Bluetooth headsets have never been highly touted or even popular with consumers, yet they have improved in performance at the same time. If you like the idea of going hands-free at home and on the go, there are models worth paying for.
When the 10 provinces each enacted laws mandating hands-free smartphone usage while driving or risk a fine (or worse), there was a rush to buy Bluetooth headsets to comply. Drivers have since settled in, and new vehicles tend to come with Bluetooth as a standard feature, eroding the market for headsets.
One of the consistent criticisms levied against them is the simple fact they are wearable devices. That may seem a contradiction that flies in the face of the current trend toward wearable technology, but the prevailing mantra has been that headsets are unattractive, uncomfortable and unnecessary — everything a wearable shouldn’t be. Of course, anything you have to wear is subjective, so those who like the convenience they provide can try these on for size.
Motorola Moto Hint
Probably the most unique design of the bunch here, the Moto Hint is a headset that integrates more deeply into the Moto X (2014) than any other smartphone, but is still otherwise universal. It knows to turn on when you place in your ear, and to shut off when removed. It can read incoming text messages (with the Moto X), and is compatible with Apple’s Siri and Google Now.
The fact it doesn’t have a protruding microphone may give the impression that it can’t pick up your voice, but it’s really no different from any other headset that way. We tested it and sounded fine. We also purposely didn’t tell callers we were on a headset, and no one really blinked an eye. Pressing the button on the side triggers it into action, and we used it to make calls, accept calls, listen to turn-by-turn navigation and do searches via Siri or Google Now. We’d be lying if we said we had 100% success doing these things, but it’s more the Siri and Google Now integration that sometimes failed.
Battery life is rated at about three-to-four hours of talk time, and that’s generally true. On standby and sporadic usage, it can easily last a full day, but longer phone calls will chip away at the battery faster. The portable docking station that comes with the Hint can recharge it twice before needing to recharge itself.
It’s not cheap at $165, but is a nice device that does what’s advertised. Even more so if you have a Moto X.
Plantronics Voyager Edge
Plantronics may not be known for its aesthetic pedigree, but the Voyager Edge is neither ugly nor pedestrian. Sporting a refined look with a mic that stretches out over the jaw, it has no hook around the ear (like the Hint), nestling into the ear quite well. We were unsure at first, but got so used to it that we never gave it a second thought.
We liked that we could say “answer” to accept a call instead of pressing a button to activate. Like the others, it also announced who was calling, so we never had to look at our phone. The audio quality is excellent throughout, possibly the best we’ve heard in a headset in its $150 price range, and may be the result of the three noise-cancelling mics built-in to the unit.
Battery life is rated at six hours of talk time, but we found it to be just under that. Standby time is good enough to last a full day, and the rechargeable cradle it comes with can get it back from empty to full in about 90 minutes, give or take. We tended to use this at home and in the car, despite having Bluetooth already embedded in the dashboard. Having the Voyager allowed us to accept phone calls privately in cases where we had passengers.
Other models
We didn’t get a review unit in time to test for this roundup, but past experience suggests that the Jawbone ERA is worth considering. Jawbone has made stellar Bluetooth headsets in the past, and with the ERA being the flagship (if such a thing exists for this category), at $130, it may be able to hold its own against the others listed above.
Audio stalwarts like Sennheiser (VMX-200) and Bose (Series II) also make Bluetooth headsets that are about $140-$150. They’re not quite as pretty as some of the other products they make, but could be given some consideration because of their respective reputations.
