Qstik Stereo Bluetooth Headset Review

The Qstik EVO Q is more than just a standard Bluetooth Headset. It may not be made by a big household name, but that doesn’t mean that the Qstik EVO Q is missing out on features – if anything it has more than some headsets by Nokia and Sony Ericsson. I’ve been using the Qstik for the last week in place of my usual Stereo Bluetooth headset, to see how it measures up against its rivals. In this review I tested the headset using the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music and the Apple iPhone 3G running iPhone OS 3.0.

What’s Included

Normally with a Bluetooth Headset, you get a user manual and a charger and thats about all, but not with the Qstik.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that along with a Mains Charger, there was a desktop stand, an in car holder and magnetic mount, a spare ear loop and ear gel, user guide and the Stereo Headphones. I’d be impressed if a £70 headset came with that many accessories, but to find them all in with a headset of this price range is fantastic.

The desk holder and car holder both share the same charging cradle, so you will need to remember to carry the charging cradle with you as it’s not possible to plug the mains charger into the headset directly.

2 in 1

Whilst it looks like an ordinary Bluetooth headset, the EVO Q is actually 2 products in 1.  The Qstik is a Mono Bluetooth headset that can be used for voice calls on your mobile phone & VOIP calls on your PC, and when you connect the earphones, it becomes a Stereo Bluetooth headset that you can use to listen to music from your mobile phone or PC wirelessly.  To switch between Mono and Stereo, it’s just a case of plugging in the Stereo Headphones into the headset and launching the Music Player on your phone.

Pairing

Getting the Qstik Evo Q to work with my phone was extremely simple, and exactly how pairing any device should be.  Once it was charged, pairing took seconds.  On the subject of charging, it’s worth pointing out that the Qstik charger is actually a Mini USB charger, this is great as it means that I can charge it from my PC or laptop with a standard Mini USB data cable.  If you have a BlackBerry or Motorola phone then you’ll also be able to charge it with your existing mains or car charger.

To get the headset into pairing mode was just a case of pressing the centre button for about ten seconds until the lights flashed. Once they were flashing, a quick bluetooth search on my phone found the headset.  I entered the passkey (0000) and after a few seconds, the Qstik was connected to my phone.

Size & Style

The Qstik has unique styling, but then it’s a fairly unique product.  The main unit of the headset isn’t designed to be worn on the ear all the time, no doubt the designers planned on most people using it with the headphones, in which case the main unit can be in your pocket or clipped to your jacket. Size wise it’s comparable to the Nokia BH-103 and Nokia BH-214, but compared to both of these headsets, it beats them hands down in terms of features and price.  I’ve put a comparison chart at the end of this post to highlight the differences between them. If you do wear it on your ear, it’s lightweight, comfortable and has simple controls that are easy to operate without having to fiddle around.

Audio Quality

Given the price point of this headset I was a little dubious about how clear the audio was going to be, but I had no reason to worry.  The Qstik features exceptional noise and echo cancellation technology to provide really clear audio. Even on the motorways at 70mph I had no problem with hearing callers, or being heard. Listening to music in stereo was equally as good.  Audio came through clearly and  paused when calls came through.

Music

The Qstik supports the AVRCP Bluetooth Profile which allows you control your music play back from the headset, with out the need to touch your phone.  On the phones I was using for this test, this only worked on the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music as the iPhone doesn’t yet support AVRCP. There aren’t any dedicated music controls on the headset, so track skip is achieved by different combinations of button presses.  To skip forward you have to press and hold the ‘+‘ button for 1 second and to skip back you press and hold the ‘-‘ for one second.  It’s simple enough to do, it just takes a bit of time to remember which way round they are, but you’ll soon get the hang of it.

Battery Life

The battery life on the Qstik is pretty good.  There are headsets that will last longer, but you’ll pay a lot more for a Stereo Bluetooth Headset with the same number of features as the Qstik.  Talk Time is upto 5 Hours, Stand By time is aroud 150 hours, and we managed to play music continually for over 4 hours before the battery died. As mentioned earlier, the fact that the Qstik charges via Mini USB means that charging is easily done through your PC, so If you take the headset and charging cradle to work with you, you can plug it in to your PC and charge it throughout the day so that it’s ready for the journey home. The Mini USB Data Cable isn’t included though, so you’ll need to buy one seperately if you don’t have a spare one at home already.

Comparison

The closest alternative to the Qstik at the time of writing this post is the Nokia BH-103, but there are some significant differences.  The table below points out the key differences:

Feature	Qstik Evo-Q	Nokia BH-103
Mono Headset
Stereo Headset
Removeable Headphones
Includes Mains Charger
Includes Desk Stand
Includes Car Holder
Charger Type	Mini USB	Nokia 2mm
Music Control -Track Skip
Battery Talktime	5hrs	7hrs
Battery Stand By Time	150hrs	150hrs
Battery Music Play Back	4.5hrs	7hrs
Current Selling Price*	£9.95	£29.33

*Prices correct as of 29/06/2009

If this headset isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, why not take a look at our full range of Bluetooth Headsets and Stereo Bluetooth Headsets.  If you’ve got a Qstik EvoQ, let us know your thoughts on it.  Leave us a comment below.