Gallery: Marshall's 'London' music phone is loud, bold and catchy Gallery Gallery: Marshall's 'London' music phone is loud, bold and catchy + 4

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When classic amplifier brand Marshall announced a couple of months ago that it was making a music-centric smartphone, WIRED was intrigued. Now that we have been hands-on with the Marshall London at IFA in Berlin, we are not only intrigued -- we're impressed.

Among those companies making devices for "serious" music fans over the past couple of years, the tendency has been to focus on making weighty, high-res MP3 players like Sony's NWZ-ZX1, or awkwardly pitched 'premium' devices like Neil Young's Pono Player.


But beyond petty point scoring, there are no awards for carrying around a bulky or ungainly device that is completely separate to your smartphone. Marshall proves that this isn't necessary -- you can have a portable, beautiful smartphone that is also tailored specifically to listening to music.

For a start, this phone is lighter than we expected. It's not so light that it feels cheap, but is Goldilocks-level just right. The leather feels thick and soft -- putting mainstream phone manufacturers with their "leather-feel" backs to shame.

As for the interface, it is seamlessly in tune with the phone's external design. The golden 'M' button on the top takes you straight into Marshall's music app. You can choose what to play from multiple sources -- local files, streaming services like Spotify, and so on. When you've chosen what to play and purely in listening mode, you can adjust the levels individually to tailor your listening experience.

Our hands-on with the Marshall London took place in a pretty busy hall, but we managed to find a quiet corner to listen to the two front-facing speakers. They sound totally different (better!) to any other smartphone speakers you've ever had the displeasure of listening to. Like a gently thudding heart, the phone has proper amp-style vibrations to it.


The experience continues when you slip the bundled buds into your ears. Unlike most handsets, the London ships with high-quality earphones -- the Marshall Modes -- which usually retail for around £60. The sound is solid, and if you so wish you can slip a second pair into the extra jack and control the volume independently using twin sliders on the screen.

This second jack can also be used with Marshall's DJ app. This allows you to listen to and queue music through one jack, while simultaneously feeding the queued tracks out to an amp.

All in all, this is a classy device with some unique features up its smart leather sleeves. If you're an audiophile, you'll no doubt want to test out its musical prowess before you invest, but rest assured that -- like the best music -- this phone is very easy to like.