Nokia BH-803 Review

Functionality:

It rarely happens that the blond girl from the night bar turns out to be a rocket scientist. The same goes for the Nokia BH-803. The device supports the functions, standard for most handsfree gadgets with two of them using a new control system, but nothing more.

The multifunctional key is used to execute almost all commands: power on/off, Call/end/switch, pairing, and reset. All of them are performed by pressing and/or holding the button for a certain period of time.

The unique functions offered by BH-803 are the volume control and the muting. We described the first one in the previous paragraphs – it’s done by sliding/running a finger across the surface of the device. However, the second one gives you an idea of why BH-803 has been chosen to be a part of Arte’s package. Muting the microphone is done by double tapping a specific area (same way used to bring up the time in the phone) in this case, the same one, used to turn the volume up/down.


Performance:

According to the official data supplied, the 125 mAh Lithium- Polymer battery is supposed to give you up to 6 hours of talk time and 160 hours in standby mode. In contrast, a 300 mAh one used in Plantronics 665 lasts for 3 hours of talks and 80 in standby. So we can’t really complain about the battery. The manufacturer claims that the BH-803 is charged quickly. We tried and it took us about an hour. Considering the small battery capacity, together with the fact that in BH-602 it is 210 mAh and is fully charged for 45 minutes, it’s hard to define 1 hour as “quickly”.

The sound of the earpiece will not impress you much. It is not loud enough and you’ll struggle in order to hear the words being said. On top of that, the monotony and the sharpness of the voices, including that they are unreal, sometimes make it totally impossible to understand anything. On the other end of the line, the sound is loud and real, but slightly sharp at times.

If there is a light or normal wind, the BH-803’s DSP system performs above the average. It sounds as if the voice becomes louder and sharper, but not robot-like. If it is really windy, similarly to most handsfree devices, you can’t understand almost anything. It’s the same story if there is loud music around you. In that situation, you’ll have to raise your voice and even repeat your words in order to have a conversation. We definitely do not recommend using the Nokia BH-803, when in a noisy environment.

The device’s coverage is enough, to walk around in your office for example. Once you are behind a wall or a thicker door, it gets disconnected.


Conclusion:

Usually, when choosing a handsfree the most important criteria are sound quality, how comfortable is it and appearance/design. Nokia BH-803 only offers the last option, including a really “unique” volume control/mute system. However, these qualities do not justify the high price, because you can get something to satisfy all the criteria for less money. If you are still willing to live with mediocre sound quality in the name of the innovative design, then the choice is fully yours. Don’t forget that there are other similar devices, which you could try like Jawbone 2, Nokia BH-702 or Plantronics 925.