Customer Reviews

Samsung WEP410 Bluetooth Wireless Headset

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

The Samsung WEP410 bluetooth headset performs remarkably well, is reasonably easy to use and is comfortable to wear for short periods of time. With the rebate making this headset well under $[...], it's a fantastic value. It is not however, without some problems.

PROS:
- Excellent sound quality on both ends
- Good battery life
- Good build quality
- Good range
- Very small
- Good looks
- Multiple ear gel sizes

CONS:
- Redial button too easy to activate accidentally
- Cannot charge without charging case
- No multipoint connection

I have an old Logitech Mobile Freedom bluetooth headset I purchased nearly two years ago. With the upcoming law that prohibits the use of cell phones without hands-free devices, I needed a 2nd headset for our 2nd car. I figured I could leave a headset in each car and both my wife and I would always have a headset to use regardless of driver or car. I found out that my old headset does not support multiple pairings (Multipoint) and neither does the Samsung WEP410. At the incredible after rebate price however, I was willing to give it a shot anyways.

FIT
This has to be the most important aspect of the headset, in my opinion. My old Logitech headset fit great, but did take some time to get used to. Because the earpiece actually goes inside the ear, it is easy to put on and take off with one hand. It's not quite comfortable enough for me to just leave it in there all day. I've not tried using the other ear gels to see if they may be more comfortable than the one that was already on the headset out of the box.

CALL QUALITY
I can hear very well while in the car and so far nobody has asked me to repeat myself. They have said that they could not tell I was using a headset.

BATTERY & CHARGING
The WEP410 comes with a handy plastic carrying case that doubles as a charger. It took less than 2 hours to completely charge, which is half the time it takes for me to charge my Logitech headset. The battery life of about 4 hours talk-time is more than enough for my limited use and I have yet to recharge it in the 3 weeks I've been using it. Be careful with the case however. If you lose it, you will not be able to charge your headset.

BUTTONS
There are only 3 buttons on this tiny headset. The main multi-function button is a good size and the two volume buttons are very small. The volume buttons are pretty difficult to press at first but after some use, you'll get the hang of it. I was also dumbfounded as to why the volume UP button would be on the bottom of the headset rather than the top until I realized it is because I wear the headset on my right ear. If I put it in my left ear, the UP button would indeed be on the top. The multi-function button allows you to pair your headset, answer/end calls, redial, and activate voice-dialing. Samsung unfortunately, decided to make the redial function activate with a single touch to the button. Every headset I've ever used made the single touch be voice-dialing. The problem here is that you will accidentally call the last person you spoke with on numerous occasions. Even when I try to end the call, if the person ended the call before me, and I push the button to end, it will redial them. I've done this several times already. Samsung was not using their heads on this at all. To activate voice-dialing, you must press the button and hold it until you hear a beep.

INSTRUCTIONS
The manual is easy to read and clear. It's more thorough than some I've read.

SUMMARY
There were hardly any reviews for this headset when I purchased it and I only bought it because of how inexpensive it was. After a couple of weeks of use, I bought one for my wife and now both my sister-in-laws have one too. They have the same complaints about the redial button, but are happy with the headset regardless. I would not recommend this headset at full price, but the after rebate price makes this good, not perfect headset, worthy of trying.

Overall I feel this is a good bluetooth headset, with good voice quality and quick pairing, however I ran into one problem. The multi-function button is setup to redial the last number when you press it once. So, when paired with my Blackberry I accidentally dialed the previous number every time I went to re-adjust the headset in the ear (the button is fairly sensitive as well). I am not sure if this problem is only with Blackberry phones or other devices as well.

I did end up returning the headset because of this problem.

I bought this WEP410 to replace my Samsung WEP200 headset. The 200 was itself a step up from the Plantronics Voyager 510 which was highly rated, though I found the 200's sound quality, connectivity via bluetooth 2.0 instead of of the Voyager's 1.2, inconspicuous size, and price to all be superior to the Voyager. But the 200's sound was still a little muffled, and the fit was earbud-style which wasn't always comfortable for my small ear canals. After reading tons of reviews, I settled on the 410 here for its size, quality, brand, and price.

