Pros
- Budget price tag under Rs. 1500
- Decent built quality
- Good battery backup
Cons
- Not super comfortable to wear
- Audio distortion at peak levels
India has gradually become the one-stop destination for technology brands to introduce a wide range of consumer-centric goods. Smartphones and digital accessories are among the most sought-after consumer tech products in the country. Speaking of digital accessories, wireless audio products such as portable speakers, over-the-ear headphones, TWS earbuds, and neckbands have seen a significant boom in terms of sales in the last few years. German audio specialist Blaupunkt has also ventured into the Indian market space delivering quality products to the Indian audience.
Blaupunkt has introduced a series of wireless neckbands under its BE series. The Blaupunkt BE200 is one of the wireless neckbands that is designed for the budget masses. Priced at around Rs. 1299, the BE200 neckband can be purchased via online retail platforms in the country. But if you visit the shopping portals, you will be flooded with options in the wireless neckband segment.
Often, affordable pricing isn’t enough to drive the sales of any product; specifically audio products including wireless neckbands. This is where brands fiddle along with the design and features so that their products can easily stand out from the crowd. What unique features does the Blaupunkt BE200 brings to the table that lets it compete against its rivals? And is it a practical product for daily usage? Read on this review to know if this budget Blaupunkt Bluetooth neckband is worth a purchase?
Blaupunkt BE200 Neckband Review: Design And Wearing Comfort
The Blaupunkt BE200 features a standard neckband style. Blaupunkt has used both plastics as well soft rubber material to design this pair. Unlike the conventional neckbands, the Blaupunkt BE200 is a bit thick and bulky. However, the excess bulk is on the lower edges (the console) where the physical control keys and the USB port are placed. The left stem of the neckband houses three keys. You get the power key sandwiched between the volume rockers.
The quality of the keys is good and you don’t get any missed click feedback. Speaking of the controls, you can press and hold the volume keys to change the music track. A single tap on the power key will play/ pause music.
The same panel accommodates the USB Type-C port for charging and an LED panel to display the battery percentage. Now, this latter part is what we believe will grab the users looking out for something unique in terms of neckband design. Thankfully, the wires connecting the eartips and the neckband aren’t fragile.
No complaints there with the built quality. But we aren’t really a fan of the bulkiness. Specifically, while using this pair in the soaring temperatures in NCR in the last few months. It’s the lightweight form factor that gives us some relief.
The in-ear design of the earbuds offers a snug fit that keeps them from falling off easily if you are using the pair with outdoor activities. Again, the earbuds are bulky and you might struggle a bit initially to get used to wearing them comfortably. But once you get a hang of it, it is easier to put them on while on the go. The earbuds also have a magnetic latch option that hooks both earbuds and protects them from falling off when not in use.
Blaupunkt BE200 Neckband Review: Audio Performance
The Blaupunkt BE200’s driver size is unpecified. However, the frequency response range delivered by this budget wireless neckband is 20Hz-20KHz. This is a standard frequency range that you can find on budget earphones and headphones nowadays. As for the audio output, it is decent. The audio can get super loud at the highest levels.
But turning up the volume to the max might hamper your listening experience. That’s because the output sounds distorted and muffled when you fire up the volume levels to the max. And that’s not the case when you listen to the music at around 50- 60 percent volume levels. That has been our usual setting for audio playback. You might need to increase the volume levels if you are commuting in noisy backgrounds.
The Blaupunkt BE200 comes void of the Active Noise cancellation feature. Well, that’ll be criminal to ask with the sub Rs. 1500 asking price. But thanks to the design of the snug-fit earbuds, the audio listening experience isn’t hampered outdoors. The pair is able to block the surrounding noises passively. If we further emphasize on the audio performance, this pair sounds a bit stereophonic. The audio clarity is average on this Blaupunkt neckband. The bass levels are mediocre not super punchy.
Blaupunkt BE Neckband: Calling And Connectivity
The Blaupunkt BE200 neckband supports Bluetooth v5.0 for wireless pairing with compatible devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and PCs. The pairing process is simple and you just have to follow the standard connectivity procedure. Just press and hold the power key unless the earbuds go into the pairing mode.
You’ll see the notification LED flickering red and blue. Open the Bluetooth settings on your respective devices and select the name of the neckband to complete the pairing. Thankfully, the Bluetooth pairing process is swift. The Blaupunkt BE200 neckband is good with calling as well. We were able to make and answer calls without struggling with the audio quality.
Blaupunkt BE200 Neckband Battery Backup
The Blaupunkt BE200 wireless neckband packs a 600mAh battery which as per the brand offers 100 hrs of music playtime. The figures were close to our testing. But only when the audio was played at around 50 percent volumes. This budget neckband also features Turbo volt charging technology that adds around 10 hours of backup with 10 minutes of quick charge. This is a useful feature that will be helpful for the users traveling outstations with no easy access to a power plug.
Blaupunkt BE200 Wireless Neckband: Final Verdict
The Blaupunkt BE200 neckband is a decent pick in our opinion. This neckband is suitable for users demanding a durable pair with good audio output. And if your budget is below Rs. 1500, this Blaupunkt neckband makes for a good choice if you can compromise a bit on the comfort levels and can also workaround with not-so-punchy bass.
