AirPods Max 2 vs Evolve2 85 Comparison

Compare AirPods Max 2 vs Evolve2 85 side by side: specs, ratings, pros and cons, and which one fits your room best.

On this page

At a Glance

The AirPods Max 2 are Apple's current over-ear headphones. They use an Apple-designed dynamic driver, an H2 chip in each ear cup, and nine microphones: eight for noise cancelling and three for voice, with two shared.

View on Apple (opens in a new tab)

Best For: iPhone and Mac users
Style: Over-ear
Weight: 386.2 g
ANC: Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio
Mics: 9
Boom Mic: No
Talk Time: 20 h
Connect: Bluetooth, USB-C audio
Certified: —

Evolve2 85

The Jabra Evolve2 85 is Jabra's top over-ear office headset. It has 40 mm speakers, digital hybrid ANC using four microphones, and ten microphones in total (4 analog and 6 digital MEMS) with a discreet hidden boom arm.

View on Jabra (opens in a new tab)

Best For: Open offices
Style: Over-ear headband
Weight: 286 g
ANC: Digital hybrid ANC (4 mics)
Mics: 10 (4 analog + 6 digital MEMS)
Boom Mic: Yes (discreet hidden boom arm)
Talk Time: 26 h
Connect: Bluetooth, USB-A/USB-C Bluetooth adapter (Link 390), 3.5 mm cable
Certified: Leading UC vendors; Microsoft Teams Open Office (variant)

Review Scores Compared

Expert Score

AirPods Max 27.1/10
Evolve2 858.6/10 Leads

Voice & Mic Clarity

AirPods Max 26.3/10
Evolve2 858.7/10 Leads

Comfort & Ergonomics

AirPods Max 27.2/10
Evolve2 859.0/10 Leads

Connectivity & Range

AirPods Max 28.6/10 Leads
Evolve2 858.5/10

Battery & Charging

AirPods Max 27.0/10
Evolve2 857.4/10 Leads

Certification & Controls

AirPods Max 2—
Evolve2 859.3/10

Why AirPods Max 2 Beats Evolve2 85 (and Vice Versa)

Why AirPods Max 2 beats Evolve2 85

Materials: Anodized aluminum ear cups, stainless steel frame, knit mesh… vs Leatherette-covered foam headband and ear cushions
Bluetooth Version: 5.3 vs 5.0

Why Evolve2 85 beats AirPods Max 2

Better voice & mic clarity: 8.7 vs 6.3 out of 10
Better comfort & ergonomics: 9.0 vs 7.2 out of 10
Weight: 286 g vs 386.2 g
Boom Mic: Yes (discreet hidden boom arm) vs No
Talk Time: 26 h vs 20 h
Music Time: 37 h vs 20 h

Review-score leads of 0.5+ points out of 10 first, then specs where only one comes out ahead.

Full Specifications

Show only differences

General

	AirPods Max 2	Evolve2 85
Best For	iPhone and Mac users	Open offices
Wearing Style	Over-ear	Over-ear headband

Design & Build

	AirPods Max 2	Evolve2 85
Weight	386.2 g	286 g Better
Materials	Anodized aluminum ear cups, stainless steel frame, knit mesh canopy Better	Leatherette-covered foam headband and ear cushions
Ear Cushions	Memory foam with mesh textile	Soft audio foam, leatherette
Colors	Midnight, Starlight, Blue, Purple, Orange	—
Headband	Knit mesh canopy, telescoping stainless steel arms	Ultra-soft foam covered in leatherette
Ear Cup Rotation	Each cup rotates independently	—
Dimensions	—	199 x 160 x 77 mm

Audio

	AirPods Max 2	Evolve2 85
Driver Size	—	40 mm
Frequency Response	—	20 Hz - 20 kHz (music); 100 Hz - 8 kHz (speak)
Bluetooth Codecs	—	SBC, AAC
Driver Type	Apple-designed dynamic driver	—
Sensitivity	—	117 dB @ 1 mW / 1 kHz
Spatial Audio	Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking	—
Custom EQ	Adaptive EQ	—
Wired Listening	Yes (USB-C lossless and ultra-low-latency audio)	Yes (3.5 mm cable included)
Stereo / Mono	Stereo	Stereo
Speaker Bandwidth (Calls)	—	100 Hz - 8 kHz (speak mode)
Hearing Protection	—	Jabra SafeTone

Noise Cancelling

	AirPods Max 2	Evolve2 85
Noise Cancelling	Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio	Digital hybrid ANC (4 mics)
Active Noise Cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency Mode	Yes (Transparency mode, Conversation Awareness)	—
Adaptive ANC	Yes (Adaptive Audio)	—

Microphone

	AirPods Max 2	Evolve2 85
Microphones	9	10 (4 analog + 6 digital MEMS)
Microphone Setup	6 outward-facing (ANC), 2 inward-facing; Voice Isolation	4 analog MEMS / 6 digital MEMS
Call Noise Reduction	Voice Isolation	Meets Microsoft Teams Open Office requirements
Boom Mic	No	Yes (discreet hidden boom arm) Better
Busylight	—	Yes
Mic Frequency Response	—	Analog 5 Hz - 20 kHz; digital 100 Hz - 8 kHz
Open Office Certified	—	Yes

Battery & Charging

	AirPods Max 2	Evolve2 85
Talk Time	20 h	26 h Better
Charging Time	—	Up to 140 min
Fast Charging	Yes (5 min = about 1.5 h)	Yes (30% after 30 min)
Charging Stand	—	Desk stand (SKU dependent)
Music Time	20 h	37 h Better
Charging Port	USB-C (lossless and ultra-low-latency audio)	—
Talk Time (ANC On)	—	21 h

Connectivity

	AirPods Max 2	Evolve2 85
Connection	Bluetooth, USB-C audio	Bluetooth, USB-A/USB-C Bluetooth adapter (Link 390), 3.5 mm cable Better
Bluetooth Version	5.3 Better	5.0
USB Dongle	—	Jabra Link 390
Multipoint	—	Yes (2 simultaneous, 8 paired)
Wireless Range	—	30 m
Certifications	—	Leading UC vendors; Microsoft Teams Open Office (variant)
Paired Devices	—	8
Bluetooth Profiles	—	HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP, PBAP, SPP
USB Audio	Yes	—
Cable Length	—	1.2 m

Controls & App

	AirPods Max 2	Evolve2 85
Controls	Digital Crown, listening mode button	—
Management Software	—	Jabra Direct, Jabra Xpress
Wear Detection	Optical and position sensors	—
Voice Assistant	Siri	—
Teams / Call Button	—	Yes (Microsoft Teams notifications on LED)
IT Remote Management	—	Jabra Xpress

In the Box

	AirPods Max 2	Evolve2 85
In the Box	AirPods Max 2, Smart Case, USB-C charge cable	Headset, desk stand (SKU dependent), Link 390 adapter, 1.2 m USB-C to USB-A cable, 1.2 m 3.5 mm cable, carry case
Warranty	—	2 years
Carry Case	Yes (Smart Case)	Yes (carry case)

Takeaways

Our pick: Evolve2 85, with the highest spec-based rating (4.5/5).
Choose AirPods Max 2 for iPhone and Mac users.
Choose Evolve2 85 for open offices.

Pros and Cons

AirPods Max 2

PROS

Nine microphones with Voice Isolation
Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness
Lossless, low-latency audio over USB-C
Five colours, Smart Case included

CONS

Heaviest in this group at 386.2 g
Shortest battery here at 20 h