The WEP410 has a more comfortable fit, provided you don't mind an in-the-ear-canal design. Just slide it into your ear and it's all good, it's simple to work with and an easy, almost unnoticeable fit. The biggest drawbacks for me in terms of fit are that it causes me to hear my own voice in my head as it does plug the ear (it doesn't cut off all outside sound tho'), and my ear canal gets a little sweaty with this in direct contact. I also like the fit on the 410 because unlike the 200, I can quickly and easily switch from ear to ear - most folks won't tell you this, but ear canals aren't usually the same size, where my headsets fit fine in my right ear, my left is slightly smaller to the point of causing problems fitting the 200, while the 410 here slides right in (though a little more noticeable than on my right) and this is true of most folks I know.

The 410 is slightly longer than the 200 but narrower and 1.5 grams lighter (both the 200 and this 410 are extremely lightweight, yet feel robust rather than cheap). The silver at the end says "hey, look at me, I'm wearing a bluetooth headset!" but it's still a fairly discreet design compared to the vast majority out there. The LED this time is less conspicuous, a ring around the main button (the light can easily be shut off, though you have to do it each time you turn the unit back on); the button itself is a lighter press but still tactile enough. The 410 suffers a larger carrying/charging case than the 200 due to its shape and earbud, but if you happen to carry your headset in a purse, this will help keep it from getting lost or damaged; I just throw mine into my pocket (that's a risk of it turning on and redialing, but hasn't happened to me yet).

Incoming sound quality is very good, bordering on excellent, the only "what?" moments I have are when I'm talking to friends on their inferior headsets. Outgoing sound quality isn't quite as good since noise-reduction is a little overly ambitious in the car, and there's a slight "hollow" sound folks seem to notice, and it doesn't cancel the background all that well, but it's still vastly cleaner sound than anything else I've used so far and avoids nearly all the "what?" moments on the other end. Connectivity is good but a tiny bit more chance of static than the 200 depending on obstacles, still it generally works out fine, especially while driving.

Functionality is where this unit takes a hit. While the 200, and nearly every other headset out there, use a single button press for accessing voice dialing, the 410 uses that press for redial; the 200 used a 2-second long press for redial, where the 410 uses that for voice dial. However, it's not that difficult to get used to, and it makes an audible sound when it's redialing so a second tap can hang that up quickly. Like the 200, the 410 doesn't play your ringtones, instead it has its own simple tones for incoming call and text message.

The volume controls are pretty small yet still tactile, but they're so high up the body (one on either side, unlike the 200) that I either have to move the unit or press my ear cartilage to depress the button facing down - this is fairly minor though. Pairing the unit is quick and simple, but I haven't run into a headset yet that wasn't, including a couple other models I sent back. Turning it on and off is a 4-second hold on the main button, 1 second shorter than the 200, and for shutdown it makes a unique double-hang-up sound AND flashes blue then red. In terms of battery life, I haven't run into any problems, and it charges quick enough for me.

All in all, I am very happy with this bluetooth headset because of the sound quality, the fit, and the price. While the mic does still have a few issues, it's still a great improvement in sound quality to the point where I can finally have a normal back & forth conversation in the car, and that is vital. The fit's comfortable, and the unit is very light and small which I dig. The usability issue can be a little frustrating at times, but if you remain mindful, it's a minor inconvenience at worst (heck, sometimes I actually WANT to redial, so there it's helpful). There is no perfect bluetooth, but for the price, I haven't found anything better in size, fit, or sound than the Samsung WEP410.

I generally like this headset. It looks light and cool and has good sound, and since the earpiece is in your ear, this works well in noisy environments. It does pick up ambient noise, but I can't imagine how that can be avoided in a headset of this type. I had a Plantronics 320, and this one is better. I wouldn't buy the Plantronics again.

It stays put with the proper adapter, and I am really active outdoors.

HOWEVER - I don't like the redial feature. I can't hang this thing up without the darn thing redialing, which has to be an annoyance to your last called number. Not only that, it will redial if you hit the button accidentally. This WILL happen if it's in your pocket. This is a potential disaster. This gives your last caller their own eavesdropping device. Why they designed it this way is beyond me.

I can't find a manual online either, which is inexcusable for Samsung.

It's too bad that it has these flaws; otherwise I'd give it a 5.

Update 2009: I finally lost this one to the wash machine, and for the last year or so, had the WEP200. The sound quality is better, but it hurts my ear. Even so, I am willing to endure this pain in lieu of the idiotic redial feature of the much-better fitting WEP410. That says a lot.

