TechRadar reports that Audio Editor Becky Scarrott selected Apple’s AirPods Max 2 as its Headphones of the Year for 2026. TechRadar also reports that readers chose them for its 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards. The recognition reflects one outlet’s editorial choice and readership vote; Scarrott’s reasoning pairs praise for everyday listening with clear trade-offs in battery life, weight and design.
Why TechRadar selected AirPods Max 2
Scarrott praised the headphones’ sound, active noise cancellation (ANC) and mesh headband comfort. She also highlighted head-tracked Spatial Audio, which adjusts the perceived direction of sound as you move your head, and the features associated with Apple’s H2 chip.
Those features include Live Translation, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Head Gesture control and Camera Remote. TechRadar notes that some features require an iPhone 15 Pro or newer. That device requirement applies to those features, not every headphone function.
Battery life and weight are real trade-offs
Apple says AirPods Max 2 can deliver up to 20 hours of listening with ANC enabled. Its test used 50% volume and fixed Spatial Audio; Apple says actual battery life varies with settings, environment and use. Apple also claims ANC is up to 1.5 times more effective than on the previous generation, citing tests under IEC 60268-24. Both figures are Apple’s claims, rather than independent measurements. Apple’s product page
TechRadar’s account notes that the design looks much like the 2020 original, describes battery life as short compared with competing models, and criticizes the Smart Case. It also points out that the headphones lack wireless hi-res audio codecs. Wired lossless audio is available, but TechRadar notes that support also came to the first-generation AirPods Max.
In a Spanish-language review, Fernando del Moral gives the AirPods Max 2’s weight as 386 grams, or about 13.6 ounces, and the Sony WH-1000XM6’s as 254 grams, or about 9 ounces. Those reviewer-stated figures give a concrete sense of the weight trade-off for anyone planning long listening sessions.
Comfort and upgrade value depend on the listener
Wearer accounts differ. One Reddit user says they use the headphones for 10 to 15 hours a day while working from home and find the fabric distributes the weight well. Other users describe heat or pressure that makes them take the headphones off. Those are individual experiences, so trying the fit matters more than treating any one account as typical. (Home-working user’s account; reports of heat and comfort)
For people considering an upgrade, Me llaman Geek estimates the sound improvement over the original at about 10%, a subjective listening judgment rather than a controlled measurement. Combined with the familiar design and the fact that wired lossless support also reached the first-generation model, that leaves H2-associated features and the buyer’s own listening priorities as the more relevant reasons to switch.
