Why You Can Trust CNET Motorola H720 Bluetooth Headset review: Motorola H720 Bluetooth Headset
Motorola H720 Bluetooth Headset
Motorola must be in love with the flip boom mic because the company keeps releasing headsets with that design. The Motorola H720 is a recent example of this, and indeed, it shares the flip boom design of the H17, the H15, and its predecessor, the H710. Though the design of the H720 isn't new, that doesn't mean it's not a good headset. The H720 has decent call quality and is quite affordable at only around $45 retail.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The Motorola H720 looks very similar to the H700 and the H710. It measures 1.65 inches long by 1.06 inches wide by 0.79 inch thick, and has an oval pebble-like design that looks quite small and discreet when worn on the ear. At 0.5 ounce, the H720 won't weigh you down, either. It has a glossy black plastic body; the buttons and the boom mic are shiny silver.
On the front surface of the H720 is an inset oval above the Motorola logo that acts as the multifunction button. It's big enough to find by feel and is also easy to press. Also on this button is a tiny LED indicator. The volume controls are on either side of the headset, and the charger jack is on top. To turn the headset on and off, you can just flip the boom mic open and closed. This makes it much easier to power on/off the headset, and helps save battery as well.
Flip the headset over and you will find an unusual-looking earpiece. It doesn't fit inside the ear like most headsets; it's actually just a flat plastic protrusion with three speaker holes cut out. You wear it so that it sits gently at the opening of the ear. Also on the back of the headset is a flexible ear hook with a rubber tip so it fits comfortably around the ear. We have to admit, we found the fit a little unnerving; it feels so odd not having an ear bud inside the ear when wearing it. We also thought the fit was quite loose and not as secure as we would like.
We paired the Motorola H720 with the Apple iPhone 3G. Call quality was okay, but not great. We heard our callers loud and clear, with a good natural voice quality. We did detect a bit of static, but it was not distracting.
On their end, callers reported quite a bit of background noise, even when we were in a quiet room. They said there was a bit of echo, and when we were in a car, they could definitely still hear the radio and engine noise. Still, we could carry on a conversation, so it wasn't terrible. In especially crowded environments, though, we had to raise our voices quite a bit. As for windy conditions, callers could hardly hear us at all.
Features of the Motorola H720 include the typical answering, ending, and rejecting calls, as well as last number redial, call waiting support, and voice dial support. You can transfer calls from the headset to the phone and vice versa.