Which Bluetooth speaker for phone calls

Hello,

I hope that all of you and your families are doing well.

As many all around the globe I am stuck at home for most of the time and I am relying on smart working, therefore I am intensively using phone, Skype, WebEX, Teams etc.

The B&O branded speakers of my HP laptop are ok but a bit more volume would be welcome.

Initially I was looking for something cheaper and small, such as UE Wonderboom 2 but it lacks a microphone or a Sony XB12 but this one seems to have poor mic performance.

As you can see I am leaning towards something with some sort of water/dust proofness, as I’d like to use it on weekends/seaside once all this will be finished.

A1 is very nice but it seems to have some finicky controls and I am not sure it is sufficiently rugged.

Moreover I have read in other threads that a new version should be soon available.

P2 has a very convenient form factor but it looks like battery is not lasting much, despite of the claimed 10 hrs.

Not sure if a new P2 is on the way.

Both A1 and P2 have Bluetooth 4.2 and non replaceable batteries.

Key features

- Small

- Water/Dust resistant

- Decent battery life

- Number of connected BT devices it can remember (I’d prefer not to repeat pairing all the time between laptop, Mac, iPad, iPhone...)

- Mute control for the mic is welcome

- Possibly easy switch from one connected device to another

What would you recommend for such use case?

A1 or P2? Other?

Thank you!

Olivier

Hi Olivier,

I'm using the A1 since it's inital release for phone calls, WebEX, GotoMeeting etc. connected to a Windows Laptop  via USB. No fiddling with the buttons of the A1, chagning volume and muting through Windows. Also while connected to USB the A1 is charged and will not shut down after some idle time. 

Regards

Thomas

I’ve got an a1 (and an a2). Love the a1 for telephone and video conferencing either connected via usb to a laptop, or via Bluetooth to an iPhone. It’s a great little speaker.

 

there was a thread on the a1 as a teleconference speaker on here recently if you want to see more positive comments.

If you'll use it mainly for phone calls:
- Sennheiser SP30+ or
- Beyerdynamic Phonum.

Sennheiser SP30: Excellent battery life (used it for home office) and communication.

Music: Beoplay A1