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Review of Plantronics M50 Bluetooth Headset

In the box:

Headset
Charger
Replaceable plugs
Adapter for cigarette lighter
User Guide

Here comes a new accessible headset from Plantronics. It combines all trends of the segment. Rich kit, impressive features and nice design together with the price...

Design and Construction

The headset is sold in a transparent tube like package. Drag a tab to get the components out. I like the approach and the fact that you can find everything you need in the box. Some companies replace a standard charger with cables, but it is definitely not a way forward. A standard charger can be handy for other devices in your collection, which have microUSB. The charging will take place around 1hour and a half. If you travel and rent a car there is always enough space for a charger. Cables also require a laptop.

That is why I would like to praise the kit also featuring an adapter for a cigarette lighter. Other devices could be charged too. I managed to connect it to Sony Ericsson Xperia ray. It does not look nice, but the model can be charged in a car without any cable.

The headset is compact and boasts a nice color. The loop is made of transparent blue plastic and is firmly attached. The black element at the front has whimsical patterns, while the rim is blue and the back side uses black plastic. The combination looks quite organic. The company targeted not only female consumers as M50 can attract young people of any gender. The build is solid and you will not hear any squeaking. The microUSB is not capped. If you carry the headset in the pocket dust will be an issue. The microphone is at the back. I think that the light indicator is too conspicuous as it shines through the black plastic.

How to Carry the Headset

The headset fits me perfectly well, but I am not sure that every consumer has similar ears. There is a massive rubber element, which cannot be taken off. The same applies to the loop, so before buying the gadget test the model. I think that the solution is not ideal for mass audiences. I tested M50 on three people and only one of them felt comfortable.

Operation

Luckily we have a dedicated on/off button to save the battery. When you do not use the headset switch it off. At the front we have a tight multifunctional key with standard features: answer and end the call, coupling mode activation and voice control. Everything works with iPhone 4. At the bottom there is a volume controls button, which moves from quiet to loud. Voice tips and automatic coupling during the first run are also available.

Power

The manufacturer promises 11 hours of talktime, which is a good performance for an inexpensive solution. As I have already mentioned microUSB is used for charging and synchronization and full charging requires around 90 minutes.

Phone Connection and Sound Quality

The headset supports multipoint and can be used with two phones at a time, which is good. Bluetooth 2.1 has EDR and the connection is stable. Operation distance inside is around 6 meters. The sound quality is decent and you can talk with comfort in cars or offices. If there is a noise source near you the interlocutors will hear it. While connecting to iPhone 4 the headset battery level will be displayed on the screen, which is a welcome addition. On top of that we get A2DP, which allows high quality podcasts and music broadcasted to one ear.

Conclusion

I think that the headset will be offered for around $50.

First come advantages:

Decent design
Impressive operation time
Handy controls
Two phones operation
A2DP
Battery level icon for iPhone
Good speech transmission

On the downside we have only a handful of points:

Firmly fixed tip and loop
Blue plastic; black or white would have been more welcome (or something like this)

Light indicator can be irritating at times

In general it is a stunning product and if you can find a proper color then this accessible and feature rich solution is the one to buy. I like Plantronics M50 and can easily recommend it.

Do you want to talk about this? Please, go to our Forum and let your opinion to be known to the author and everybody else.

Sergei Kuzmin ([email protected])
Twitter Livejournal
Translated by Maxim Antonenko ([email protected])