Bluetooth Buyers Guide

By Author: Ankur dev
Total Articles: 13
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Do you get tangled in your wired headphones often? Time to go wireless! We are here to guide you with your new Bluetooth headset purchase and let you know the important aspects to look for, in your headset. Apt fit and comfortable feel are the keys when you choose a headset – of course your ears need that for long run. There are a wide variety of makes, models and styles available on the market, but our recommendation would be to choose the style that fits you well, feels comfortable to be on for long and of course is compatible to your phone. Here are few other basics you should know before your next Bluetooth purchase

Comfort
There are a range of models available on the market with varied styles to fit in your ear; some come with an in-ear rubber earbud that are plugged partially inside the ear. Others, either sit on the edge of your ear or onto it just like Nokia BH-503. If you are not comfortable with both the above styles – Don’t worry, there is yet another and popular class of headsets that rely on in-built ear hooks to balance their weight and give a comfort fit to the wearer. Just to mention – Jabra ...
... and Motorola are considered among leaders in comfort and designs in the industry!

Compatibility
Once you are clear with the best comfort and style preference for yourself, the other point that arises is – is my Bluetooth compatible with my phone? To check the compatibility of your phone with a particular headset, quickly go through manuals or the packing for versions (1.0, 2.0, 2.1 plus EDR) - Both the cell phone and the Bluetooth should be running on same versions or else they won’t pair. The second thing to look for, in case you play music on your phone – Choose an A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) Bluetooth headset for stereo listening capability.

Call Quality
Call quality is very important when you go for a wireless headset device, you won’t want someone who is receiving your call to experience the background sounds of wind when you drive windows down or what people talking about in your room – Always go for a headset with good noise cancellation that enables better hearing quality of your voice by canceling background noises and prevents transmitting shrill and shaky versions of your voice to the call receiver. It is advised to go for headsets with two or three mics ideally, but one good one too serves the purpose.
Battery Life
Always look for talktime mentioned under Specifications/packing and judge your average usage per day – this will help you to figure out, how often you’ll be required to charge your headset. On an average most popular headsets have a battery life of about 6 hours per charging. Most larger/bulkier ones and a few slimmer models do offer battery backup of approximately 10 hours on one-time charging. The key points to keep in mind – Average daily usage and the talktime offered by a particular model.

Mono Vs Stereo
Most Bluetooth headsets on the market offers mono sound and are good to wear on single ear, but if you intend to listen to music – go for a stereo Bluetooth headset. There are convertible headsets available that can be converted to stereo headset by attaching wired earpieces. A stereo Bluetooth headset offers the convenience of listening to your favorite playlist without the attached wires and at the same time ease to pick a call from your paired cell phone. Our recommendation for audiophiles would be to go for Nokia BH-503 – this is an amazing piece with great sound quality (based on product reviews.)

Apart from the listed essentials, one should also look for additional features, such as ease to pair up two or more devices simultaneously and ability to give voice commands to apps on your cell phone – of course based on personal usability and interests!