Did Anything Change with AirPods Max 2?

Summary of Did Anything Change with AirPods Max 2?

by MKBHD

1h 29m•March 20, 2026
Listen to Episode

Overview of Did Anything Change with AirPods Max 2?

This Waveform episode (hosts: Marques, Andrew, David) is a wide-ranging tech conversation grounded in SXSW recaps and product news. Main threads: a quiet AirPods Max 2 launch, Samsung and foldable updates, hands-on impressions from SXSW (Rivian R2, Brain Audio), Nothing Phone 4A lineup, NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 AI advances, MotionVFX being acquired by Apple, and a bunch of smaller consumer annoyances (YouTube shorts on TV, playback speed on projectors, weird travel peripherals). The tone is conversational — mix of hands-on takes, skeptical tech analysis, and practical recommendations for listeners.

Key topics & short summaries

  • AirPods Max 2

    • Quiet Apple press release: new H2 chip + new amplifiers; claims include 1.5× stronger ANC, “studio-quality” mics, voice-isolation/conversational improvements, game mode (lower latency), camera-shutter remote on crown, and a personalized volume feature.
    • No major physical redesign: same headband/case, still heavy, still no power switch. Incremental, not revolutionary.
    • Practical take: still excellent for flying; largely an iterative upgrade that keeps the same form factor and most usability complaints.

  • Samsung Galaxy Trifold

    • Samsung told Bloomberg the tri-fold is being discontinued after a final restock (high production costs, very low sales — fewer than ~6,000 units in Korea).
    • Company says some tech will “trickle down” to future foldables, but tri-fold as a product didn’t find a market at the $3,000 price point.

  • Nothing Phone 4A / 4A Pro

    • Nothing continues to focus on mid-range value: Phone 4A ~€349 (OLED 120Hz, Snapdragon 7S Gen 4 — strong mid-range value).
    • 4A Pro ~€500 — metal unibody, glyph matrix updated (marketing vs technical confusion about LED counts/resolution), slightly different chipset; better build but marginal spec-delta over the base.
    • US availability: 4A reportedly not coming to US; 4A Pro is available in US.

  • Rivian R2 & Rivian bike

    • Hands-on ride at SXSW: R2 close to production, active/semi-active suspension demo (performance trim), solid R1-like build quality. Some show cars had experimental, non-sale colors/wraps.
    • Rivian’s bike (spin-off product) looked compelling but expensive.

  • Brain Audio Party Pro

    • Larger speaker using Brain’s “rad” driver tech (lots of efficient bass for size). Designed to be stackable/line-array/hangable with pro IO (Ethernet-based comms): blurs party-speaker and small-venue pro use.
    • Likely expensive; more of an audio-nerd / small-business product than mass consumer Bluetooth speaker.

  • MotionVFX acquisition by Apple

    • MotionVFX (popular Final Cut/Resolve/Premiere plugin vendor) was acquired by Apple.
    • Concerns: Apple might limit future support to Final Cut (Dark Sky precedent), which would impact Premiere/DaVinci Resolve users; creators with paid MotionVFX plugins should be cautious.

  • NVIDIA GTC / DLSS 5

    • DLSS 5 introduces generative texture production that synthesizes higher-detail textures anchored to scene geometry — big jump from classic upscaling.
    • Public reaction: strong visuals but “uncanny valley” artifacts (over-sharpening, exaggerated detail), and debate over whether NVIDIA’s demo images were fair comparisons.
    • Ethical/creative questions: how much artist work is replaced/altered by generated textures? DLSS 5 coming to RTX 50-series later in the year.

  • Tesla Cyber Cab activation (SXSW)

    • Tesla displayed “Cyber Cab” concept vehicles and used a clear trailer for activation. Some on-street prototypes seen (some with steering wheels and side differences); production status unclear.

  • Peripherals & small hardware notes

    • New split mouse Kickstarter (Pixel Paw): travel mouse that snaps into a split controller — interesting but missing a scroll wheel; unknown ergonomics.
    • Pwnage (gaming brand) SIM 3: highly modular mouse (adjustable shell, swappable switches, high polling rates, long battery life).
    • General nostalgia: comparison to Mad Catz/Cyborg Rat modular mice from the 2000s.

  • UX gripes & YouTube behavior

    • YouTube shorts clog TV watch history (TV app treats short entries individually; desktop/mobile handle it better). Request: separate shorts from long-form history on TV.
    • Projector/TV apps often disable playback-speed control; many hosts use 2×–3× speed for talky content — inconsistent device support is annoying.

Notable quotes / soundbites

  • “They should just separate that.” — on YouTube shorts clogging TV history.
  • “I think we should get rid of shorts.” — blunt (and unlikely) take on the shorts ecosystem.
  • “If you can record an album using AirPods Max as the microphone then I will be sold.” — skeptical but humorous test for Apple’s “studio-quality” mic claims.

Main takeaways / verdicts

  • AirPods Max 2 is an iterative update: better ANC and computational features, but no physical fixes to the biggest UX gripes (weight, case, no off switch). If you already own Max and aren’t chasing incremental ANC/processing improvements, it’s not essential.
  • Samsung’s tri-fold experiment failed commercially — expensive to produce + tiny market. Expect ideas from it to inform future foldable designs, but don’t count on a short-term tri-fold comeback.
  • Nothing is wisely focusing on mid-range pricing and value. The 4A at €349 is the stand-out value; the Pro is a modestly more premium variant but not an $800 flagship.
  • NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 is technologically exciting and disruptive for in-game visuals — but expect aesthetic teething problems and ethical/artist-IP debates.
  • Apple’s MotionVFX acquisition is relevant to creators: keep copies/backups of important plugin assets and be prepared for platform/format shifts.
  • For audio and live-sound nerds, Brain Audio’s Party Pro is technically interesting and could serve small venues/businesses — but it’s not a mass-market Bluetooth party speaker.

Practical recommendations / action items

  • If you want a Samsung Trifold: buy now (final restock) — if you truly want it. Be aware support/inventory will vanish quickly.
  • MotionVFX users (Premiere/Resolve): export or back up critical plugin assets and project dependencies in case of future platform narrowing.
  • Creators/streamers: try AirPods Max 2 ANC on a flight or noisy environment before upgrading — great for travel but not necessarily a studio reference without a “studio mode.”
  • Gamers & devs: watch DLSS 5 demos and early beta threads closely. Expect visual style changes and developer controls to appear — but be mindful of art/asset provenance concerns.
  • Consumers shopping mid-range phones in Europe/UK: evaluate the Nothing Phone 4A at €349 for best price-to-spec value; 4A Pro if you value metal build and glyph extras but anticipate marginal spec gains.

SXSW highlights (short)

  • Waveform live show and meetups — good crowd interaction.
  • Rivian R2 demo ride, Tesla activation (Cyber Cab trailer), Brain Audio store visit, Rivian bike (expensive but interesting).
  • General festival saturation with brand “activations” everywhere (Tesla, Starbucks, big booths).
  • Tom Scott is returning to YouTube after a hiatus (hosts excited).

Quick listener notes

  • Sponsors and ads were read: Attio (AI CRM), Anthropic (Claude), Shopify, Framer, Betterment, MidiHealth, Strawberry coaching — standard podcast ad breaks.
  • Trivia and light segments pepper the episode; the hosts’ banter drives a lot of context and subjective takes.

If you want, I can produce a one-paragraph TL;DR, or extract the specific specs/features for AirPods Max 2 and Nothing Phone 4A/4A Pro into a small comparison table.