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About three years ago, I compared the original AirPods Max against the AirPods Pro 2.
Some of you understood why I did that.
Some of you really, really didn’t.
Here’s a small selection of the comments I received on the YouTube version of that comparison:
“You sound out of your mind the minute you give sound quality to the AirPods Pro 2 over the AirPods Max.”
“The worst comparison in the world.”
“I have both, and the AirPods Max have way better sound quality and noise cancelling.”
Fair enough. On the surface, it is a right ol’ silly comparison.
But here we are, three years later, and after I reviewed the AirPods Max 2, one of the most common requests in the comments section was – you guessed it – to compare them against the AirPods Pro 3. Two products with vastly different specs, vastly different price tags, sitting in vastly different categories.
I don’t make the rules. Don’t shoot the messenger, etc.
So, which one is better? Or – given how much has changed since the last time I did this – is that even the right question anymore?
Let’s find out.
Specs and pricing
This is where this comparison immediately starts to fall apart.
The AirPods Pro 3 are in-ear earbuds. The AirPods Max 2 are over-ear headphones. On paper, they couldn’t be more different… yet they share a surprising amount under the hood.
| Feature | AirPods Pro 3 | AirPods Max 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | In-ear earbuds | Over-ear headphones |
| Chip | H2 | H2 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Charging | USB-C (case) | USB-C |
| Wireless charging | Yes (case) | No |
| Lossless wired audio | Yes (USB-C) | No |
| Heart rate sensor | Yes | No |
| Battery life | 24 hours total with case | 20 hours |
| Price (UK) | £219 | £499 |
| Price (US) | $249 | $549 |
The price gap is still unavoidable – £219 vs £499; almost £300 between them in the UK. In the US, it’s a similar story, as it is pretty much wherever in the world you buy these two. So why are we still here? Why am I still writing this? Why are people still asking?
It’s because the gap between the two products has narrowed in a way nobody was predicting three years ago. Me included.
The fact that we now have the H2 chip in Apple’s over-ears introduces some much-needed parity. It brings conversation awareness, voice isolation, adaptive EQ, the head-shake gesture for accepting and rejecting calls, and a load of other Apple-flavoured magic to both products. The headline difference on the spec sheet is the heart rate sensor in the AirPods Pro 3, which the AirPods Max 2 don’t have.
The other big difference is the fact that you can plug a USB-C cable into the AirPods Max 2 and get lossless audio (you can’t do that with the AirPods Pro 3). Which is rather lovely – particularly if you’re one of the growing number of people who have gone back to wired headphone listening.
AirPods Pro 3 vs AirPods Max 2 – Key Price Gap
In the UK, the AirPods Pro 3 cost £219 while the AirPods Max 2 cost £499 – a difference of nearly £300. In the US, that gap is $300 ($249 vs $549). Both now share the H2 chip, Bluetooth 5.3, and USB-C charging.
Sound
My last verdict was that the AirPods Pro 2 had better audio than the original AirPods Max. It was punchy, lively, and exciting, versus a hollow, over-EQ’d top end on Apple’s cans. That didn’t go down well – particularly in YouTube Comments Land.
I stand by that. But this time round, things have shifted significantly.
The AirPods Max 2 are a proper upgrade. A new amplifier, redesigned DSP, and the H2 chip amount to a lovely-sounding pair of headphones that are noticeably better than their predecessor. There’s better mid-range, much better instrument separation, and tighter bass. They sound fantastic.
The AirPods Pro 3? They’ve had a slightly rougher reception in some quarters, but I’ve not had a problem with them at all. They sound brilliant for me.
As for the comparison, these two products sit in different categories – earbuds versus over-ear headphones – and judged on their own terms, they’re both excellent. The AirPods Max 2 have a slightly bigger, wider soundstage, but you only notice it when you A/B test them back to back with the earbuds. Which, as far as I’m aware, is something only annoying YouToobers like me do.
The one objective tick in the AirPods Max 2 column is, as mentioned, USB-C lossless. If that’s a deal-breaker for your listening setup, that’s the pair to go for, and the extra spend will be worth it.
Otherwise, both sound fantastic in their respective fields.
Wondering how the AirPods Max 2 stack up against Sony’s best? Check out our AirPods Max 2 vs Sony XM6 for more.
Noise-cancelling and transparency
Last time around, I gave the noise-cancelling crown to the AirPods Max – they dealt with wind, busy streets, and aeroplane noise better than the AirPods Pro 2. A lot of that was down to physics. Obviously.
However, a lot has changed, and that gap has almost gone.
