Sennheiser’s dramatically redesigned Momentum 4 are coming for Sony’s WH-1000XM5

I wrote about the forthcoming Sennheiser Momentum 4 noise cancelling headphones a few weeks ago when the firm released a teaser image, but now we know much more thanks to Canada Computers, via The Verge. The retailer has accidentally leaked images and details of the next generation of Momentum over-ears, and they look like a serious rival to the  Sony WH-1000XM5, our current pick of the best wireless headphones you can buy. Not only that, but they appear to be cheaper – and that means they'll cost considerably less than Apple's best noise cancelling headphones.

The new design is very different: much less Sennheiser and a lot more Sony. But while that new lack of distinctiveness is a bit of a shame, it's more than compensated for by the improvements in the hardware here. How does 60 hours of battery life sound? That's nearly four times the battery life of the current version.

More sound, more convenient, less cash

It looks like the Sennheiser Momentum 4 will be significantly cheaper than the current model when they launch this month: the retailer's price was listed at $449.95 Canadian, which is about $350 USD / £285 GBP. The Momentum 3 had an RRP of $399 / £349, so that's quite a dramatic price cut.

According to Sennheiser, version 4 will deliver "best-in-class sound, advanced Adaptive Noise Cancellation and an all-new design offering exceptional comfort" with that hugely impressive battery life. There's also an "audiophile-inspired 42mm transducer system" for more natural sound.

The Momentum 3 over-ears don't currently feature in our best noise cancelling headphones guide, simply because the competition is so good. But the prospect of huge battery life, better sound, improved noise cancellation and better comfort means Sennheiser's rivals have lots of reasons to feel very nervous right now. If these headphones are as good as they seem to be, Sennheiser could have a headphone hit on its hands.