Plantronics makes some of the highest quality headphones in the industry. Their latest iteration is no exception. The Plantronics BackBeat Fit are some of the best sounding wireless sports headphones in the entire market. But does its build quality and feature set justifies its price tag of $129?
Honest Plantronics BackBeat Fit Review
This review is basically my three weeks of personal experience with this fantastic multi-point Bluetooth headphone. Everything I have written in this review is exactly what I feel about this product, personally. There might be a few points you may disagree with me, but that’s absolutely okay. I mean, after all, that’s what democracy means, right?
Let’s jump into the review.
Design
Unlike a lot of the wireless headsets that you can find in the marketplace, BackBeat Fit is much more comfortable because they do not offer a purely compact fit.
They are not your everyday earphones, nor you will ever want them to be.
Confused? Let me explain.
They are not designed to hang down your neck. Instead, they are designed to sort of sit on top of your ears which will allow you to hear the ambient sound as you workout or run outside. The design offers a loop that goes around your ear and a band that goes behind your head, and it’s also quite flexible. Furthermore, it makes for the perfect design that is going to remain in place around your neck no matter how hard you are working out or jogging.
Though there is one drawback, when the earpieces are not plugged inside your ears, the whole headset seems to fall. Actually while running, I have dropped them countless times, and so I am warning you. If you are going to carry this headset along with you for jogging make sure to plug it in your ears or risk damaging them.
This unique design allows your earpiece to remain as safe as possible while you are using them outside. At the same time, the lightweight design inherently offers much more comfort to those that are looking for a comfortable pair of headphones. The whole body is made up of high-quality plastic. Because of their lightweight frame, you are generally not going to notice that you are even wearing them at times. Unlike some of the other models in the market, these offer an enjoyable and comfortable design that doesn’t weigh too much or become intrusive while you are working out.
Controls
Every control related to music is accessible from the left-hand side earpiece. There is one button in the center that handles the play and pause. Then there is a notch on the top. It is placed on the outer rim using which you can control both the volume ( that is both volumes up and down ).
Now, the volume control doesn’t work like other headphones. To increase the volume, you need to tap the button, and for lowering the volume, you need to long press the button.
You can also skip the tracks by double-tapping the center button. If you want to replay the track that you were listening to, just press and hold the center button. Remember not to lose your grip until you hear a confirmation sound.
It’s definitely a curious choice of controls, but it works well, at least in my experience. It will take you two or three days and then you will get completely comfortable with the controls.
The right side earpiece is loaded with power and call buttons. It also has a charge port along with functionality to enable voice assistants. The 1st button in the control allows you to turn on/off the headset. The middle button is for the call as well as the voice activation. You can also use it to activate various voice assistants like Apple Siri and Google Now.
Battery
In my personal test, it went from being completely battery drained to 100% in less than 35 minutes. The charger I used comes with a 2.4 amp output and can be bought on Amazon for as low as $15. It was just a generic charger from a no-known brand.
After being 100% charged BackBeat Fit gave close to 8 hours of music playback and in another test, around 5.5 hours of talk time. So, from my personal experience,e the results are quite amazing and somewhat match the official statement of Plantronics.
It also supports fast charge 3, and according to the company in just 15 minutes BackBeat Fit will be charged enough to offer 1 hour of playback.
Features
The Plantronics BackBeat Fit offers plenty of features at the price point which is actually phenomenal especially when compared to some of its competition. I must say that they do give a serious run for money to some of my favorite earphones.
Coming back to the point, they come with sweat-proof material that will allow you to work out and not have to worry about damaging your headset.
The product itself comes with an armband carrying case. You can use it to carry your phone as you are working out or while running. However, it is not suitable for huge phones that are becoming increasingly popular in today’s market. So if you have any smartphone that has like 6-inches screen, this armband might not be able to hold it properly.
Furthermore, it’s important to know that it is a multi-point Bluetooth headset that can connect to a maximum of 8 devices at once. So if you are doing your exercise at your home, you can connect it with your Personal Voice Assistants like Google Home or Amazon Eco.
Additionally, you can also use it as a wireless headset. It also comes with a built-in microphone that will help you to take and make calls even when you are busy with your yoga sessions.
Audio and Performance
When it comes to buying a pair of headsets, the main thing that you are likely going to be concerned with is the audio and performance. Despite offering a lightweight and non-sound isolating design, you can expect to get some excellent performance out of these headphones.
Not only do you have a variety of audio levels to choose from, but the overall sound quality is superb as it offers the right amount of bass. With that being said, they are not going to sound the best on the market simply because they feature much more of an open earbud style. Therefore, any noise in your surroundings will mix in with the audio that you are hearing.
However, the performance of the headphones is great for offering a good 8 hours of playback on a single charge.
Verdict
Overall, Plantronics really offered an excellent package for anyone that is looking for an affordable wireless headphone with a superior feature set. While certainly not the best sounding headphones on the market, they do offer exceptional price to performance which makes them a superb value.