1. Introduction
- Introduction
Buying a brand new Bluetooth headset is not an easy choice, especially if you have high expectations, low budget and no time to look around. After my older Sony Ericsson BT failed, it was time to look for something lighter, cheaper and hopefully more reliable. As usual, I walked to the closest consumer electronics store and after looking at several headsets on display, I chose a rather small and interesting BT, the Samsung WEP-185. At only 11 grams, it is one of the lightest headsets on the market and with acceptable battery life. So, how well will this headset serve my needs?
- Samsung WEP-185
Despite my search efforts, there's not a lot of information displayed on the official Samsung website. Actually, no information at all. I have no idea why this happens. In any case, I found the specs on the retail box:
- Up to 6 hours of talk time
- Up to 110 hours of standby time
- Weight: 11 g
- Charging time: 2 hours
- Comfortable fit with air-gap type ear cover
- Call waiting support
- Last number redial
- Call rejection support
- Bluetooth version 1.2
- 10m range
- Retail Box
The retail price for the Samsung WEP185 is around €49, making it very affordable for everyday users. The retail package is typical, with the WEP185 product clearly visible through the plastic shell.
There are two security tapes that seal the retail box. If the security seals are broken, you maybe looking at a tampered device, possibly even a second hand product :-)
2. Retail package
- Retail Box
After opening the box, we can finally see its contents.
Below is what is included in the retail package:
- the WEP185 BT headset
- a charger
- two printed manuals
The design of the WEP185 is simple. There is a big phone button at the top, which accepts or rejects calls, and a +/- volume selector on the left.
On the right there is the charger input.
On the in side are the product specs:
3. Use / Conclusion
Use / Conclusion
You must have at least a Bluetooth 1.1+ certified mobile phone in order to use the Samsung WEP185. Charging with the included adapter takes around 2.5 hours. The red light on the top changes to blue when charging finishes. This way you know charging has been completed.
To start using it, you press the big multi-function button for 4seconds until you see the 4 blue flashes on the indicator light. The same procedure is used to turn it off. Pairing the headset with a mobile phone is also easy. Hold the multi-function button for around 8 secs until the indicator lights up blue in order to start the pairing process with the mobile phone.
If the earpiece cover doesn't fit well, there is a replacement in the retail package. To start using the BT headset, first press the multi-function button to activate "Voice activated" calls. By pressing the multi-function button and with the slider, you can access the recent call list (when paired with the headset profile).
The headset worked well with my Sony Ericsson K750i and K810i. Unfortunately, I didn't have any other mobile phones handy for testing. The printed manual is good, and will help you understand the major functions. The voice quality was good, although not the best we have heard from a headset, while the built-in battery is rated at 6h talk time and 4.5 days standby time, rather impressive numbers. From experience, there's always a drop off in battery life as you use any device, so I always halve the spec lifetimes for a more accurate, true to life estimation. Ear comfort was average, although this is a matter of personal taste and purely subjective.
Concluding, the Samsung WEP185 is a Bluetooth headset which is low priced and offers good performance. We would like to have seen a slightly better design for better comfort in the ear. The battery life seems very good, as least, according to the specs. The retail price is around €49. You cannot buy many light weight BT headsets at that price... The only negative is that since I am using a Sony Ericsson mobile phone, I now have to carry around an additional charger for the Samsung WEP185 :-).