When Apple finally updated the AirPod Max at the early 2025 AirPods event, people were excited. The original AirPods Max were one of the most expensive Bluetooth headphones to release, and despite being marketed for four years, they had yet to receive any significant updates.

And yet, the long-awaited AirPods Max 2 were only the smallest of updates. Apple announced that it now had USB-C — in compliance with EU regulations and consistent with the rest of Apple’s lineup — and introduced some new colors, but that was it.

There was no new design with lighter weight construction, no improvement in noise-canceling, no change in sound quality, and no alteration to the underlying drivers; furthermore, it cannot fold. They didn’t even announce a carrying case, despite the long-standing complaints about the included leather “bra”- style carrying pouch.

For many, this made it an incredibly disappointing product. And yet, if you’re an Apple user and want a pair of headphones that feel ridiculously premium, look great, sound fantastic, and rival the best in noise-canceling, it’s hard to complain. The truth, too, is that what many see as faults with the AirPods Max are decisions with which they disagree and come with compromises that other companies didn’t make. They aren’t as light and foldable as competitors from Bose or Sony, but that’s because those headphones use premium plastics, whereas the Max features cups and buttons made of brushed aluminum.

It doesn’t come with a carrying case, but if one were to make one for a headphone of this design, it would be huge, and unless one is a frequent flyer, most headphone customers barely use their case. By contrast, though the “bra” design is less protective, it’s easy to slip on and use daily. They also have one of the best control schemes among any headphones. I prefer the slightly more complex scheme on the Nothing Headphones (1), but the AirPods Max are a close second, with play, pause, and volume handled with essentially a version of the Apple Watch dial, and a second long button for noise-canceling and transparency mode control.

It’s worth noting here, too, that even though they have had minimal updates, that’s because the base formula is superb. The drivers sound fantastic, and although one can’t tweak the EQ, they offer fun out-of-the-box tuning — wide, bright, and vocal-centric, while being relatively balanced and neutral enough. For general sound quality, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen. 2 are the best-sounding Bluetooth headphones on the market — or at least, are if one sets aside the exceptional but unreliable $1,549 Bang & Olufsen H100. However, the Max are competitive, and your personal taste will ultimately determine which one you prefer. Similarly, though the noise canceling is not up to par with the Bose headphones, that’s only because Bose is the best on the market by far; and, by contrast, the Max have the best ambient sound mode on the market. If one could ignore the weight, one would forget that one is wearing headphones when talking with transparency turned on.

It’s also not true that there haven’t been any changes. Namely, the AirPods Max now support Lossless Audio when connected over USB-C, making use of one of the best features of Apple Music.