Marshall Major IV wireless headphones launch with an unbelievable battery life

wireless headphones
(Image credit: Marshall)

Marshall has announced its latest wireless headphones, and they come with an incredible 80-hour battery life that beats most of the best headphones of 2020 by miles. 

The Marshall Major IV pick up where the Major III wireless headphones left off, with what the heritage rock company describes as "an improved ergonomic design", while retaining the brand's well-known, guitar amp-inspired look.

According to Marshall, the Major IV’s ear cushions are "softer to the touch and more faithfully fit the shape of your ear", which will hopefully make them more comfortable than the Major IIIs (we found they created an uncomfortable clamping sensation during long listening sessions). 

The on-ear headphones can now be charged wirelessly via a wireless charging mat, and with that 80-hour battery life, they're designed to last through even the longest listening sessions. 

The Major IV also come with a quick-charge feature, which gives you 15 hours of listening from a 15-minute charge – and if you are caught out with no battery left, you can hook them up to your smartphone via the included 3.5mm audio cable.

'Roaring bass'

Like their predecessors, the new Marshall headphones come with a multi-directional control knob that lets you pause, play, and skip your music, adjust the volume of your playback, and power the headphones on and off. 

Wireless connectivity comes courtesy of Bluetooth 5, which should provide a stable connection with your device.

Marshall says that the Major IV deliver "the signature Marshall sound that you’ve come to expect", with 40mm dynamic drivers that provide "roaring bass, smooth mids, and brilliant treble". 

We'll need to test them out for ourselves to assess the audio quality, but we're hoping that the Major IV have a better bass response than their predecessors; while we liked the sparkly trebles of the Major III, we felt they were let down by their feeble low frequencies.

The new headphones will be available to buy from October 14, though you can preorder them now from the Marshall website. They'll set you back $149 / £129 / AU$249. 

That means we could see some discounts on older Marshall headphones on Amazon Prime Day (October 13-14) and Black Friday, which takes place on November 27, with deals expected to start rolling in from the beginning of the month. 

Olivia Tambini

Olivia was previously TechRadar's Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she's a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She's previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.