Let me start by saying this – the Jabra Storm is by far the best Bluetooth headset I’ve ever used. Period. I know there are (arguably) better models, but I haven’t been able to play with one of those.
The Storm offers a great sound quality, it’s easy to carry around (you can forget you have it behind the ear), and it’s battery is solid. Actually, being a fan of the podcasts, I would appreciate that it had a bigger battery, but that would make the entire package heavier, hence not as pleasant to use.
Let’s dive into details, shall we?
Inside the box
Here’s what’s included inside the compact packaging:
- Fitted eargel times two – if the default one goes missing or becomes unusable.
- Windsock for extra voice clarity in windy conditions
- Standard USB cable for charging
- Quick start guide and warranty leaflet (with 1-year limited warranty)
In other words, all of the things you would need come included inside the box. So we’re moving on to the next part.
Design
At just 8 grams, the Jabra Storm is a light-weight product that is easy to snug around your ear. The sleek and curved design delivers that “put it and forget it” experience and at some point, you can even wonder whether you’re still using the headset or not.
The device feels solidly built despite being so light. You can wear it behind both ears by simply rotating the speaker and twisting the eargel to fit-in. It uses silicon rubber to make it easier to adjust for comfortable fit.
All of the essential buttons are placed on the silver-colored spine of the Storm, including volume control buttons, call receive/disconnect button and power on/off. The charging connector is covered underneath a small flap.
When I first saw it, I thought the Storm was made for call center agents; but that’s not the case. It’s much smaller and too fancy to be given away to call center staff (pardon my ignorance). 😉
Features
Thanks to the microPOWER battery technology, the Storm has a rated talk time of 10 hours and standby time of 10 days. However, listening to the music and/or some other audio content (like podcasts or audio books) will shorten the battery life. The charging time is 2 hours.
The device has standard operating range of 30 meters based on Bluetooth 4.0 compliance. It can be paired with up to eight devices, while two devices can be concurrently connected for multiuse.
The Storm also features Wind Noise Blackout that keeps delivering the crystal sound even in windy conditions.
As an added bonus, Jabra included voice-activated actions: by default, the Storm will say “To answer call say Yes or No”, which — I’m sad to report — doesn’t work as advertised in a noisy place where the headset will reject or attend the call even before you utter a word. The good thing is that you can disable this feature by pressing the volume down and call button together.
Usage
Using the Jabra Storm is a real pleasure. Aside from those voice controls, everything else is perfect – from the initial pairing to the ongoing use. You get to clearly hear the person on the other end, and the same goes the other way round.
The Wind Noise Blackout technology works like a charm, and when it doesn’t — the wind is too heavy — use the windsock to keep talking like it’s nobody’s business.
Conclusion
I can’t recommend Jabra Storm enough. As I said in the introduction, this is the best Bluetooth headset I’ve ever tried. And honestly, I’m not sure that a more expensive model could deliver much more than what the Storm has to offer. Right now, you can buy it for less than $80; and if you need a Bluetooth headset – go for it!