June 24, 2013 at 15:21Sony SBH50 Bluetooth Headset Review
A significant part of smartphone owners use them, including for listening to music, but at the same time, there is an opinion that in terms of ease of management they are inferior to stand-alone players. Partly, we can agree with this - to switch the track and change the volume you have to get the phone on and off, you can’t always switch the music “blindly”, it’s not convenient to carry the device in your bag. These problems can be solved with the new Sony SBH50 Bluetooth headset.
The kit consists of a main unit and in-ear headphones with two additional sets of rubber tips. The headset is made in the form of a clip and can be conveniently placed, for example, on the lapel of the jacket and belt of the bag. For better compatibility with the wardrobe, the device is available in black and white (fans of bright colors should pay attention to the SBH20 model).
On the front panel there is a monochrome OLED screen with a resolution of 128x36 and a response / review key for the call log, on the side there is a combined player control button (play / pause / forward / backward, they are also used to navigate the menu and configure the radio), and a call button menu. On the other hand there is a volume control, on one end there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack and microphone, and on the other there is a microUSB connector and a power button closed with a rubber plug.
In normal mode, the screen displays the time, battery level and the icon of the connected device. Switching to player mode, you can see the name of the current track. The screen is small, but quite bright, and due to the contrasting color scheme, it reads well even in the sun.
Before connecting, the headset should be charged using a standard microUSB cable. It takes two hours to fully charge, after which the headset can work up to 400 hours in standby mode and 8 hours in talk and music mode. To enable it, you need to hold the corresponding button for a second, with the connection it is just as simple - just attach the included headset to your smartphone or tablet, after which it will be offered to authorize the device and install the software update. After that, the headset icon will appear in the notification bar and you can use it. A headset can be connected to a device without an NFC via the Bluetooth setup menu in exactly the same way as any other. You can connect the headset to two devices at once, so while working or playing on the tablet you can receive calls, without taking out the phone. Switching between devices is carried out through the main menu.
The call is answered using the large round button located to the left of the display, the music is automatically muffled during the conversation. Using the same button, you can view the call log and dial the desired number. The interlocutor is heard well, and a high-quality microphone with noise reduction function ensures that you will be heard perfectly.
Headphones will seem familiar to owners of Xperia S, Ion and other models, however, in this case, their wire is shorter. The sound quality is excellent, especially if you choose the right size nozzles. Decent bass, lack of hissing resonances and distortions and a good volume margin. If you’re used to other headphones, there’s no need to refuse them - you can just as easily plug them into a 3.5 mm jack, you can do the same with speakers, put a headset next to them, and keep your phone in your pocket, which is very convenient for parties - you stay in touch and can steer a soundtrack. The sound is confidently transmitted at a distance of up to ten meters, if you move further away, interference will begin, expressed in crackles and interruptions.
Through the settings menu, you can adjust the screen rotation, depending on how you placed the headset. Notification, call and voice control settings are available on the phone itself, in addition, you can download additional widgets from the Play Market (Sony SmartWatch owners are already familiar with them), which allow you to display notifications of new letters in Gmail and replays on Twitter, calendar reminders on the headset screen or RSS feed headers.
Sony SBH50 can also be used as a radio, for this you need to select the corresponding icon in the menu and tune to the desired station using the rewind buttons, the frequency and name of the radio station will be displayed on the screen, the selected station will be remembered. By the way, the radio works even if the headset is not connected anywhere, so if you have a dead battery, you won’t be left without music and news.
Convenient, elegant and thought out to the smallest detail device, which has rich capabilities and greatly simplifies the life of lovers of music and high-quality sound. Nice bonuses in the form of the ability to connect any headphones and built-in radio.
- Bluetooth standard version: 3.0
- Multipoint function for working with several devices at the same time
- Support for NFC technology
- FM radio with RDS support (radio data transmission system)
- OLED Display 128 x 36 pixels
- Handsfree Profile (HFP) 1.6 (with HD support)
- Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) 1.2
- Audio Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) 1.4
- Standby time: up to 400 hours
- Talk time: up to 8 hours
- Operating time in streaming mode: 8 h.