Every time I put the AirPods Pro 3 in my ears, I’m still amazed by how good the noise cancelling is – and how much better it is than any other noise-cancelling earbud on the market right now. They are, by a distance, the best in their category. When I switch from the AirPods Pro 3 to the AirPods Max 2 and flick the ANC on, there’s little difference between them. The headphones possibly go a touch quieter and feel slightly less artificial – but it’s fine margins.
If I wore one pair for an hour, had a ten-minute break, and put the other on, I wouldn’t notice the difference. Which says everything you need to know about how good both of these are at silencing the world. Apple is at the top of its game in both categories.
It’s the same story with transparency mode. Apple has cornered this market for both earbuds and over-ears for ages now. Nothing comes close. I can hear my own voice without it sounding artificial; I can hear the kettle in the next room; I can have a conversation with my girlfriend without removing either pair from my ears. It is bonkers good – on both.
Can you see a pattern developing here?
ANC Parity – Closer Than You’d Think
The AirPods Pro 3 are the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the market. The AirPods Max 2 edge ahead only marginally in real-world use. In a blind test switching between the two with a ten-minute break, the difference is almost imperceptible.
Mic quality
Having tested the AirPods Max 2 against both the Sony XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2, I can tell you that the microphones in Apple’s cans are in a league of their own. So, do they beat the AirPods Pro 3 in this regard, too?
Physics says the Max 2 should win. More physical real estate, multiple beam-forming mics across a larger surface area. And in my testing, that’s broadly what plays out – the Max 2 just edge it for clarity in windy, busy outdoor conditions.
But the AirPods Pro 3 are extraordinarily close. For 95% of calls, in 95% of environments, you won’t notice the difference. The H2 chip’s voice isolation does a lot of work to flatten what differences remain. And you can hear how that works out in my YouTube version of this comparison.
Once again – fine margins.
If you’re drawn to over-ear headphones on a tighter budget, our Nothing Headphone (a) review is worth a look.
Convenience
This is the section where, three years ago, I came down hardest on the original AirPods Max. No proper case. Lightning, not USB-C. A battery drain problem that was compounded by the lack of a power button. No wireless charging. No H2 chip.
Most of that has been fixed.
The AirPods Max 2 now have USB-C. The H2 chip is in there. The battery drain issue was fixed not long after I published the last comparison. Equally, the slip case puts them into a low-power state when you pop them in, so the lack of a power button doesn’t matter.
What hasn’t changed is the case itself. You still don’t get what I’d call a proper headphone case for the AirPods Max 2. And here’s where I’ll hold my hands up: I was wrong about this three years ago. I’d assumed everyone would want a full-protection headphone case. But over the last couple of years, talking to viewers and friends, I’ve realised that loads of people just chuck their headphones into a bag. Naked. No case at all.
Apple’s slip case isn’t my preference – I’d still rather have a proper one – but if you’re someone who would otherwise carry your cans around with zero protection, the slip case is actually a sensible compromise. It takes up almost no space and gives you some shielding against scuffs.
The AirPods Pro 3 case is still better, because of course it is. But that’s not really a fair comparison. By default, the AirPods Pro 3 case is more convenient. It lives in your pocket.
AirPods Max 2 Convenience Upgrades
The AirPods Max 2 now ship with USB-C charging and the H2 chip – two of the biggest pain points from the original. The battery drain issue has also been resolved. The slip case remains, but it does put the headphones into a low-power state automatically.
Conclusion: Which should you buy?
Three years ago, the gap between Apple’s over-ear and in-ear offerings was massive, but that gap has essentially gone (apart from the price element, of course).
So the question isn’t really which one is better. It’s which one is for you.
Buy the AirPods Pro 3 if you want maximum convenience, a heart rate sensor, the best noise-cancelling earbuds money can buy, and a price tag that’s less than half of the AirPods Max 2.
Buy the AirPods Max 2 if you want full over-ear comfort, a slightly wider soundstage, USB-C lossless audio, a marginal edge in ANC and mic quality, and the build quality that only Apple’s cans deliver at this price point.
Whichever you go for, you’re not sacrificing anything meaningful. There’s parity now in convenience, audio, noise cancelling, and transparency mode in a way that didn’t exist before.
Whichever side of the fence you sit on, you’re winning.
Let me know in the comments which one you’d go for – and which comparison you want me to tackle next.
2 Comments
Reframing this as “which one is for you?” is the useful part. For commuting, the Pro 3’s pocketable case, price and heart-rate sensor are hard to argue with; for long desk sessions reviewing audio, video, or AI-made 3D assets, I can see the Max 2’s over-ear comfort, wider soundstage and wired lossless option earning their place. It is striking that the H2 chip has closed so much of the everyday gap.
Isn’t there a mix-up in the comparison table? It states that there is lossless wired audio via USB-C on the AirPods Pro 3 – which of course isn’t possible. It should be on the AirPods Max 2.