While rumors of the second-generation AirPods Max have been sparse so far, there are a handful of features that the on-ear headphones could take from the new Beats Studio Pro and second-generation AirPods Pro.
Below we’ve listed five features that are likely to be included in the upcoming AirPods Max, which are expected to launch late next year at the earliest.
Potential new features
USB-C port
Like the Beats Studio Pro, the second-generation AirPods Max could be equipped with a USB-C port for charging instead of Lightning. Apple has phased out Lightning in its product lineup in recent years, and all four iPhone 15 models launching later this year are also expected to be equipped with a USB-C port.
H2 tokens
The current AirPods Max have an Apple-designed H1 chip in each earbud, and it’s likely to be upgraded to H2 chips for the next model. Introduced with the second-generation AirPods Pro, the H2 chip enables several benefits, including improved sound, increased active noise cancellation, and adaptive transparency mode.
Increased active noise cancellation
With the H2 chip, the second-generation AirPods Pro provide up to twice the active noise cancellation of the original AirPods Pro, according to Apple. There will likely be a similar improvement to noise cancellation for the next AirPods Max.
adaptive transparency mode
Transparency mode lets in some outside noise, allowing you to hear conversation and other ambient sounds. Second-generation AirPods Pro take this feature a step further with Adaptive Transparency mode, which can reduce loud ambient noises like a passing vehicle siren, construction tools, or speakers at a concert. With the H2 chips, the next AirPods Max will probably also feature adaptive transparency mode.
conversation boost
Conversation Boost is designed to help people with mild hearing difficulties stay more connected in conversations. The feature uses the AirPods Pro’s beamforming microphones to boost the volume of a person speaking in front of you, making it easier to hear a face-to-face conversation, and there’s also an option to reduce ambient noise. Since the AirPods Max also have beamforming microphones, perhaps Conversation Boost will eventually expand to over-ear headphones.
Other possibilities
Back in January, we outlined several other potential features for the second-generation AirPods Max, including longer battery life, new color options, Bluetooth 5.3 support, a U1 chip that would enable precise searching in the Find My app, and more.
launch time
The current AirPods Max launched in December 2020 for $549 in the US and haven’t received any hardware upgrades since. The headphones are available in five colors: Space Grey, Silver, Green, Pink, and Sky Blue.
Apple is likely to launch new AirPods Max in the second half of 2024 or first half of 2025, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, so the earphones are still more than a year away from receiving an update based on that estimate. In the meantime, new color options are always a possibility, as was the case with the HomePod mini in late 2021.