Many months ago, I needed a replacement Bluetooth headset for taking calls when driving and when in other situations in which my hands are busy. My eventual choice was the Jabra Talk 5, a simple, compact traditional headset.
To be more precise, I purchased the Jabra BT20146, which has since been renamed as the Jabra Talk 5. It is exactly the same device. It just got an easier, trendier, less Star Trek-like name. I mean, who wants to call a consumer product by the name, BT2046. It sounds like R2-D2.
Jabra Talk 5 key specs
- take calls for 2 connected devices.
- 1 omnidirectional microphone.
- in-ear speaker.
- LED light.
- detachable earhook.
- single button.
- range: 10 meters.
- battery: Jabra won’t diclose the battery rating but say it delivers up to 11 hours talk time.
- Bluetooth 2.1.
In the box were the following items:
- Jabra BT2046
- Earhook
- Ear-gel
- USB cable
- Quick guide and other pamphlets
Jabra Talk 5 BT2046 review
The Talk 5 is an in-ear headset and so can be worn without the earhook. I was a bit skeptical about how well that would work, but I did try it on without the hook and had no problems with it for the most part. After the initial fears that it would fall off, I got used to having it hang in there by itself.
Audio quality is good. It isn’t horrible and neither it is spectacular. But it is good enough for most scenarios excpet the noisiest.
No A2DP Profile
If you want a Bluetooth headset that supports media playback i.e. listening to music from your phone, this is not one. It does not not support A2DP, which is the BT profile that makes audio streaming possible. The BT2046 headset uses the older Bluetooth 2.1 standard. This model is strictly for calls.
One Multi-purpose Button
It has only one button, the horizontal strip with “Jabra” inscribed on it – and that is used both as a power button and as an Answer/End call button. Press and hold it to power it on and off. When a call is incoming, tap it to answer the call. To end an ongoing call, use the same acction – a tap on the button.
The LED light that lights up in blue to indicate charging is also located on this same button button. It also flashes the same colour to indicate an incoming call.
The Jabra Talk 5 does not have volume buttons. To control in-call volume, you have to use your connected phone’s volume buttons.
What will the Jabra talk 5 cost you? $19.99 only. It is available on online stores like Jumia, Amazon and others, as well as at brick-and-mortar retail stores.
