Samsung Modus 3500 Review

Introduction and Design:

Convenience is the quintessential luxury that manufacturers attempt to steer with their product offerings, but in the case of most Bluetooth headsets, they mostly gravitate to being a monotone solution. Sure there are some stereo Bluetooth earphones that will get the job done, but they can obviously be a bit more cumbersome in carrying around. However, the Samsung Modus 3500 aims to be a double dose solution with its mono to convertible implementation – while still being easily portable and compact. Packaged with the Bluetooth headset are 2 ear hooks, 3 ear gels, microUSB wall charger, clip, wired stereo headphone, and a user manual.



From a quick inspection, the Modus 3500 is a normal-looking headset that's constructed out of glossy white plastic with some chrome trims to accent its design. However, it doesn't necessarily exhibit something strikingly spectacular seeing that it feels hollow and looks much like a cookie cutter headset – but it's very light weight.



Thanks to the rubbery ear buds with loops, it provides for a sufficient snug fit without the aid of the ear hook. Conversely, you'll be required to clip it on if you prefer using the standard ear bud – but still, it comfortably hugs onto your ear without becoming too irritating during long usage.



On its sides, we're presented with an LED light indicator and power switch which conveniently allows you to confirm for sure if it's on or off. Additionally, we find the distinctive feeling and adequately sized volume rocker as well. And thanks to its noticeable talk button, you won't have to fumble around with your finger to find its placement. In the rear, the microUSB not only accepts power to charge the headset, but it's also the connection for the included wired headphones to enable stereo usage. Finally, there is one pin-hole for the microphone found towards the end of the boom while another one is located in the surface near the multifunction button.

Performance:

Taking it out of the box and powering it on for the first time automatically places the Samsung Modus 3500 into pairing mode, from there, it didn't require much work for us to connect it with an iPhone 4 and Samsung Epic 4G thanks to its multipoint capability.

Thanks to the physical volume rockers, it naturally provides you the ability to quickly modify its level at any given time. When set to its highest setting, the earpiece is more than deafening to make it extremely audible for even people with difficulty in hearing. Thankfully, it doesn't distort the quality of audio as it resonates with some serious power. Unfortunately, voices sound broken up and crackly in tone, which doesn't help on top of the exuberant amount of static noise that's evident.

Even though it states that it packs noise cancellation technology, our callers still experienced an abundant amount of noise that's picked up by the headset's microphone. From subtle knocks to the wind, it distorts our voice which makes for some difficulty during conversations. However, in quiet conditions, our callers had no issues in comprehending our voice.

When the stereo headphones are connected, they provide an ample amount of volume to make listening to music such an eventful experience. Plus, the buds on the headphones provide a subtle amount of suction when they're placed into ear to lightly keep out some environmental noise. Granted that it's a lot better to carry around these wired headphones, you're still presented with the problem of storage when they're not being used.

In our testing, the fully charged Samsung Modus 3500 managed to pull out 6 hours of continuous talk time before it ran out of juice – which is what the  manufacturer has it rated for. However, it doesn't have the rapid charge time of some recent headsets we've checked out. So that means you'll be required to let it charge for a period of time to get it to a sufficient usable level.

Conclusion:

Aside from its ability to transition from a mono headset to a stereo one with its included wired headphone attachment, its performance and lackluster set of features doesn't contend with other modern offerings. Moreover, we're not too thrilled by its below average calling quality and ordinary looking design. When you look down at it, the $69.99 price point it holds shouldn't break the bank for most people, but there are other similar offerings that provide better performance in a variety of aspects.