The Motorola Motorokr S9 is a headset you want to shop around for if you buy it. The regular price for these is about $99, but they can be found on Amazon and many other places refurbed for about $49. The high availablility of refurbished headsets has me wondering about their quality, but maybe I'm just being paranoid. I bought this headset for my wife and I tried it out to see if I liked it enough to want it, but I haven't done as extended of tests as I have for my other reviews.
Specs/Info
- Cost: $45-$99 ($49 is refurbished)
- Talk/Music time: 7/6 hours
- Charge time: 2 hours
- Standby Time: 6 days
First Impressions/Pairing
The Motorokr is likely to be a headset that you either really like or you really hate. This review is difficult because the things that will make or break it tend to be the fit, which is highly specific for different people. If you have a fat head, you are probably going to enjoy the fit better than someone with a smaller head. I found the fit to be fairly uncomfortable for any length of time. The back of the headset was always bumping my collar, the earpieces squeezed a bit too tight for my sensitive ears, and I felt like it was barely staying on my small head. People with fatter heads may do better as the back of the headset will fit their head better. The gap in the back is what makes it the most uncomfortable for me and others. Pairing was easy and there weren't any problems with it. The headset has a very solid feel to it and doesn't feel like it will fall apart on you like some headsets.
Controls
The controls on the Motorokr are pretty good. It may take a little to remember which side has which controls, but the buttons are raised and unnoticable as they appear to just be a part of the earpiece. They have a rough texture that makes them easy to feel and require just the right amount of pressure to not accidentally press them when groping for them, but not so much that you are wearing out your fingers. All controls function as they should.
Call/Music Quality
Call quality is fairly good. No real complaints. Calls are clear and the person on the other end can hear without knowing you are on a headset. The person on the other end can hear a lot of background events (like noisy kids), but it's not unreasonable. Music quality is fairly good, although sometimes there can be a little bit of hissing. If the sound quality is a big issue, there is an HD version of the Motorokr that is supposed to have better sound quality.
Misc
Overall, it is a good headset. It's only weakness is the fit. Some people find it to be very comfortable, others find it very uncomfortable. If you like the fit, you will probably like the headset. If you don't like the fit, this isn't the headset for you. The controls are better than most, the looks are sexier than most, and it has a solid construction that feels like it will last. The battery life doesn't seem to be as good as they claim, so medium-heavy users may need two. It uses a mini-usb charger, so your Pre car charger isn't going to work for it, but many people already have mini usb chargers from GPS, other phones, or such. My wife likes hers, although her biggest complaints are the fit (which she is starting to get used to), and the earpieces falling off sometimes.
The Good
- Great controls
- Solid construction
- Inexpensive refurbs
- Decent call/music sound
The Bad
- Poor battery life
- Uncomfortable for many people
- Earpieces can come off too easily
My Rating
7/10
If the fit was better, I would have given it an 8 or 8.5
