Marshall, renowned makers of guitar and music amps, is treading new waters with the launch of its very first smartphone, London. Aimed at audiophiles and music lovers, London runs on Android Lollipop and comes with features that Marshall hopes will set it apart from the usual glut of iPods, Ponos, (we are kidding) and smartphones with built-in music players.
If you are familiar with Marshall’s amps, you will see the familiar design language carried over to the London. The flat, rectangular headset has a soft-touch faux-leather finish, with knurled gold color buttons. There are dual speakers on the front, along with two stereo jacks up top. You also get a a set of its Marshall Mode in-ear headphones bundled with the London. All of which hint at the London’s music focus.
As for the hardware, Marshall partnered with Finnish firm, Creoir – whose previous collaborations include Jolla and Nokia – to create it to Marshall’s specification. It is all pretty humdrum if we are to be honest: a 4.7-inch, 720p display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and an 8-megapixel camera. The battery’s not huge at 2,500mAh, but it is removable, plus there’s a microSD card slot for adding extra storage.
But, of course, this phone isn’t about the specs, it’s about the music, so let us go back to that. The London has a bespoke DJ app, and the dual outputs lets wannabe jocks cue and mix their tunes in headphones, while the current track plays through a speaker. This is something that other phones cannot do without crude workarounds right now. Marshall has installed a custom app to help you along with your recordings, if you are into creating music more than listening to it.
The London has been priced at 4,995 Swedish krona (roughly $590) for an expected delivery of August 21st. That puts it into a rather tough position when you compare it to other, higher spec phones at that price, not to mention a world of third-party music apps to choose from.
That said, if you dig audiophile stuff and like the London’s design as much as we do, pre-orders start today.