I just bought this bluetooth ear piece and have been using it for a week. It's strengths are it's tiny size, about 1cm x 3 cm, it's comfort (it sits within the ear canal- comes with three different ear pieces), and it's relative long battery life, 70 hours standby and 4 hours of talk time. The only weakness I've found so far is the small size of it's volume buttons, almost impossible to adjust while it's actually in my ear. Pricey but worth it if you are looking for the newest coolest ear piece.

Pros:
Really tiny
Very comfortable to wear, very easy to place in your ear, ear-hook not needed
Very secure; you can jump up and down with this thing on and it won't budge.
Great sound for the user. There is occasional static but it is not a big deal.
Very good at picking up your voice.

Cons:
Lack of noise-cancellation!! This is my first bluetooth headset so maybe this criticism applies to all headsets without noise-cancellation. The microphone is far away from your mouth and it is great at picking up everything but man, do I mean everything! I tried to use this in my own living room a couple of times and two different people instantly complained that they were hearing an echo. My living room is mainly hard surfaces but it certainly isn't like talking in the bathroom. People only reported a trace echo when I talked in my bedroom. On the street this headset picks up all sorts of background noise so the sound quality for people I'm talking to is much poorer than when I directly use my cell phone. If you only make calls from quiet, non-echogenic environs then you should be OK. All I know is that my next bluetooth headset will have noise-cancellation.

A quick tap of the main control button will redial the number of your last cell phone call. This means that you can't drop this in your pocket without first turning it off because you will almost certainly accidentally hit the button and start calling people without your knowledge. There is no way to deactivate this feature.


If this headset had noise-cancellation and if I could place it in my pocket without accidentally calling people then it would have been almost perfect.

This has got to be one of the top headsets. Headsets that fit in your ear canal is a must. If fits securely in with 3 interchangeable buds. Noise cancelling is great and it will never probably fall off your ear unlike those headsets that rest only next to your ear or clamps around your ear with those loops. Very very loud at max volume. Secure and lightweight while in your ear. I could play tennis with this thing on and not worry about it falling off. Its a must have. You will love it.....

Plus
On the plus side it is very comfortable and lightweight, and easy to charge up using the cradle.

Minus
However, the buttons are very hard to use as mentioned in an earlier review, and for me the sound quality was so poor that all the other features become irrelevant. I did not feel like I could carry on a convesation no matter how close the phone was.

I am returning this one and will look for a replacement.

If you like large, bulky, clumsy, uncomfortable Bluetooth headsets, you probably won't care much for the Samsung WEP410.

However, if you prefer exceptional comfort, ease-of-use, and intuitive design in an ultra-compact, lightweight device, with good voice clarity through both the microphone and the speaker, here's your headset.

No awkward over-the-ear hook; simply choose from three sizes of included softgel earpieces and this sleek little unit stays smoothly in place under any conditions.

The multifunction button - with crisp tactile and audible feedback - makes it a breeze to initiate voice-activated calls, accept incoming calls, terminate calls, redial, and more. Separate volume control buttons are easy and precise. Charging the headset is simple and very fast, providing excellent battery life.

Don't let the small size and reasonable price fool you; this is a brilliant product. Is it really perfect? Of course not. But in the world of Bluetooth technology, it's the closest thing to perfection yet. (Oh, and it looks good, too.)

Beautifully done, Samsung.

I have purchased several bluetooth headset. Disappointed everytime, even the very well reputable brands. The annoying over the ear clip.. I can never seem to find one that fits my ear perfectly, it comes loose, etc. I must have invested over three hundred dollars going through headsets. Too late or lazy to return them, they end up in the garbage bin.

What a pleasure it is to get the WEP410 which is light, small, no wire hooks over the ear, and more importantly fits into the ear comfortably. After a couple of minutes I don't even know it's there! I can run, do all kind of activities and the thing just won't fall out! The communication is clea and my friends always can hear me clearly. I have never had one unit which fits so well.

Cons: battery life for talking is a little too short for my taste.
You cannot charge it directly but requires a proprietary "box" where the unit fits in. Worse, you have to use electricity. This is detrimental to me who drives 6 or 7 hours sometimes. This is where the units employing standard USB mini plug wins. I am sure the WEP410 has a car adapter somewhere --but that's extra money.

Button to hang up doubles as to redial. So sometimes, when a connection is already severed, pressing the button doesn't double hang-up, instead it redials last caller.

Pros: Best darn fitting at least for me. Handsome looking unit.