Three years after the Minor III, Marshall launches the Minor IV, an attractive brand in the TWS earphone segment at less from 150 euros. Taking advantage of the famous design of the British brand and the iconic "Marshall sound", the Minor IV aims to be an alternative to Apple's AirPods and earphones from smartphone brands. Has the bet paid off? The answer is in this test.
Marshall is an "iconic" brand that made a name for itself thanks to its electric guitar amps. Its name is associated with great rock figures, such as Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Slash. Under the leadership of its various owners, Marshall has become a mainstream brand that covers speakers, soundbars, headphones (with those very distinctive square earbuds), and earphones.
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In this last category, you have the Mode, very affordable wired earphones, the Motif, TWS models with noise reduction, and the Minor. The history of the Minor symbolizes the evolution of habits and technologies. The first models, released in the early 2010s, were wired with a jack plug. The second generation arrived in 2018 and adopted Bluetooth technology. But there is still a wire between the two earphones, while the AirPods have been "true wireless" for two years. We will have to wait until 2021 to see the Minor III, the first TWS earphones from Marshall.
The observation is then mixed. Absent treble. Average performance during calls. Fortunately, the very dynamic Marshall sound is there. And the price isn't exorbitant: 129 euros. In 2024, Marshall finally renewed its TWS offering with the Minor IV. A new generation that capitalizes on Marshall's evolution over the previous three years and attempts to correct some of the Minor III's missteps to once again become a rival worthy of Apple's AirPods. Mission accomplished? Not always. And we'll explain why.
Price and availability date
The recommended retail price of Marshall's Minor IV is 129 euros. That's the same amount as the Minor III at their launch. The latter have also seen their price drop to 99 euros. In Marshall's headphone range, the Minor IV's positioning is consistent: 70 euros less than the Motif and 50 euros more than the Mode.
Competition is very, very generous in the segment between 100 and 150 euros. All audio or smartphone brands offer one or two pairs of headphones in this price range. The most popular models are Apple's AirPods 4 (version without ANC), priced at 149 euros, Google's Pixel Buds A, sold at 110 euros, and Samsung's Galaxy Buds3, sold at 130 euros. At Sony, you can find the excellent WF-C710N, available for 120 euros.
The Minor IV have been available since July 2024 in all good ice cream shops. They were then only available in black. At the beginning of 2025, Marshall presented a "cream" version that you can discover in this review. They are sold with a matching charging case. In the box, you will find the earphones, the case, as well as a USB-C to USB-A cable.
Design et contrôle
Let's start this review with the design. A design that retains the brand's iconic language: there's a real range effect between the Motif II and the Minor 4. The textured stem. The gold metal tip. The prominent brand logo. The "leather" effect plastic charging case. While this range effect is evident with the black version of the Minor IV, it remains quite strong with the cream version. This is one of Marshall's strengths compared to other, less identifiable brands.
There are a few interesting details to note in these earphones. First, you'll notice that the earphones' ergonomics have changed slightly. The tip of the earpiece is slightly contoured to orient itself towards the ear canal. The stem has been reoriented to bring the microphone at its end closer to the user's mouth, thus improving voice pickup during calls. The stem is slightly shorter. Finally, a sensor has been added to the back of the earpiece: this is a proximity sensor. We will come back to this.
For the rest, the Minor IV remains similar to the Minor III, with a polycarbonate shell (approximately 40% recycled plastic), a microphone at the end of the stem, a secondary microphone for voice isolation at the back, two connectors under the head for charging. The earphones aren't exactly small: they won't fit small ears that will suffer after prolonged listening. They're quite light: 8 grams. And they're splash-proof (IPx4).
As before, the controls are via the "M" at the top of each stem. This logo is touch-sensitive. It only accepts taps (short or long), unlike the large surfaces you find in Bose QuietComfort, for example. This button is very sensitive. A simple touch activates them. You can deactivate them if it becomes too annoying. The controls aren't very customizable, but they're quite comprehensive. It's a shame that they're only partially differentiated between left and right.
The case itself is fairly standard. In a vertical format, it features a lid that perfectly protects its contents. And it's not too difficult to open with one hand either. There's an LED on the front to indicate the charging and connection status. And a hardware button is located next to the USB-C port to activate pairing. It's standard. And at this price, we don't ask for more.
Audio quality
Inside each Minor IV earbud, Marshal has integrated a 12 mm transducer. They are practically the same as those of the Minor III. We therefore expected, a priori, a fairly similar experience. And this is generally the case. A nice dynamic on the mids, without distortions, and a little less presence on the treble and bass. A lack of bass which is inherent to the format of the earphones: in-ear without tips. And a generally quite low sound volume.
