We always love when random companies decide to produce a smartphone. Today we have a new one, by Marshall, who’s name is most associated with their historically successful pro-audio amplifier business. It is called the London and you’ve guessed it, puts audio in front of everything else.
Let’s review what the London will do for your pricey set of cans, beginning with the on-board audio chipset. The London uses a Wolfson WM8281 ‘Audio Hub’. Wolfson has always been a highly regarded audio solution for smartphones (often found in Galaxy phones), so it’s a great choice. The WM8281 is capable of high resolution 24-bit 192 KHz playback and probably the best solution for a smartphone at the moment.
Looking at the top of the device, we see a couple unique features.
First, those dual headphone jacks are sadly not for a balanced dual-channel setup. They are two headphone sources, so another person can share your audio experience. A neat thing is that each source has independent volume control. Thus, your ears don’t have to be blasted due to your friend’s hearing loss. Though I do wonder, can you watch a movie while the other listens to music? That’d be rad.
Another thing you might’ve noticed on the top is a gold button, with Marshall’s signature ‘M’ on it. This is a dedicated button to launch you into your music or the Global Equalizer that Marshall has developed for the phone.
Since you’re going to be rockin’ out frequently, there is also a gold scroll wheel for ‘tactile precision’ control of the volume.
With all this said, you’re probably expecting mediocre specs elsewhere? You’d be right, they’re fairly yesteryear:
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- Display: 4.7″ 720P IPS LCD, with Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 410, quad-core @ 1.2 GHz
- Memory: 2 GB of Ram
- Storage: 16 GB on-board, with microSD support
- Cameras: 8 MP rear and 2 MP front
- Battery: 2,500 mAh, removable
- OS: Android Lollipop 5.0.2
A couple other notable mentions is that the London houses front-firing stereo speakers, contains the high quality Bluetooth aptX, and comes with Marshall’s Mode earphones.
The price of the London is quoted at 4,995 Swedish Krona, which translates to roughly $585 USD. It is expected to begin delivery on August 17th. Are you swayed to push specs to the side for a better audio experience?
Source: Marshall Headphones
