Review: Motorola RAZR H3

TreoCentral's James Hromadka reviews the Motorola RAZR H3 bluetooth headset

(First posted at TreoCentral on March 16th, 2006)

If the Jabra JX10 [Review | Buy] looks cool because of its diminutive size, the RAZR H3 headset looks cool because of its futuristic design. Good looks aren't everything, but they can be enough. Is the RAZR H3 the full package or just another pretty face?

Features

The first time I saw the blue LED, I was reminded of the red LED on the Cylon Raiders from Battlestar Galactica (BTW great show if you haven't seen it). To keep the futuristic effect, I immediately removed the sticker on the back of the headset that says it "complies with IDA Standards." Now you have a sleek headset that is completely black except for the Motorola logo and the volume buttons, which are chrome and are positioned near the back of the headset above and below its side-mounted matte black action button.

I was happy to see that the RAZR H3 uses the same connector as the Motorola RAZRWIRE sunglasses [review | buy], as I love those sunglasses and use them every day.

To pair the RAZR H3, make sure it is off, and then hold the action button for around 6 seconds until the LED is solid blue. Passcode is 0000. Battery life is pretty high, with up to 8 hours of talk time and 150 hours of standby time.

Usability

I have friends who use the super-popular Motorola RAZR mobile phone, and while I appreciate its sleek futuristic looks, I don't like its flat buttons that are sometimes difficult to find quickly and use. Likewise, the RAZR H3's action button is flush with the headset and requires extra pressure to use - something my ear doesn't appreciate. The volume controls are easy enough to use, and it’s trivial to remove the earpiece and reattach it so you can wear the headset on either ear.

Like most Motorola headsets, audio quality is pretty good. I still had periodic static with a Treo 650, but audio is excellent on a Sony Ericsson K750. Even on the Treo, audio was still satisfactory as long as I kept the Treo on the same side of my body as the headset. Sound quality is definitely better than the Jabra BT150 [review | buy] that I recently used.

But when wearing the RAZR H3, it feels loose; it stays on but doesn't pass the shake-your-head-violently test and bends away from the face when leaning over. Although the RAZR H3 is only 4 grams heavier than the Jabra BT150, the sliver of extra weight is noticeable; I found that I didn't forget I was wearing this headset like I have with others.

Conclusion

The Motorola RAZR H3 headset is a good choice for RAZR mobile phone users or Treo users who want a futuristic-looking headset. It has decent sound quality but suffers from some usability issues with the action button. You also pay for its good looks. If I could give half-star ratings, this would be a 3.5 star headset.

(First posted at TreoCentral on March 16th, 2006)