AirPods Max 2 vs Sony WH-1000XM6: Which Should You Actually Buy?

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Need-to-knows

• AirPods Max 2 cost $549/£499/, Sony XM6 are $449.99/£400
• The Sonys are 130g lighter, a meaningful difference on long wear
• Sony offers LDAC, multipoint, a 3.5mm jack, and 30 hours of battery vs Apple’s 20
• AirPods Max 2 win on transparency mode, call quality, and Spatial Audio
• Neither is a bad buy, this is entirely about which ecosystem fits you

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The AirPods Max 2 finally arrived in March 2026 — the proper update to Apple’s over-ear ANC headphones we’d all been waiting for. The Sony WH-1000XM6 (let’s just call them the ‘XM6’ from here on) turned up in 2025 and fixed pretty much all of what was wrong with the XM5.

They’re the two flagships you’ll keep tripping over when you start researching… yet, on paper, they couldn’t be more different.

There’s the weight: 386g vs 254g. And the price: £499 vs £400. One is typically Apple-obsessive in terms of design, the other rather more plasticky.

I’ve reviewed both, lived with both, and used them everywhere I actually use headphones. By the end of this, you’ll know which pair to buy — not because there’s a clear winner (there can’t be), but because these two pairs of headphones are built for entirely different people.

Let’s get into it.

At a glance

Spec	AirPods Max 2	Sony WH-1000XM6
Bluetooth	5.3 (AAC)	5.3 (LDAC)
Lossless	USB-C wired only	USB-C wired
Spatial audio	Dolby Atmos	360 Reality Audio
Multipoint	Apple auto-switching only	Yes
3.5mm jack	No	Yes
Quick charge	5 min = 1.5 hours	3 min = 3 hours
Battery (ANC on)	20 hours	30 hours
Weight	386g	254g
UK price	£499	£400
US price	$549	$449

The XM6 are 130g lighter than Apple’s effort, £100 cheaper at RRP (although they can regularly be bought for considerably less than that if you shop around), and offer LDAC, multipoint, a 3.5mm jack, and ten more hours of battery life. The AirPods Max 2 are heavier, more expensive, opt for AAC over Bluetooth, and are tied tightly to the Apple ecosystem.

Related: AirPods Max 2 review

That sets the tone for everything that follows, but the answer to which pair you should buy isn’t quite as clear-cut as you might be expecting.

Design and build

The XM6 and the AirPods Max 2 couldn’t be more different if they tried.

The AirPods Max 2 still feel like the most premium over-ears on the market. Aluminium ear cups, stainless steel arms, knitted mesh canopy — they look and feel like a piece of industrial design that just happens to play music when you strap it to your head. A lot of what you’re paying for here is that build. Which is fair, in my opinion. This is Apple, remember. It’s what they do.

The XM6 are well-built, but markedly more plasticky. Mine have held up well so far, but they aren’t in the same league as Apple’s headphones in terms of design and premium feel. Which, again, is fair, given the price point. They are absolute scuff monsters, though — particularly in black.

A caveat on the Apple side. The original AirPods Max had a well-documented issue with the canopy sagging after several years of use. Mine were affected. The Max 2 design hasn’t fundamentally changed, so whether that issue returns remains to be seen.

More: Sony WH-1000XM6 review

One small win for Apple worth mentioning: they sit closer to your head than the Sonys. If you’re follically challenged like me, this matters. The XM6 protrude a fair bit further out from my bald bonce.

Comfort

The 130g gap in weight between these headphones is extremely noticeable, and it’s the single biggest practical difference between the two.

The AirPods Max weight has never bothered me, personally — I think Apple distributes it well across the headband — but I know plenty of people for whom 386g is the deal-breaker.

If you’re flying long-haul, wearing your headphones for extremely long periods of time, or you do lots of leaning backwards and forwards while listening (hey, who am I to judge?), the XM6 are the easiest wear. Once again, this comes down to the trade-off with Apple’s more premium design and choice of materials.

Controls and case

Apple’s controls are still best in class — the Digital Crown is tactile, intuitive, and the kind of thing you forget how much you like until you go back to touch controls. The decision to only have two buttons is also brave and utterly brilliant. Other headphone makers take note.

The controls on the XM6 aren’t bad (we still get buttons for power and ANC settings), but volume and playback rely on touch gestures, which are still prone to accidental touches.

Just give us buttons all round, please.

The XM6 case is superb. It’s small (thanks to Sony’s cans folding properly), and has a brilliantly tactile and convenient magnetic clasp to keep it shut.

