The search continues on TheBerryFix.com for the best Bluetooth headset, with more and more headsets making their way onto the market which one will be the best? We’re trying to answer that question and today I am going to take a look at the all new BlackBerry HS-300, which is the little brother to the HS-700. To get the full review of the latest headset from RIM hit up the break.
From the minute you open up the box of the HS-300 you know its different from all the rest, and the biggest give away is its size. Coming in at only 37.9 mm in length the HS-300 is by far the smallest full featured Bluetooth headset on the market.
Specifications
Mechanical properties
- weight: approximately 0.28 oz (8 g)
- size: (L x W x H) approximately 1.49 x 0.96 x 0.67 in. (37.9 x 24.4 x 17 mm)
Power
- battery: non-removable, rechargeable lithium-polymer cell
- port: Micro-USB–compatible port for charging
- capacity: 59 mA
- talk: time up to 4 hour
Bluetooth radio specification
- single-band support: ISM 2.4 GHz
- power class: Bluetooth® Class 2
- range: approximately 33 feet (10 m)
- transmitting and receiving frequency: 300 to 3400 Hz
- encryption: 128 bit
- profile support: HFP and HSP
Design
The HS-300 is extremely small and lightweight coming in at only 8 g and 37.9 mm in length the HS-300 is the most featured packed Bluetooth headset on the market. The headset offers 3 different sized ear gels and two ear hooks, providing you with many options to get the perfect fit. There isn’t to much to the actual design of this headset other than its black piano finish giving it a classy look, though I do like the look of the HS-700′s leather back better.
Audio Quality
A lot of Bluetooth headsets cram a bunch of features into a headset and then market it as “feature rich” but what they forget to concentrate on is the audio quality for both the user and the caller on the other end. RIM has decided to take a different approach to the HS-300, give you a few important and useful features and then give you an awesome audio experience. Now I’m not saying that the HS-300 is the best in the market for audio quality, but for a $49.99 headset it is definitely best in class.
Battery Life
RIM states the HS-399 will give you 15 hrs of uninterrupted talk time and 3 hrs after a 30 min charge, their definitely making bold statements about the battery life, and In my testing is didn’t receive 15 hrs but I did receive a respectable 13-14 hrs on average.
Conclusion
After using the HS-300 for over a month I’m confident to say that this is one of the best entry level Bluetooth headsets that I’ve used to-date. Offering you up-to 15hrs of talk time, voice guided setup, and best in class audio quality the HS-300 is a clear winner in the ever changing headset market. At the time of writing this review the HS-300 can be found online at ShopBlackBerry.com for $49.99 and is available at many different electronics retailers. Stay tuned as we continue to review as many Bluetooth headsets as we can, giving you our readers the information you need to make a decision on your headset.
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