The Lowdown
Overall, the BlueParrot Pro B450 is an amazing headset for anyone who spends a lot of time on the phone for any reason. It is comfortable, easy to use, and has an amazing battery life.
Overall
Pros
- Fully customizable through the app
- Super comfortable
- Long battery life
Cons
It is hard to drive and stay connected these days safely. In some states, it’s illegal to have a phone in your hand while driving (which it should be); other states take it a step further and make it illegal to even look at your phone at a red light. While most newer vehicles have an array of screens and other wireless capabilities, most of the larger commercial trucks on the road don’t have that fancy technology. The BlueParrott Pro B450 makes it easy to stay connected hands-free with a customizable button, rotating mic boom, and active noise canceling.
The Headset
The BlueParrott Pro B450 headset can be worn on either the left or the right ear, depending on your preference, by rotating the mic boom. If you leave the mic boom in the up position, it automatically mutes the mic. This is a feature that can be turned off in the settings using the app. The band is quite flexible and springy, so it stays in place pretty well. However, it does wiggle quite a bit if you shake your head.
The band does slide out to give you about an extra inch and a half of space if you need it. The mic book is pretty flexible as well. It can be gently manipulated to adjust the distance from your mouth. I personally had to pull it out a bit because when I raised the mic boom, it would hit my glasses.
The charging port is located on the bottom of the headset. It charges via USB-C, which means I don’t have to try to keep track of a specialized cord for it. I was able to use it for four days straight without charging it. I worked eight hours each day and wore it through lunch, so it lasted 36-ish hours. It wasn’t dead when I charged it either; I just didn’t want to risk it dying on me during the workday. According to BlueParrott, the battery life is 45 hours.
The earpiece cover does not come off, but the noise-canceling features are amazing. Pressing the button just above the mic boom on the side of the headset cycles through active noise canceling, hear-through, and nothing settings. The active noise canceling filters very well. While in a very loud truck, it is not perfect; it is a huge improvement compared to not having it on or the hear-through setting. The hear-through setting is noticeably louder than the off setting. During conversations, things are definitely clearer using the hear-through setting even though there isn’t much noise-canceling built into the ear cup.
After wearing the BlueParrott Pro B450 for a few days, the fake leather texture has held up quite well to my ear sweat and being tossed onto the passenger seat unceremoniously throughout the day. The foam mic cover already has a small tear in it, but I personally didn’t expect that to last very long anyway. Honestly, sound-wise, the people I’ve called haven’t mentioned any heavy breathing sounds on my end, so they are either super polite or the foam doesn’t make much of a difference.
The controls are very simple. The volume control is at the bottom and is a little rocker switch with the power button in the middle and the customizable BlueParrot button on the top. The power indicator light is a blue LED that flashes just above the BlueParrot button.
App & Customizations
Pairing the BlueParrott Pro B450 headset was super simple; just power on and pair with your phone. The app is a free download from either the App Store or the Play Store; they also provide a QR code to scan for a direct link to the app. The app itself is quite simple to use and has tons of different options to customize the headset to your preferences.
List of possible voice commands that can be used if the BlueParrott button is set to voice control.
The options available for the BlueParrott button. The headset also has an SDK file that allows you to program the BlueParrott button completely. If you are working with a company that has their own system, you can find a list of compatible programs online as well.
The app is also where you update the firmware on your headset. You can also update the firmware through software on your computer.
The Bottom Line
Overall, the BlueParrott Pro B450 is an amazing headset for anyone who spends a lot of time on the phone for any reason. It is comfortable, easy to use, and has an amazing battery life.
The BlueParrott Pro B450 retails for $199; it is available directly from the manufacturer and other retailers, including Amazon.
Source: Manufacturer-supplied review sample
What I Like: Fully customizable through the app; Super comfortable; Long battery life
What Needs Improvement: Nothing