Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Marshall updates its Major III wireless headphones with Google Assistant

Simon Cohen
By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Don’t mess with the classics. That is unless you’re going to make them significantly better. That’s the concept behind Marshall’s update of its Major III wireless Bluetooth headphones, the $169 Major III Voice. Virtually identical to the previous version, the new cans now include one-button access to Google Assistant and have a vastly improved battery life. They’re available today on Marshall’s website, as well as selected retailers.

Adding Google Assistant to the Major III makes what was already an easy-to-use set of headphones even easier. Press and hold the dedicated voice button and you can summon Google Assistant for all of your music-related needs, from artists and albums to playlists and podcasts. It will also read your text messages, give you turn-by-turn directions as you wander, and answer your most pressing questions. Android users should already have Google Assistant on their phones, but iOS users will need to download the free Google Assistant app.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

When Marshall introduced Bluetooth wireless connectivity as an option on the Major II edition of these headphones, battery life was already at a decent 30 hours. Any set of wireless headphones that can last all day are probably sufficient for most people’s needs. That number only grows with the introduction of the Major III. Mirroring some of the amazing improvements in battery life we’ve seen in true wireless earbuds this year, the Major III Voice delivers a 100% better battery life with 60 hours of wire-free performance.

Recommended Videos

All of the Major’s best features, like its retro-cool styling and comfortable fit, remain untouched. And though we haven’t had a chance to hear them yet, we’re betting the Major III Voice continues the line’s tradition of offering excellent sound quality for the price. We’re also thrilled that Marshall has kept its unique and intuitive single-button control. It’s a clever design that gives you a directional joystick and a button in one easy-to-use control. Play/pause/volume and track control are all contained within its movements, as is power on/off and phone call management.

Related

We’re looking forward to trying the Marshall Major III Voice ourselves, to see if they indeed live up to the high expectations set by the previous models. They’re $20 more expensive, but we expect the extra battery life and convenience of Google Assistant will go a long way toward justifying it.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…
Master & Dynamic adds Lamborghini editions of its best headphones
Master & Dynamic Lamborghini collection of headphones.

Master & Dynamic (M&D) sees itself as a high-end, boutique maker of personal audio products and in keeping with that vision, it often collaborates with other high-end marques like Mercedes-Benz, Bugatti, and Leica. Some of those partnerships, like the one M&D has with Lamborghini, have lasting appeal so the two brands are back with their third collaboration.

You can now buy Lamborghini special edition versions of M&D's current flagship headphones: the over-ear noise-canceling MW75 ($649), the in-ear noise-canceling MW08 Sport wireless earbuds ($399), and the MG20 wireless gaming headphones ($499).

Read more
Niche Canadian company takes on Sony with new wireless earbuds and headphones
PSB M4U 9 wireless ANC headphones and M4U TWM wireless earbuds.

Canadian audio brand, PSB Speakers, has released the details of its latest headphones: the $499 M4U 9 wireless headphones and $199 M4U TWM wireless earbuds. Both devices make use of audio personalization software from Audiodo, as well as PSB's own RoomFeel technology. The new headphones are expected to be available at retailers in June.

These are not the hi-res, UWB-based headphones that PSB teased earlier in 2023, which have yet to be released.

Read more
Jabra’s $100 Elite 4 are its most affordable ANC earbuds yet
The Jabra Elite 4 true wireless earbuds.

Jabra today launched the latest member of its flagship Elite line of true wireless earbuds, the step-up Elite 4. Picking up where the popular Jabra Elite 3 left off, the $100 earbuds aren't a huge departure, but add some key new features, such as active noise cancellation (ANC), Bluetooth multipoint connectivity, and Swift Pair linking with Windows PCs.

Jabra's Elite line of true wireless earbuds are top performers for the brand (and some of the best earbuds around, period), with several models of them landing on our top earbud lists over the years, including the stellar Elite 7 Pro and the Elite 85t. Sitting at the more affordable end of Jabra's lineup, 2021's Elite 3s were a great-sounding pair of super-comfortable earbuds with easy-to-use physical controls on each bud, and a wide range of customizable features through the Jabra Sound+ app.

Read more