CUPERTINO, California, April 18, 2026, 10:42 PDT
- Now, Apple’s AirPods Max 2 faces a new kind of scrutiny—not so much about the product launch, but its value proposition.
- Amazon UK is now offering the first-generation AirPods Max for £399.99, the cut coming right after the launch of the new version.
- Sony’s WH-1000XM6 and Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra still set the pace—and the tension—among premium noise-canceling headphones.
Apple’s AirPods Max 2 has shifted from launch buzz to consumer scrutiny, now facing head-to-head comparisons with Sony and Bose just as the original AirPods Max gets slashed in price. TechRadar noted Amazon UK dropped the first-gen AirPods Max to £399.99—a £100 discount and an all-time low—following the debut of AirPods Max 2.
The price spread isn’t subtle: Apple’s AirPods Max 2 come in at $549 across the U.S., while Sony’s WH-1000XM6 carries a $429.99 tag on Sony’s site after a move down from $459.99. Premium headphone shoppers these days want more than just specs.
Lock-in’s at the heart of this, too. ANC—active noise cancellation—relies on mics and onboard processing to block out the world, but these days, picking the right headphones isn’t just about the quiet. Phones, apps, and how people use them every day all play a big part.
Apple is targeting upgrades on the inside this time. The AirPods Max 2 features the H2 chip, which drives Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation capability. Noise cancellation gets a boost—Apple claims up to 1.5 times better performance than the prior model. “Remarkably clean, rich, and acoustically detailed,” is how Eric Treski, Apple’s director of Audio Product Marketing, sums up the new sound. Apple
The exterior saw little overhaul. Design Milk called the AirPods Max 2 more of a subtle update, sticking to the familiar over-ear look but now offered in fresh finishes—midnight, starlight, orange, purple, and blue.
Sony comes in with the WH-1000XM6, pitching a lower price and broader device compatibility. Creative Bloq’s Jon Stapley highlighted the model’s powerful ANC and its 10-band EQ for manual sound tweaks. Still, Stapley flagged a bass-heavy default tuning and said the fit falls short of Bose’s less expensive QuietComfort Ultra.
Erin Bashford at Tom’s Guide said she’d stick with the AirPods Max 2 for the audio and how well they work with other Apple gear. Still, she flagged Sony headphones as a better call for anyone juggling Android, Windows, and Apple devices, and pointed to Bose for travelers who care about weight and noise cancellation. One thing Bashford didn’t let slide: Apple’s 20-hour battery life on these is, in her words, “inexcusable” for 2026. Tom’s Guide
CNET is putting the choice in buyer language, as executive editor David Carnoy weighs the AirPods Max 2 against Sony’s WH-1000XM6, looking at design, features, performance, and sound quality. The angle stands out: instead of asking if Apple’s AirPods Max improved, the focus turns to whether that improvement is enough to top Sony.
Apple faces a risk here: the older AirPods Max could be sufficient for plenty of buyers. TechRadar points out that the original model already includes spatial audio, solid ANC, and tight integration with iOS. That gives shoppers who just want Apple over-ear headphones—without caring about the latest chip—less reason to upgrade.
Sony runs into a different snag. The XM6 tries to win over a broad crowd, touts longer battery life on paper, and offers more ways to tweak the sound. But it skips Apple’s easy device hopping and exclusive perks like Live Translation for iPhone users.
SoundGuys didn’t mince words: Sony’s headphones reach a wider audience, but AirPods Max 2 mainly appeals to those firmly inside Apple’s ecosystem. Apple’s $100 price gap over Sony, added weight, shorter battery, and features limited to Apple users all count as negatives, SoundGuys said.
Now comes the price discipline question. Apple’s headphones tend to keep their sticker price longer than competing brands, yet retailers have already marked down the original AirPods Max—a sign they’re ready to push a lower-cost Apple pitch. Good news for moving old stock, perhaps, but the $549 tag on AirPods Max 2 just got a tougher narrative to justify.