- Battery: 115 mAh
Options and device
The kit consists of a main unit and in-ear headphones with two additional sets of rubber tips. The headset is made in the form of a clip and can be conveniently placed, for example, on the lapel of the jacket and belt of the bag. For better compatibility with the wardrobe, the device is available in black and white (fans of bright colors should pay attention to the SBH20 model).
On the front panel there is a monochrome OLED screen with a resolution of 128x36 and a response / review key for the call log, on the side there is a combined player control button (play / pause / forward / backward, they are also used to navigate the menu and configure the radio), and a call button menu. On the other hand there is a volume control, on one end there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack and microphone, and on the other there is a microUSB connector and a power button closed with a rubber plug.
Display
In normal mode, the screen displays the time, battery level and the icon of the connected device. Switching to player mode, you can see the name of the current track. The screen is small, but quite bright, and due to the contrasting color scheme, it reads well even in the sun.
Using
Before connecting, the headset should be charged using a standard microUSB cable. It takes two hours to fully charge, after which the headset can work up to 400 hours in standby mode and 8 hours in talk and music mode. To enable it, you need to hold the corresponding button for a second, with the connection it is just as simple - just attach the included headset to your smartphone or tablet, after which it will be offered to authorize the device and install the software update. After that, the headset icon will appear in the notification bar and you can use it. A headset can be connected to a device without an NFC via the Bluetooth setup menu in exactly the same way as any other. You can connect the headset to two devices at once, so while working or playing on the tablet you can receive calls, without taking out the phone. Switching between devices is carried out through the main menu.
The call is answered using the large round button located to the left of the display, the music is automatically muffled during the conversation. Using the same button, you can view the call log and dial the desired number. The interlocutor is heard well, and a high-quality microphone with noise reduction function ensures that you will be heard perfectly.
Headphones will seem familiar to owners of Xperia S, Ion and other models, however, in this case, their wire is shorter. The sound quality is excellent, especially if you choose the right size nozzles. Decent bass, lack of hissing resonances and distortions and a good volume margin. If you’re used to other headphones, there’s no need to refuse them - you can just as easily plug them into a 3.5 mm jack, you can do the same with speakers, put a headset next to them, and keep your phone in your pocket, which is very convenient for parties - you stay in touch and can steer a soundtrack. The sound is confidently transmitted at a distance of up to ten meters, if you move further away, interference will begin, expressed in crackles and interruptions.
Through the settings menu, you can adjust the screen rotation, depending on how you placed the headset. Notification, call and voice control settings are available on the phone itself, in addition, you can download additional widgets from the Play Market (Sony SmartWatch owners are already familiar with them), which allow you to display notifications of new letters in Gmail and replays on Twitter, calendar reminders on the headset screen or RSS feed headers.
Sony SBH50 can also be used as a radio, for this you need to select the corresponding icon in the menu and tune to the desired station using the rewind buttons, the frequency and name of the radio station will be displayed on the screen, the selected station will be remembered. By the way, the radio works even if the headset is not connected anywhere, so if you have a dead battery, you won’t be left without music and news.
Summary
Convenient, elegant and thought out to the smallest detail device, which has rich capabilities and greatly simplifies the life of lovers of music and high-quality sound. Nice bonuses in the form of the ability to connect any headphones and built-in radio.
Specifications
- Bluetooth standard version: 3.0
- Multipoint function for working with several devices at the same time
- Support for NFC technology
- FM radio with RDS support (radio data transmission system)
- OLED Display 128 x 36 pixels
- Handsfree Profile (HFP) 1.6 (with HD support)
- Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) 1.2
- Audio Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) 1.4
- Standby time: up to 400 hours
- Talk time: up to 8 hours
- Operating time in streaming mode: 8 h.
- Battery: 115 mAh