With clean, detailed sound and strong connectivity in a handsomely nostalgic design, the Minor III certainly stays on brand. Touch controls and call quality are two areas where Marshall has excelled in the past. It’s also convenient to have Bluetooth 5.2 and wireless charging built in. Unfortunately, the poor fit, poor battery life, and extremely limited feature set make these buds a risky purchase. The Marshall Minor III is extremely simple to use. To begin pairing, you open the lid, press and hold the button on the bottom of the case until the light flashes blue, and then select it on your device. You don’t get any extras like apps or ear tips. The charging case, earbuds, and a USB-C charging cable are all included in the box. The earbud stems are knurled black and brass-colored metal, another nod to Marshall amps. This is presumably intended to evoke the knobs of an amplifier. In practise, the metal adds weight and, if it’s cold outside, you can feel it transfer to your skin. The Minor III buds are light, but they’re made of a cheap plastic that’s better suited to 1980s action figures, which doesn’t help the already poor fit. The unfinished seams on the housings can be seen, and more importantly, felt. Meanwhile, the battery charging case’s edges are also rough around the edges. The metal button on the case and the shiny brass on the bottom of the stems are the best finished features. The Minor III fit could be improved significantly. True, many companies copy Apple, but the worst sin is bad copying of Apple. The AirPods are notorious for having a loose fit, which does not suit everyone. Having said that, the AirPods’ glossy plastic has a good level of finish and tends to stick to warm skin slightly. The Minor III earbuds sit perilously close to the base of your ear canals.
