Between the AirPods Max (Lightning) and ULT Wear 2, the AirPods Max (Lightning) comes out ahead in spatial audio, while the ULT Wear 2 wins on battery life and weight. Overall, the AirPods Max (Lightning) scores 65.7 and the ULT Wear 2 scores 70.9 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The ULT Wear 2 edges ahead on the Mars Score (65.7 vs 70.9), but the 5.2-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the AirPods Max (Lightning) if audio quality and feature breadth (ANC, codecs, multipoint) are the lead criteria for your purchase. The biggest gaps in its favor are spatial audio.
Pick the ULT Wear 2 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are battery life, weight, multipoint, among others.
Both ship with comparable driver size, active noise cancellation, water resistance, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the ULT Wear 2 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) wins
- ▲Has Spatial audio.
Why Sony - ULT Wear 2 wins
- ▲Battery life — 150.00% more. 50 h vs 20 h.
- ▲Weight — 129.00 g less. 255 vs 384.
- ▲Has Multipoint.
- ▲Has LDAC.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - ULT Wear 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Type | over-ear | over-ear |
| Weight | 384 g | 255 glead |
| Water resistance | none | none |
Audio
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - ULT Wear 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 40 mm | 40 mm |
| Impedanceⓘ | 10 Ω | 32 Ωlead |
| Sensitivityⓘ | 105 dBlead | 100 dB |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | truelead | false |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - ULT Wear 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 20 h | 50 hlead |
| Fast chargeⓘ | true | true |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - AirPods Max (Lightning) | Sony - ULT Wear 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.0 | 5.3lead |
| Multipointⓘ | false | truelead |
| 3.5mm jack | false | truelead |
| LDACⓘ | false | truelead |
| aptX HDⓘ | false | false |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery life, AirPods Max (Lightning) or ULT Wear 2?+
ULT Wear 2 lasts 50 hours vs 20 hours.
Do AirPods Max (Lightning) or ULT Wear 2 have active noise cancellation?+
Both models have active noise cancellation.
Which supports LDAC, AirPods Max (Lightning) or ULT Wear 2?+
ULT Wear 2 supports LDAC; AirPods Max (Lightning) does not.
Spec-level deep dives
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