Marshall Amp Cranks It To 11 In A Purple Haze With First Android Smartphone

Marshall may be better known for its music equipment, but that isn’t stopping the company from bringing a kickass audio experience to the smartphone market with its London handset. Given its highly customizable nature, it should come as no surprise that London runs Google’s Android operating system (Lollipop 5.0.2).

Let’s get the “unique” aspects of the London out of the way first: it features dual front-facing speakers, a Wolfson WM8281 sound processor, Bluetooth atpX support, and a gold-tinged scroll wheel on the right side of the device that handle volume control, which Marshall says offers “tactile precision [that] allows you to find that sweet spot of sonic goodness.” You’ll also find dual stereo jacks so that you and a friend can share in the music experience and a dedicated M-Button at the top of the device which prices “one-click” access to your music. In addition, Marshall’s Mode in-ear headphones are included in the box.

Once you get past the audio-centric functionality, there’s a lot of lower-end hardware under the hood of the London. You’ll find a 4.7-inch 720p display, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a microSD slot, LTE connectivity, 8MP rear camera, 2MP front-facing camera, and a removable 2500 mAh battery. In other words, those specs make the London more in line with the Moto G.

But of course, if you’re buying the London, you probably don’t give one iota about the budget processing specs — you’re more interested in the audio experience. However, with a price tag that is approaching $600 (it’s priced at an equivalent of $583 in Sweden), this smartphone is only for the most diehard audio buffs.

Somehow we can't get the lyrics of one of our favorite Clash tunes out of our head with this one: "London Calling"