The best headphones are constantly evolving and improving. That could be with better sound, increased ANC, and lighter designs. However, one of the most common places to see an increase is battery life, with some wireless headphones now offering nearly 100 hours of listening.
But, like, why? I don't use my headphones for any more than eight hours at a time for the most part, and I'm never more than a couple of steps away from some way of charging them.
Yes, we all want a longer battery life, but at what point does that become less of a factor compared to, say, sound quality? That's what I'm setting out to solve.
What's a realistic battery life?
The longest flight that you can take is 18 hours. It takes you from JFK airport in New York to Singapore. It's a near 10,000-mile journey. You could watch every extended edition of The Lord of the Rings one after the other, and then still have time for a decent, comfortable sleep.
Every single pair of headphones that I've tested at TG would last the entirety of that 18-hour flight.
Every single pair of headphones that I've tested at TG would last the entirety of that 18-hour flight. The AirPods Max and their 20 hours will do it, the 24 hours of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones will manage it — and those two have the shortest battery life of all.
"But what about getting to the hotel from the airport, and getting through customs and all the airport horrors?" Agreed, you will need more than the 18 hours on tap for the full trip, if you're not going to take your headphones off even once.
The AirPods Max might fall down here, but I'd say the extra 6 hours of the QuietComfort Ultra will be fine. But it at least highlights the need for a minimum battery life.
How long could you feasibly wear headphones?
So let's say I'm still going on that Singapore flight, and I want to listen to my headphones for the whole journey. It's a long trip, so I've stayed at a hotel near the airport the night before, and charged up my headphones.
My journey to the airport takes 40. I've arrived 3 hours before departure so that I can get on the plane in time and avoid the waiting times. Once I'm on the plane, the 18-hour journey commences — by the time we land, I've been listening for 21 hours and 40 minutes.
My ears hurt, but I push through.
There's a relatively quick check-out at Singapore airport — Gemini tells me 30-45 minutes. The journey to my Singapore hotel takes another 40 minutes. Overall, I've had my headphones on for a grand total of 22 hours and 25 minutes. I plug my headphones in to charge at the hotel for the next day's use.
At this point, the only headphones that would have died are the AirPods Max.
For the sake of the argument, though, let's say you can feasibly wear headphones for 30 hours without taking them off to recharge. That would leave you with plenty of charge for your entire 10,000-mile trip. To me, 30 hours feels like the sweet spot.
Why all the battery life increases?
So we've established that even in the most extreme circumstances, you're almost never going to need some of these monstrous battery life numbers. It's nice that headphones can last longer, yes, but any headphone maker shouldn't be boasting about a longer battery life than 30 hours.
Because here's the thing — for most normal use, you're not going to need to worry about your headphones dying over the day. Even if you listen to your headphones for every single one of your waking hours, they're not going to die.
And you can charge them when you're not using them.
Look, I know that seeing stats like 60 hours when you're buying new headphones is enough to get the blood pumping. But it's specs chasing for the sake of it.
Thanks to quick charge implementations that give you a battery boost with but a moment connected to the power, you're not going to find yourself tuneless.
Look, I know that seeing stats like 60 hours when you're buying new headphones is enough to get the blood pumping. But it's specs chasing for the sake of it.
You don't need it. 30 hours is plenty.
Don't focus on the battery life...as much
The Marshall Monitor III are some of my favorite headphones. They're comfortable, they sound great, and they offer the best battery of any pair of headphones I've ever seen.
They last for 70 hours with the ANC turned on, or enough to do our Singapore trip three times without stopping.
The only benefit I see out of it is that they're unlikely to let you down if you neglect to charge them — which, for the forgetful, is probably a big bonus. Or if you're on a three-week camping trip, you won't need to waste any of your precious external battery on your music. Though, if you're on a camping trip, you probably should be listening to the sounds of the natural world, not whatever's on your Spotify playlist.
Buy the Monitor III for their sound quality and comfort, not for their epic battery life.
What I'm saying is that you don't need to judge a pair of headphones by their battery life. Buy the Monitor III for their sound quality and comfort, not for their epic battery life.
Similarly, don't forgo some of the best wireless headphones out there just because they don't have three days straight battery power — you'll miss some truly excellent options because of an over-blown spec you may never need.
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