Recently I found two coupons for Motorola Bluetooth headsets in my Costco mailer. The first was the latest version of their standard product - the H715 - which looks more or less like my old headsets. The second was a technological marvel called the Motopure H12 that I almost purchased on looks alone. The H12 is heralded as “the future of audio technology” performing admirably in “even the noisiest of environments.” It has a chrome and black finish with sharper squared corners that immediately catch the eye.

I reluctantly began my due diligence on these two products as I already knew what I wanted. Apparently there is still a little discipline in me to check the adrenaline of impulse buying, and it saved me physical and financial grief in this case.

There was a definite trend to the reviews I pulled up on the shiny H12 - they went from bad to worse. I will not go into the details of the reviews but will summarize with “it sounds like you are talking at the bottom of a pool.”

I had not planned on researching the H715, but circumstances forced the issue. And the reviews were generally very positive. The basics were all in place: Good enough listening volume that users actually had to turn it down a little bit. Recipients of cell phone calls did not have to strain to understand what was being said. The Bluetooth headset is easy to turn off when not in use and has a decent battery life.

The punch line is that I am now the proud new owner of a Motorola H715 and can speak from experience. Callers sound a little tinny, but they are plenty loud and I can understand every word. Everyone I have called says they have no problem hearing and understanding my voice, even when the fan is blowing in the car. The headset is so light it’s barely noticeable on my ear - not much different from wearing sunglasses. And I have not touched upon the features that are now considered standard: Control of many phone features from the buttons on the headset, easy up and down buttons for volume control, ability to switch between two cell phones, sound and light status indicators, microUSB connectivity, and so on…

Store prices vary for both phones, so let’s just say that Motorola’s retail store sells the H715 for $20 less than the Motopure H12, and they include a free car charger with H715! Enough said - you get the picture. Happy shopping!

Tags: bluetooth headset review, bluetooth headsets