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Moto Hint review

6.6/10 AVG.
RATING
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Moto Hint
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Specs / Features


Includes chargeable case that gives 8 extra hours of battery life | Works with Touchless Control when paired with Motorola phones | Lasting comfort/ergonomic fit | In-Ear Sensor for Smart Call routing | Customizable to match your style

Includes chargeable case that gives 8 extra hours of battery life | Works with Touchless Control when paired with Motorola phones | Lasting comfort/ergonomic fit | In-Ear Sensor for Smart Call routing | Customizable to match your style

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Specification
Warranty (Months) -
Size 148 x 147 cm (58.3 x 57.9 in)
Weight N/A
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Reviews summary section

What's good

  • Small, lightweight design
  • Clever carrying case/battery charger to combat small battery
  • Works with Moto Voice on Moto X

What's bad

  • Poor audio quality and inconsistent volume
  • Does not register voice command on occasion
  • A bit uncomfortable after left in ear for several hours

For the busy banker or executive, a Bluetooth headset is practically a necessity. There are dozens of options to choose from, but many of them suffer from at least one of these issues: large size and poor audio quality. Motorola attempts to combat all three problems with their Moto Hint.

Unlike other headsets, the Hint fits entirely in the ear of the user. Of course it isn't completely invisible. Reviewers report around half of the body sticks out of the ears and find it looks very similar to a hearing aid. Thanks to its small size and lightweight (6 grams) they found it incredibly comfortable to wear for long periods of time, though The Verge notes, "…it occasionally did leave the same stiff soreness I get when I wear Apple's EarPods for too many hours…" Most solved the problem by simply switching to the other ear for a couple hours.

Although it is small in size, the Hint comes packed with specs some larger headsets don't have including: a speaker, touch-sensitive panel, dual-noise cancelling microphones and an IR proximity detector. While the Hint is usable with any phone, it works best with the Moto X as it utilizes Moto Voice to interact with the phone directly. You can use the trigger phrase for your phone to "wake up" the Hint and issue commands. Of course, it does work with other phones, but you will need to tap the center of the Hint to turn it on. In terms of functionality, the Hint is only limited by what Google Now, Siri or the Motorola software can understand. This includes sending and receiving texts, managing calendars, answering and making calls and emails and searching for information. Gizmodo did notice it had problems with voice commands, adding, "…it doesn't seem to be able to hear your voice over its own sounds."

In order to keep the device as small as it is, Motorola equipped the Hint with a small 46mAh battery cell. This gave critics about three hours of talk time. To combat this, it designed the charging case into the carrying case. This, of course, means you will need to make sure you have the carrying case with you, especially when traveling. Luckily, the case itself is small and can be customized to match your earbud.

Perhaps the most important aspect of any headset is its audio quality. Unfortunately here is where it failed to impress experts. They found overall audio was muffled and unpredictable, though the majority of the time it was too quiet even at max volume. Luckily they discovered their calls were fairly clear for the receiving party.

Despite its clever and attractive design, reviewers have a tough time recommending the Moto Hint. Giz Mag states, "…the Moto Hint…[is] going to need a few upgrades and improvements before it's ready for primetime."


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