Plantronics Explorer 80 Bluetooth Headset Review
The Plantronics Explorer 80 is no new product at this point in time but if you are searching for a mono Bluetooth headset, it is still widely available in stores today. Should you go ahead and pick one up? Does the battery live up to Plantronics' claim of 11 hours on a single charge? I purchased one from Harvey Norman at S$59 (U.P. S$69) and have been using it actively for the past 3 weeks. I will be answering some of the concerns you may have about this products but if you have any other questions, do leave a comment below.
Design - Plastic But Well Built
If you are expecting to get something that feels really premium at this price, prepare to be disappointed. The Explorer 80's housing is made entirely out of plastic. That said, it is really well constructed and the mostly matte outer surface looks professional. Being made out of plastic has its benefits. The headset weighs in at a mere 8.2g, making it really comfortable to wear for prolonged periods. The Explorer 80 comes in two colors, black and grey. Mine is the grey one.
The Explorer 80 can be separated into three components: the main body, ear tip and ear hook. The ear tip is soft, feels really durable and can be rotated to fit your ear better. Take good care of it though as finding a replacement would be difficult. You do not really need the ear hook, but without it, the headset will fall out of your ears really easily. You can wear the headset on both ears - just change the ear hook orientation.
There are 3 buttons and a switch on the Explorer 80. The 2 buttons on the side are for volume controls. Press both buttons together to play/pause your music. The on/off switch is on the other side of the headset. A third button can be found on the front, the glossy part beside the indicator light. This button is used for answering calls, activating Siri/Google Now and switching between calls. The headset can be charged via the Micro USB port at the top.
Setup - Quick & Simple
To connect the headset, simply switch it on and search for it in the Bluetooth settings on your smartphone. The first time you turn on the Explorer 80, you will be prompted to select its language. For English, just leave it alone for a few seconds after switching it on. For other languages, listen to the instructions provided. I love how straight forward the setup process is.
One of the really cool feature of the Explorer 80 is its ability to connect to two device at once. To pair a second device, all you have to do is entire pairing mode by holding the call button, then search for the headset in the Bluetooth settings. Every time you turn on the headset, the first device to connect to it will be set as the primary device. You can answer calls on both devices but you can only listen to music on your primary device.
App - Not Very Useful
Plantronics Hub app for the Explorer 80 is available in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Setting up the app is as easy as opening it. The app will automatically detect the connected headset and identify which model it is. In the app, there is a Find MyHeadset feature, which shows your connection history (with location) and also play a really loud siren through your headphones. I have not had to use this feature due to the Explorer 80's really secure fit around my ear, but these feature is definitely good to have.
Besides the Find MyHeadset feature, there is really nothing else you can do in the app other than read the instructions for the headset. I wish there were more options that we can customize, like custom notification lights and button shortcuts. There is not really any reason to download the app unless you are afraid of losing the headset.
Sound Quality - Better Than Expected
I bought the Explorer 80 with very low expectations of the sound quality. After all, Plantronics is not trying to push this as any audiophile-grade headphone. Heck, their website did not even state anything about sound quality. So how does it fair? Pretty decent actually. While it does not sound as great as stereo headphones in its price range, it definitely sounds better than S$10/20 brand-less headphones. Calls came in crisp and clear.
Microphone - Surprisingly Good... & Disappointing
Testing the Explorer 80's microphone provided me with multiple conflicting results. But after a couple of retries and rewriting of this portion of the review, I believe I have what I would believe to be a fair conclusion of the headset's microphone quality. Lets begin with calls. Callers noted that the Explorer 80's microphone's quality was rather similar to that of the iPhone SE's built-in microphone, sometimes even slightly louder and clearer.
However, it is a completely different story when recording voice memos. Before you can use the Explorer 80 (or any other Bluetooth headphones) to record voice memos, you must search for an app that supports it. After spending hours looking for a compatible app, I was really disappointed when comparing the Explorer 80's recording to those from my iPhone SE and Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro HD. Listen to the audio for yourself below.
Perhaps it was the app and some limitations it had that resulted in poor quality of the audio but even so, I wish Plantronics had built a voice memo feature in the Plantronics Hub app.
Battery Life - Not Quite 11 Hours But Still Fantastic
Plantronics claims that the Explorer 80 can "talk or stream audio up for up to 11 hours per charge". From my testing of continuous music streaming at comfortable volume, I got somewhere closer to 9 hours. To hit 11 hours of battery life, you might have to use it at minimum volume. If you do not use it as heavily as I do, you will probably need to only charge it once every 2-3 days. The indicator light stays red while charging and offs when fully charged.
Speaking of battery, one feature I really like about the Explorer 80 is that every time you switch it on, the headset will provide you with an estimate of how long more its battery will last. You can also use the Plantronics Hub app on an Android device to check this estimate. On iOS, the Explorer 80 works really well with Apple's battery widget, which makes up for the lack of estimated remaining time in the iOS app.
Conclusion - Is the Explorer 80 Worth Your Money?
Should you get a Plantronics Explorer 80? If you need a mono Bluetooth headset, the Explorer 80 is a really good option at just under $60. In fact, it is one of the only options you have if a reputable brand matters to you. Another similarly priced mono Bluetooth headset is the Jabra Classic, which I have not had a chance to use. If possible, I would like to review that in the future and compare it to the Plantronics Explorer 80 but for now, I will recommend the Explorer 80.
But if you are thinking about getting an Explorer 80 to replace your regular in-ear headphones, I highly discourage you from doing so. Mono Bluetooth headsets like the Explorer 80 are built for business use. From the design to the microphone, this headset is constructed with minimal compromises from a business person's perspective, but these compromises may not be so insignificant to a regular consumer.
