Mobility Digest Review: Nokia BH-111 Bluetooth Stereo Headset

Today for review I’ve got a mobile accessory from Nokia that was provided by our friends at Mobile Fun. The product is the BH-111 which is a Bluetooth stereo headset, but it’s much more than that. The BH-111 itself is basically just a control panel and you can use any headphones with it, you don’t have to use the ones that were included. This is one of the best features of this device I think as you’re not stuck with the headphones that come with it and you can use your favorite set instead. The BH-111 is can be used for calls of course but it can be used to control your music on the go as well. So read on to learn more…

Author: Kristofer Brozio

Vendor: Mobile Fun

Price: £29.99 / $47.15

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Specs/Features:

Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-111

The Nokia BH-111 earpieces fit comfortably inside your ears, blocking out background noise and delivering quality stereo sound.

Enjoy your favorite music wirelessly with quality stereo sound with this stylish BH-111 Bluetooth headset from Nokia. The earpiece fits comfortably inside your ears, blocking out background noise and delivering quality stereo sound.

Superior sound
Using special technology to block out background noise, the Nokia BH-111 delivers great stereo sound so you can enjoy your music the way its meant to be heard. The in-ear headphones are designed to give you a comfortable fit so you can listen to your music in comfort and the small, lightweight design of the headset mean that you can easily transport it around with you even when its not in use.

Built in handsfree
It’s called a stereo portable handsfree because it’s for more than listening. A built in microphone, call answer key and 3.5mm jack to swap headphones are all included. The microphone coupled with the included earphones will enable you to continue your conversation wherever you are. This is extremely useful for staying on the correct side of the law whilst driving.

Universal compatibility
This headset features Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR (enhanced data rate) technology and it will work with any device which has a Bluetooth headset or handsfree profile built in. This will work with 99.9% of mobile devices currently available.

3.5mm jack
The 3.5mm jack output will allow you to connect this headset to a variety of output devices such as the included set of headphones or another larger set of speakers, as long as they have a 3.5mm input.

 

What’s in the Box?

The package is bright blue with a window on the front showing the device and headphones.

When you open the box you’re greeted with another box really that holds the accessories and the headset itself.

When you get everything unpacked you’ll find the Bluetooth device, headphones, power adapter, extra sizes of earbuds and instructions in several languages.

The headphones themselves seems basic and only testing will tell how good they are. They are small which I can appreciate.

I’m in the United States but I got a European adapter with the BH-111, not a big deal as I have adapters. I should note the BH-111 charges via a proprietary adapter.

The BH-111 is primarily a small, flat squarish or rectangular little thing with . On the front at the top you’ll find a multi-function button for answering and ending calls, pairing and for power. On the bottom you’ll see the play/pause button and then the sides has the forward and back buttons. The BH-111 is very lightweight and made of plastic but it seems fairly durable and well made.

The back of the BH-111 is just basically a big clip to let you attach it to your shirt or maybe the strap of your bag.

On the top edge of the BH-111 you’ll see the microphone hole and the volume knob. Yes there’s a volume knob and not buttons.

On the side edge is the charging port.

On the bottom is the standard headphone jack. I like this as you can use any headphones you want with it.

 

Impressions / Review:

The first thing you’ll have to do is charge it and sadly they include a proprietary charger and connection. I don’t understand why they didn’t use a microUSB or any USB connection like most other Bluetooth devices out there. Honestly I don’t know why we even have companies that use these proprietary connections anymore, it’s just not user friendly at all. Anyway, connect it up and charge it and the LED will turn red to indicate charging then it will turn green when done. Charging time varies on the battery level of course. It should take only 2 hours to charge the battery under normal conditions of the battery being drained.

For testing I used it with my HTC Titan and PS Vita.

The BH-111 connected to both devices with no issues at all, searched, found and connected easily.

Using it with the PS Vita I found that most functions don’t work but I didn’t expect them to, but volume does which is the most important thing to me.

Using it with the HTC Titan everything worked. I could control music functions and make calls with the BH-111, it worked just as it should.

The buttons on the BH-111 are rather flat and it takes quite a bit to get accustomed to which one is which without looking. It would have been nice is the buttons were more pronounced for easy feel access. I found that if I knew the orientation of the BH-111 when it was out of view it was easier to figure out which button was which while using it.

The headphones are actually fairly good. I wasn’t expecting much at all from them as usually when headphones are included with devices they just aren’t that good. The Nokia headphones sounded very good, they are clear and have good sound definition across the spectrum.

As far as comfort, they’re not bad and included are different sizes of earbuds to get the correct fit for your ear.

Nokia says the battery should last up to six hours for music playback and seven hours for talk time with 120 hours of standby time.  I’m not sure about the talk time thing as it would take me months to talk for seven hours on the phone but using it between my phone for music and the PS Vita for sound I got very close to the rated six hours, so I would say the claims by Nokia are about right.

I do have a small gripe about the design, the clip is rather large and not very easy to get clipped on to for example a shirt. The clip is basically the size of the device itself and yes it holds securely once in place but I think a smaller clip would have sufficed.

I do have something similar, the Sony MW600, that I’ve been using for a long time now.

Both of them are decent devices but I think I prefer the Sony better as it does have the nice OLED display and a built-in FM radio.

That’s not to say the BH-111 isn’t good, it’s decent device in itself, it’s just my preferences.

 

Conclusion:

The Nokia BH-111 is a decent little device with some great features. It works well, it’s simple to use and it has good battery life. I found it worked exactly as it should with my HTC Titan which is a Windows Phone, which was nice to see as I’ve found many devices don’t quite exactly work with Windows Phones just yet. Seeing it’s a Nokia though I should have expected it as they do make their own Windows Phone.

The BH-111 is small and lightweight making it very portable. When it’s clipped on your shirt you won’t even notice it after a while really. The main device seems well made and should withstand the rigors of daily use.

The included headphones surprised me as they’re actually pretty good sounding and comfortable for long periods of time.

One thing I don’t like is the proprietary power connection, it’s just plain stupid that they didn’t use something more common and use friendly like a standard USB connection. I have more than enough different chargers floating around and really don’t need another one and I don’t you do either.

 

 

Pros:
+Simple to use
+Can use any headphones or even speakers with it
+Decent sounding headphones included
+Excellent range
+Good battery life
+Lightweight
+Seems well made

 

Cons:
-Uses proprietary power adapter