Entered CNET Catalog: 05/08/2008
SKU: WEP 300
Manufacturer: Samsung
Manufacturer description
The WEP300 features a simple yet robust design that compliments any style. Its features include up to 5 hours of talk time and up to 80 hours standby time and weighs only 8.7 grams. The WEP300 is compatible with Samsung and other non-Samsung Bluetooth enabled phones utilizing Bluetooth v2.0.Product summary
The good: The Samsung WEP300 is a basic and affordable Bluetooth headset.
The bad: The Samsung WEP300 has average call quality, and its lack of an ear hook hinders its stability.
The bottom line: The Samsung WEP300 is a decent and affordable entry-level Bluetooth headset, if you don't mind average call quality.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 05/08/2008
Not too many people know that in addition to manufacturing cell phones, Samsung also has a whole line of Bluetooth headsets under its belt. They range from the very affordable, such as the WEP200 to the high end, like the WEP500. The latest Samsung WEP300 is one of the former. It's a very basic entry-level headset that retails at an affordable $39.99.
Measuring about 1.75 inches long by 0.6 inch wide by 0.3 inch thick, the WEP300 looks like a slim, silver stick with a black multifunction button on the front. It is also very lightweight at only 0.3 ounce. Unlike a lot of other headsets, the WEP300's volume buttons are placed on either side--the volume increase is on the left spine, while the volume decrease is on the right. All three buttons are easy to access and press, even when worn on the ear. There's also a small blue LED indicator light on the bottom-right spine. It is very inconspicuous, which we liked.
On the back of the headset is an in-ear ear bud. Because of that, there's no need for an ear hook, and the WEP300 doesn't provide one. However, we still would've liked an ear hook option for additional stability. Though the earpiece fit just fine in our ear, we did feel it was a bit uncomfortable--we felt some minor scratches in the ear while trying to adjust it, for example. The WEP300 comes with two additional ear bud covers for different size ears.
Features of the WEP300 are fairly standard. You get the typical capabilities of answering, ending, and rejecting calls, as well as last number redial, voice command support, call hold, and the ability to transfer a call to the handset and vice versa.
We successfully paired the headset with the RIM BlackBerry Pearl, with no problems whatsoever. There's little to no noise canceling, so listeners could hear a lot of ambient noise plus echo sounds. Of course, it also didn't fare well in windy environments. We could hear our callers just fine--voices came through loud and clear with little to no static, but we could also hear a lot of background noise. Call quality was average overall.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2out of 2 user reviews
Fantastic little bluetooth headset.. have had no issues
Pros: Small, comfortable, light, charges quickly, lasts about 3 hours +, fits okay on the ear much more comfortably than my other headsets
Cons: No cons.. can't think of any.
out of 2 user reviews
Overall Very Good
Pros: Very Elegant Design, Comfortable, Easy Pairing and decent quality
Cons: no optional ear loop
Regarding comfort, it sits in your ear very snugly, and samsung provides 2 spare sizes of rubber pads to suit ear sizes. i found the medium size comfortable. It takes a little getting used to if you are a first time in-the-ear headset user like me, but the ease of taking it off and putting it on so easily makes up for any initial discomfort.
Voice quality is clear and though at time i could hear some disturbances, i found that most of the time quality was excellent on both sides, though possibly due to lack of dsp on, the quality is not that good in noisy environments, but i was able to carry on conversation in a little windy environment.
I really recommend this headset if you use this in a quiet environment most of the time, and the quality is quite good, but this may not be the best buy for use in a windy / noisy environment.
Overall i would rate this a 8 on 10.