On a budget but still want great ANC? Check my best headphones!

Apple’s Smart Case remains divisive, but I’ve made my peace with it. Something I’ve learned over the last couple of years is that most people aren’t anywhere near as obsessed with headphone cases as I am. A lot of you happily throw your cans into a backpack with everything else, and Apple’s pouch genuinely works for that crowd. It’s compact, it puts the headphones into ultra-low power mode, and it protects the bits that matter.

Case obsessive? Sony wins, easily. Don’t care? Apple’s quirky slip case thing does its job better than I gave it credit for originally.

Sound quality

Both sound superb. There’s no bad option here.

Apple has kitted out the AirPods Max 2 with the H2 chip, a new high-dynamic-range amplifier, and a rebuilt DSP. The result is a noticeable jump from the predecessor — tighter sub-bass, cleaner mids, more separation. I went back to Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack, which always sounded a touch flabby on the originals, and it’s tighter, more deliberate, and more composed on the Max 2.

Sony’s new 30mm driver is properly engaging. Controlled bass, slightly scooped mids, sparkly top end — a sound profile designed to grab you out of the box. The Sony app also gives you a 10-band EQ to dial in any changes you think the XM6 need. Apple gives you next to nothing, EQ-wise, preferring instead to lean on Adaptive EQ to do the work for you.

When A/B testing these two headphones, the AirPods Max 2 win, for me. They sound brighter, wider, with a far more present mid-range and noticeably more detail across the board. Vocals especially have a presence that the XM6 don’t quite match. That said, the Sonys have more low-end weight and are arguably less fatiguing on long listening sessions.

We’re talking relatively fine margins here, though, guys. As noted, both sound superb.

Want top audio quality without the over-ear bulk? Sony WF-1000XM6 review

On codecs: the Sonys do LDAC over Bluetooth for higher-res listening (if your playing device supports it, of course), while the AirPods Max 2 are AAC only. Apple does have a one-up over Sony in terms of lossless over USB-C, though. And there’s a genuine difference in sound quality to be had there over Bluetooth.

As for Spatial Audio, Apple still reigns king.

Noise cancelling, transparency, and calls

You are looking at the two best ANC headphones on the market, which makes this comparison rather tricky.

The Sonys still nudge ahead on outright dampening — they kill more of the outside world, particularly low-end rumble. But they do it in a way that feels slightly oppressive, with a pressure-on-the-eardrums sensation that is noticeable when comparing against Apple’s effort.

The AirPods Max 2 are slightly less aggressive but feel significantly more natural; no pressure, no sense of being sealed in. It’s the most immersive ANC experience I’ve used.

Once again, though — these are fine margins. In isolation, they are both superb in terms of ANC.

More comparisons: AirPods Pro 3 vs Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro

Apple’s transparency mode is still uncatchable, though — it feels like there are no headphones on your head at all. Sony has closed the gap meaningfully on the XM6, but Apple still somehow wins. They must have employed every headphone transparency expert on the planet — it’s the only explanation.

Mic quality is where the H2 chip really earns its keep. Voice quality on the AirPods Max 2 is dramatically better than the originals, and it’s the same story against the XM6. Background noise gets stripped out cleanly, without that processed walkie-talkie sound. The Sonys are competent in quieter rooms, but put them next to the Max 2 in a café with the espresso machine going, and the gap is obvious.

So, which should you buy?

Honestly, the gap is smaller than the price suggests. Both are flagship-level ANC headphones, and you won’t be disappointed by either.

Buy the XM6 if you’re not in the Apple ecosystem, or if you spread your time across iPhone, Android, and Windows. Buy them if you travel a lot — the lighter weight, longer battery, and the genuinely good case all earn their keep at 30,000 feet. Buy them if you want LDAC, EQ control, multipoint, or a 3.5mm jack as a backup. And buy them if value matters — £349 on offer is a lot of headphone for the money.

More: Sony XM6 vs Bose QC Ultra 2

Buy the AirPods Max 2 if you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem and you want the best over-ear that plays nicely with your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Buy them if transparency, call quality, or Spatial Audio matter. Buy them if build quality is part of why you’re spending the money, and if the H2-powered features, Adaptive Audio, Voice Isolation, studio-quality mics, sound useful to you.

There isn’t a universal winner here, they’re just for different buyers.

If you forced me to pick the one I reach for most, it’s the AirPods Max 2. The transparency, the call quality, the integration with everything else I use — it adds up. But I get why people land on the Sonys, too.

Let me know in the comments which one you’d go for, and which comparison you want me to tackle next!