained stubbornly high even years after their debut, which made them hard to recommend over the Bose QC Ultra or Sony’s XM series headphones unless you were an Apple die-hard. The AirPods Max 2, however, have been out for just over a month, and we’re already seeing a $40 discount at Amazon and Best Buy, bringing the price down to $509 across all five colors.
Unlike the refreshed AirPods Max Apple put out in 2024, the Max 2 are a true sequel. The company’s latest pair of over-ear headphones still feature the same 40-millimeter drivers as the original, but they’re now paired with a new high dynamic range amplifier, allowing for better bass response and terrific sound across the board. They also support lossless audio at 24-bit / 48kHz via USB-C and, construction-wise, continue to sport the same combo of aluminum, stainless steel, and knit mesh fabric. They’re still heavy at 385 grams, but they feel premium, which isn’t always the case, even with high-end headphones.
I’d argue the real upgrade to the AirPods Max 2, though, comes in the form of Apple’s H2 chip. It’s older, having made its debut in the second-gen AirPods Pro in 2022, but it adds a lot of functionality that wasn’t available on the first-gen Max. The latest Max 2 support adaptive audio, conversation awareness, personalized volume, voice isolation, and live translation, along with automatic device switching, spatial audio, and all the ecosystem tricks you’ve come to expect with owning a pair of Apple headphones. Plus, their active noise cancellation is a step up from that of the last-gen model, ensuring you can always drown out the outside world while listening to your favorite tracks.
Read our full AirPods Max review.
More deals and discounts of note
- Logitech’s latest magic mousepad, the Powerplay 2, is currently on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo for $89.99 ($10 off), which is the first discount we’ve seen. We were big fans of the original Powerplay system, and while the second-gen model cuts some corners to reach its reduced price, it still delivers nonstop wireless charging to select Logitech mice. Just don’t expect a built-in wireless mouse receiver or a USB-C cable this time around.
- Fellow is running a Mother’s Day sale through May 10th, giving you a chance to save on the company’s full slate of coffee gadgets. I’m personally a fan of the Aiden Precision Coffee Maker, which you can grab from Amazon and Fellow for $339.95 ($60 off), as well as the Stagg EKG Pro Electric Kettle, which is available via the same retailers (Amazon / Fellow) for $152.95 ($27 off). I’ve used them both, but I prefer Fellow’s handsome pour-over kettle as my daily driver, namely because I refuse to kick the French press.
- The Echo Dot Max, Amazon’s biggest little smart speaker, is matching its all-time low of $74.99 ($25 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The hardware on the Max is nicer than that of prior models, and being that it’s the first Echo speaker with a separate tweeter and woofer, it also sounds noticeably better for its size. It supports Matter and Thread, too, rendering it a capable smart home hub that lets you connect locally to any Alexa-compatible Matter or Zigbee devices strewn about your home. Read our review.
