Review: Blueant Z9 Bluetooth Headset

Blueant Z9

Blueant Z9

Blueant Z9

Blueant Z9
Weight	9.9g (0.35oz)
Body Size	41mm x 17.5.mm x 11.2mm (1.6" x 0.7" x 0.4")
Talk Time(1)	6:00
Ear Loop	Over Ear, 3
Left/Right Ear?	Both
LEDs	1, Blue and Red
Pairings	3
Headset Sound	Good
Mic Sound	Excellent, voice isolation works a treat
Included Accessories	3 transparent ear loops, an ear bud cover, an AC wall charger, and a USB charging cable

The first thing one notices about the Blueant Z9 is its delicious design. The Z9 gets even better once we look under the hood: dual microphones, voice isolation technology, and a clip that can attach it securely to a shirt or pocket for when it is not in use. Since winning the Design and Engineering award at CES 2007, the Z9 has been hotly anticipated, and it doesn't disappoint.

The 41mm x 17.5.mm x 11.2mm (1.61" x 0.69" x 0.44") glossy black rectangular body of the Z9 is very easy on the eyes. Weighing just 9.9g (0.35oz) and housing just 3 buttons (2 of which spend most of their time controlling volume), the Z9 has a very clean, uncomplicated layout. The square, silver multi-function button (MFB) sports the Blueant logo and is located on the top of the unit. To the naked eye, the MFB sits quite flush with the rest of the unit, but when trying to press it, we could easily feel it. The MFB gave pleasant tactile feedback, as did the 2 slightly more protruding volume buttons that are located on the right flank.

The Lithium Ion battery of the Z9 delivered almost 6 hours of talk time, which is a very acceptable amount, and is rated for 200 hours of standby time. The headset is accompanied by a 3 transparent ear loops, an ear bud cover, an AC wall charger, and a USB charging cable that surprisingly doesn't use a standard miniUSB connection. Instead Blueant has opted for a proprietary connector.

Once you have charged the battery and held the MFB down for a few to turn on the headset, the fun begins. Functionality-wise, the Z9 has a tick in every box. The 3 easy-to-use buttons make answering, rejecting, and muting calls, putting calls on hold, and other headset functions a breeze to use. The easy to find MFB controls all functions except for redialing the last number, call waiting, and muting an active call. Those functions are activated by the volume + and volume buttons. The volume is also controlled by these two buttons, and their functions remain in the same orientation regardless of whether the Z9 is being worn on the left or right ear. Volume + is the rear button and volume is the forward most button.

Pairing the Z9 with any headset or handsfree Bluetooth enabled device is as simple as turning off the headset then holding the MFB in for about 6 seconds. The Z9 uses the near-standard '0000' pairing passcode. The backwards compatible Bluetooth 2.0 touting Blueant Z9 is capable of pairing with only three devices at a time, but we didn't have a problem pairing it with a Nokia N93 or a Nokia 6500. If you reach the allocated 3 devices paired, you can perform a reset on it to clear the memory and give you the three pairing slots back.