The Minor IV considerably favors the mid and high-mid frequencies. String instruments are really advantaged by this "Marshall" signature, very focused on rock. Guitars, of course, both acoustic and electric, as well as basses. These earphones really come into their own during an electric guitar solo, with dynamism, liveliness, and detail. On the other hand, some elements of the drums will be masked. The bass will lack a little presence. On the other hand, the treble is lost. The Minor IV are therefore not suitable for all exercises and all styles.
The earphones rely on a Bluetooth 5.3 connection (compared to 5.2 for the Minor III). This connectivity ensures data transmission up to 10 meters, even through walls. Latency is rather high: these earphones are therefore not suitable for gaming on a smartphone, but rather for listening to music. For series and films, it works well if the video player is equipped with a compensation tool.
Depending on the make (and model) of your phone, the experience offered by the Minor IV can go from simply acceptable to a good level. The sound volume is suddenly higher (without really bursting through the roof... and eardrums). And the level of detail is slightly better. We tried it with an iPhone and several Android smartphones. With the first, the experience is disappointing. With the others, it's better on average.
The total lack of sound insulation makes the Minor IV less practical to use in all situations. At home or in an office with a few colleagues, the Minor IV adapts well. On the street, ambient noise quickly becomes annoying. And we're not talking about public transport, such as the subway, train, bus, or... plane. Under these conditions, the Minor IV's appeal is diminished.
In terms of codecs, Marshall is content with the bare minimum here: SBC and AAC. Thanks to Bluetooth 5.3, the Minor IVs are Bluetooth LE compatible. This should allow them to be LC3 compatible thanks to a firmware update. However, they inexplicably lose aptX. The Minor IVs are therefore not compatible with any lossless codec. Too bad. There's no spatial audio either, nor any system that positions the user's head.
Interactivity and application
Beyond the purely musical qualities of the Minor IV, let's now look at everything related to interactivity. We saw previously that the earphones are equipped with a touch surface. But that's not all. You'll also find a proximity sensor, a new feature of this generation of earphones. The latter deactivates music playback if an earphone is removed and restarts it if the user puts it back on. This feature, which you can disable, works well most of the time.
The earbuds are Fast Pair compatible. If you pair them with an Android smartphone, they will automatically connect to all your Android devices. The earbuds can also manage a multipoint connection with devices running another OS (Windows, iOS, macOS). However, you cannot manually manage the active audio source. It's a shame.
The Marshall app, compatible with iOS and Android, is quite well done. It allows you to monitor the battery level, update the earphones, and customize their use. It includes a 5-voice equalizer with two profiles: the first is the "Marshall sound" and the second is customizable. Profiles are offered to beginners: more bass, less midrange, more treble, etc. It also offers some battery-related functions. We'll come back to this. The app also serves as an interactive catalog. Anything goes to get a little publicity.
Autonomy and charging
While the battery capacity isn't announced, the battery life has been slightly improved, probably thanks to Bluetooth LE and various software optimizations. It officially goes from 5 hours for the Minor III to 7 hours for the Minor IV. And, in reality, this is almost the case, give or take a few dozen minutes. With the charging case, the battery life offered by the Minor IV increases to 30 hours, compared to 25 hours previously. The case therefore offers approximately three full charges of the earphones when its battery is full.
To recharge the earphones, simply slip them into their case. The latter offers three hours of listening time after a quarter of an hour of charging, which is twice as fast as before. Beyond this limit, charging efficiency drops drastically, since the case must monopolize the earphones for a good hour to fully recharge them. That's three quarters of an hour of charging for four hours of listening time. The case, meanwhile, recharges via its USB port or a wireless charger. Using the included cable, you can go from 0 to 100% in about two hours.
Marshall offers a small selection of functions in its app to preserve the earphones' battery. This includes a 90% charge limit to prevent overcharging, slow charging to limit cell wear, and a tool that monitors battery temperature to prevent overheating. It's rare to see these types of features in earphones. And it's a very good idea that the competition should take inspiration from.
So, should we buy?
The Minor IV have some nice assets going for them. A design that respects the brand's codes. A dynamic sound, better suited to pop and certain subgenres of rock. A rather practical and well-designed app. Fast Pair compatibility for more convenient use with multiple devices. Wireless charging for fans. These are the strengths of these earphones.
There are, however, weaknesses that we cannot ignore. Absent treble and discreet bass. A total lack of isolation, and a volume that is sometimes too low. Not to mention the ergonomics, which aren't suitable for small earpieces. For the same price, some might prefer to turn to the WF-710N, which is almost flawless in terms of audio and just as complete.
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