The past few weeks I've been lucky enough to test out the latest and greatest Plantronics Discovery 975 Bluetooth headset for the iPhone [iMore Store Link - $119.95]. I've tested a lot of Bluetooth headsets since I've been here at TiPb and while some have been all around impressive, others have left me scratching my head. Is the Discovery 975 a definite keeper, or just a dud?
See for yourself after the break!
First thing you need to do is pair your headset with your iPhone and with the Discovery 975 and Plantronics QuickPair technology, it's a breeze. Simply turn on your iPhone's Bluetooth feature and follow the commands of your earpiece. That's all there is to it. And if you are like me and have more than one phone, activate the Multipoint technology to pair your earpiece with a second device, so you can stay connected with one headset for home and at the office.
Right off the bat if you look at Discovery 975 you can clearly see it is a little larger than most other recently released headsets, but looks can be deceiving as it weighs in at only .28 oz. It's a very simple headset with just a single button along with answer call/end call/power button. This is a very good thing if you are a minimalist. A concern you may have, looking a the headset, is how well does it fit in your ear? While I will admit I am not a huge fan of headsets that do not come with an ear loop, the 975 does a decent job with the provided gel ear tips. Of course, this will vary completely depending on your ears and it may just be a deal breaker for some.
When it comes down to it, the Discovery 975 has a very clean design that just works.
Let's get to the good stuff -- call quality and battery life. I am happy to report with Plantronics Dual-mic AudioIQ² technology, the call quality is spectacular. The only time I had the slightest of call quality issues was when I was in a noisy area. Now that's not to say the person on the other end of the call could not hear me but there was background noise that could be heard on the receiver's end. So is the noise cancellation as good as a Jawbone? No, but it makes up for that in the other big area I mentioned -- battery life.
Battery life is really where the Discovery shines. Plantronics claims you can get 5 hours of actual talk time and 168 hours of stand by time. Now that may seem very common amongst other headsets. Where the Discovery has the upper hand, however, is with the supplied carrying case that recharges the headset and triples talk and standby time. As far as I know this is the only current headset available on the market with such a case included with the device.
The Plantronics Discovery 975 is one of those headsets that either you will love or you will hate. The only concern I have is the lack of the ear loop as at times I had issues with the fit. Again, that will vary among users and you may love how it fits. Other that one negative, this is a excellent headset that is worth every penny and it can be purchased at TiPb's very own store for $119.95.
Disclaimer: The TiPb iPhone Accessory Store provided the headset for this review. All opinions are s
