Design, Fit, and Voice Quality
The Q2 looks like a proper executive-style headset. It is made entirely of matte black plastic, but the textured front panel and raised edges give it a classy look. Plenty of useful hardware controls abound, including a power switch, a multi-function button, and a pair of volume buttons where each one is a different size—perfect for controlling the volume without having to guess. BlueAnt bundles five rubber ear tips and a removable ear hook in the box, though the default ear tip fit me perfectly. The back panel holds the earpiece and rubber tip, a slot for the pivoting ear hook, and a small rubber pad near the front that rests against your cheek while wearing the unit. You don't need to press it against your cheek, the way the last three generations of Aliph Jawbone required for best sound quality.
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BlueAnt Q2 : Angle
BlueAnt Q2 : Side
BlueAnt Q2 : Angle with No Earhook
BlueAnt Q2 : Front
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The first time you power up the BlueAnt Q2, it automatically enters pairing mode. The Q2 walks you through the pairing process with voice prompts; later on, you can reinitiate pairing with a voice command. For this review, I paired the Q2 with an iPhone 3GS and a Samsung Captivate ($199.99-499.99, ). Each time, the Q2 transferred the appropriate address book to the device (more on that later).
In a series of voice tests, the BlueAnt Q2 sounded clear and punchy in the earpiece, with plenty of gain. It's still hit or miss whether callers can tell if you're talking on a headset. That's true even when you're using a class-leading device like the Q2 or the Aliph Jawbone Icon ($99, ), our current Editors' Choice. But in back-to-back tests, one caller had trouble distinguishing the sound of my voice between the Q2, the Jawbone Icon, and an iPhone 3GS ($99, )—a very good sign indeed.
BlueAnt claims that its Wind Armor technology withstands wind noise up to 22 miles per hour. I'm still not impressed; the Q2 simply wasn't as effective as the Jawbone Icon in blocking out a high-speed fan in my office, in a series of voice mail tests at varying differences. With the fan blowing in the background, my own voice also sounded a little more compressed and computery through the Q2 than it did through the Jawbone Icon.
Other Features, Mobile Apps, and Conclusions
To activate the Q2's voice recognition, you simply press the multi-function button once quickly. The Q2 will say, "Say a command." (I much prefer pressing the button than having to say, "BlueAnt speak to me," as the S4 requires). At that point, you can say, "What can I say?" for a list of commands, or speak whichever command you want. I successfully checked the Q2's battery level, activated the iPhone 3GS's internal voice dialing, and tried a host of other tasks all through the Q2.
Range was on the high side of average; I could walk about 15 feet away from the handset before the Q2's audio began to distort noticeably. You can also pair the Q2 with two devices simultaneously. A full charge takes about four hours, and the headset will tell you in the earpiece when the battery is very low. Battery life was average at 4 hours and 41 minutes of talk time.
The Q2 announces incoming caller names for up to 2,000 address book entries. Like BlueAnt's S4 ($99, ) hands-free speakerphone, the Q2 includes Microsoft Bing 411, which offers access to news, weather, sports, and other information. This is fun but somewhat sluggish in practice. Another S4 innovation carries over: A downloadable Vlingo-powered Android application lets Android 2.0 or greater handsets play text messages through the Q2. Sadly, just as I had trouble getting the S4 to work with an LG Ally ($99.99-396.99, ), I couldn't get the Q2 to speak text messages through the Samsung Captivate and the Vlingo app.
So the Q2 is excellent, though there's plenty of competition in the Bluetooth headset market. The Aliph Jawbone Icon offers the best noise cancellation on the market and clear, natural sound quality to other callers. It's also a genuine app platform itself, one that works reliably in testing. But the Icon sounds a little tinny in the earpiece, it has short battery life, and its odd physical design and fit is still uncomfortable for some, even though the Jawbone is on its fourth revision. The Plantronics Voyager Pro ($99.99, ) is larger and heavier, and doesn't sound quite as good as the Q2 or Jawbone Icon. But it offers over eight hours of talk time on a charge and is still the most comfortable headset we've ever tested. Both the Voyager Pro and the Jawbone Icon list for $99, which is $30 less than the Q2.
Benchmark Test Results
Continuous Talk Time: 4 hours 41 minutes
