Plantronics M155 Marque hands-free kit

Price: £49.99
Contact: 0800 410014, www.plantronics.co.uk

Plantronics hopes to tap into the success of the iPhone with its new M155 Marque hands-free kit. The earpiece is styled like the Apple device – but does it deliver on the promise of its design?

It costs £50 and looks fragile, but is actually very well built. There are only three buttons: a large and clearly marked on/off switch, a multifunction button for answering and calling out and a single button for cycling through the volume presets. There’s no manual volume adjustment, although the eight different profiles provide enough variation.

Pairing is simple, and we love the voice alerts that tell you when the device is on, when you’re connected and how much talk time is left. Sound quality was good at both ends of the call, and while it’s not the most comfortable earpiece, the M155 is light and comes with four ear moulds.

But there’s no car or mains charger – you charge it from your computer using the supplied USB cable, which incorporates a splitter so you can still use the USB port for other devices. For £50, it’s a good little package.

Verdict

Rating: ★★★★
What is it?
A mid-range earpiece from Plantronics, smaller and designed to sit below the Voyager Pro.
Problems?
No car or mains charger, no manual volume control, a little uncomfortable.
Why buy?
Fine sound quality, well priced, stylish