Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds review – The Professional’s Delight

A pair of wireless earbuds are a typical part of any user’s kit in the new normal. While many are optimised for casual or content consumption, few are ideal for work which typically requires solid call quality; a shortcoming that’s readily apparent often when you need it the most especially in today’s hybrid work environment which is where our latest pair of reviewed wireless earbuds come into the picture.

Here’s our Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds review where we pit this new contender in the market to the test.

Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds review – Build and Design

Work oriented earbuds are now in vogue seeing the plethora of models that are appearing in the market of late with the Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds being one of the latest to arrive in Malaysia. 

In keeping with many enterprise-oriented wireless earbuds, the Poly Voyager Free 60 series comes in a variety of different configurations and accessories though our Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds review sample is effectively the most premium of the bunch with a slew of unique features that other competitors lack albeit at a somewhat eyebrow raising price tag at RM1,900.

The most unique aspect that the new Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds addresses is the typical problem befalling most other earbuds – a lack of feedback and control without pairing directly with a phone. 

In a rather decisive fashion, they’ve addressed the problem by implementing a small 1.4-inch OLED touchscreen on its charging case that allows direct access to its controls without having to constantly reach out for a paired phone.

Our Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds review sample’s charging case is hewn primarily from polycarbonate and is somewhat chunky to accommodate the display itself which in turn grants access to control music playback, manage noise cancelling, swap devices, the means to adjust the volume and see remaining battery levels at a glance. 

If you’re stuck in a bind, it also displays a QR code that leads to the product manual for reference as well as a link to download the companion Poly Lens app for smartphones, PCs or Macs. 

Popping it open reveals a BT700 Bluetooth adapter dongle with a USB-A port to connect the earbuds to a laptop or PC for a more stable connection. It can also be ordered with a USB-C dongle. The earbuds are stored tip down with the stem portions lying vertically in the case. Unfortunately, the case is large enough that it’s not easy to slip into a pocket which means you’ll need to tote it around in your handbag or backpack.

As mentioned earlier, the earbuds follow a typical Airpods-style design with a vertical control stem which houses the mics and that features a touch sensitive control strip as well as a control button. The ends terminate in a swappable silicone ear tip as well as a bulbous housing that stores the batteries and 10mm drivers. While the medium sized ear tips are preinstalled, you can also avail yourself to the customary smaller and larger sized ear tips that come bundled with the packaging. 

Of note is that the earbuds feature a robust IP54 rating which means that they’re able to shrug off dust ingress and splashes of water though the charging case itself has no IP rating whatsoever so some care needs to be taken to protect it from the elements.

The button itself controls music playback and lets you take calls with a single press while a longer press summons a virtual assistant. The control strips make for an elegant way to intuitively adjust volume, toggle through Active NoiseCancellation and Ambient noise modes and to mute or unmute calls.

Also bundled with our review sample is a 3.5mm to USB-C cable along with the obligatory USB-C to USB-A charging cable. The former, when jacked into the charging case and into an in-flight entertainment system allows the case to act as a Bluetooth retransmitter, which Poly have referred to as ‘Airplane’ mode, allowing users to enjoy movies without having to resort to the typical flimsy plastic headphones issued on a flight. 

Overall build quality is sound and the addition of a Bluetooth dongle and the retransmitter itself, a somewhat rare feature for wireless earbuds, does lend the Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds a unique touch.

Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds review – Setup and Performance

Getting our Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds review unit up and running was relatively easy and the paired Poly Lens app was a straightforward affair to download on Google Play. The app itself offers some modest customisation options and the ability to preset to Bass, Flat and Bright equaliser settings; unfortunately it lacks a customisable equaliser so you’ll have to rely on the three predefined settings.

Of note is that the earbuds have multipoint connection which allows it to easily swap between a paired laptop and phone as the situation requires it without having to unpair and pair it. This feature in itself is a lifesaver especially for multitaskers. Another notable feature is that the earbuds have also been certified for MS Teams and Zoom; arguably the two most common video call apps in this neck of the woods.

In terms of call quality, our Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds review unit did not disappoint and calls were relatively clear with the 3-mic array in each earbud helping to prioritise my voice over ambient surrounding noise. The earbuds also have wind blocking tech that helps in the aforementioned scenarios; to simulate this I had a conversation right in front of a table fan at full blast; it did what it said on the tin with the receiving end of the conversation none the wiser. 

On top of solid call quality, the earbuds were also a dab hand at music and while it pales next to dedicated audiophile headsets, it’s a solid performer for mainstream music and offers up clear vocals which makes audiobooks and podcasts a treat with this. The provided ANC is serviceable with the ability  to mute out a fair amount of lower register background noise like the background clatter of a quiet restaurant though loud conversations and clattering cutlery were still apparent.

In terms of battery life, the earbuds are quoted to offer about 8 hours of music playback and about 5.5 hours of talk time with two additional full charges bundled with the charging case. On a single charge with ANC on and a combination of calls and Spotify, we managed to achieve approximately similar results at about five or so hours with change.

The provision of the touchscreen on the charging case is a unique touch and in more static scenarios such as working at a desk for the day, it helped shave a bit of time off accessing controls on the earbuds though its chunky dimensions mean that it’s not particularly ergonomic or accessible when carried around in a pocket.

Should you buy the Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds?

Granted, the Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds doesn’t come cheap but it does feature a number of unique features, chief among them its control touchscreen on the charging case, the ability to use the charging case as a retransmitter and its Bluetooth dongle for pairing with PCs and laptops. If your procurement budget allows it, this makes for a versatile if pricey all-rounder for work and a bit of play.

Specifications
Price RM1,900
Driver size 10mm
Supported codecs SBC, AAC, AptX, mSBC
Battery 70mAh, 8 hours playback (earbuds) + 580mAh, 16 hours (charging case) (quoted)
Size/Weight 54.5 x 72 x 33.1 mm (touchscreen case) / 5.8g (buds), 80g (touchscreen case)

The Poly Voyager Free 60+ UC earbuds are now available. To purchase, click here for more information.

Review sponsored by Poly