Smartphones are incredibly powerful devices these days, but few are known for their speakerphone performance. Trust us; we test each and every one. So naturally, some augmentation is in order, particularly when driving in the car. If your car lacks a Bluetooth hands-free speakerphone mode, you'll want to check out the SuperTooth Crystal ($69 direct), the company's latest portable speaker that clips onto your car's sun visor. It's a fine device that works well and is more affordable than earlier models from the company, although it lacks the robust sound quality and voice recognition the higher-end SuperTooth HD ($129, 4 stars) offers.?
Design, Controls, and Pairing
The SuperTooth Crystal is nice and portable. It's made entirely of plastic, with the exception of the magnet and metal clip. My test unit was black, but it's also available in blue, purple, silver, and white. The Crystal measures 1.9 by 5.1 by 0.6 inches (HWD) and weighs 4 ounces with the metal clip attached, or 3.5 ounces without it. The magnetic mount is extremely strong; it takes some effort to pull the hook back off of the device, and it clipped tightly to a 2012 Honda Civic's sun visor. What's nice about the detachable clip is that without it, the unit can lie flat on a table, and therefore double as a desktop hands-free speaker for conference calls.
The top of the unit contains most of the controls. The main multifunction button, which allows you to answer and end calls, and control voice dialing, is off to the side of the front panel, and is recessed so you can easily find it while driving. On one edge is a Power button and a redundant Call End button, while the other side contains a pair of volume buttons. SuperTooth packages the Crystal with a USB cable, as well as a USB-to-DC adapter for charging the unit with your car's interior power jack.
Pairing is very simple. The first time you power up the device, it automatically enters pairing mode. From there, you can conduct additional pairings by holding down the power button for two seconds. I had no problem pairing the Crystal with an Apple iPhone 4 without using a PIN number. Thanks to multipoint support, you can pair the SuperTooth Crystal with up to eight devices, two of which can be powered on and connected simultaneously. The Crystal is Bluetooth 3.0 compatible, and supports both headset and hands-free profiles.
Performance and Bluetooth Support
Sound quality was just okay, with a markedly tinny timbre. Beyond a certain point, there's only so much speaker and amplifier you can cram into such a small device. It gets loud enough that you can hear other callers with the windows rolled down at 45 mph. You won't confuse the sound of callers' voices with how they would sound when beaming through the car's stereo speakers. But it's clear enough.
Transmissions through the microphone weren't great. They were surprisingly clear at the same speed with the windows rolled up and the A/C off. But once I turned on the A/C on high, my voice became slightly choppy through the microphone. With the driver's side window rolled down at 45mph, it was impossible to understand me; the noise-cancelling algorithm could chop out straight wind noise, but it also virtually eliminated my own voice in the bargain.
If your phone supports voice dialing over Bluetooth?nearly all do these days, although we've seen some brand new Android phones that don't?then you can do it via the Crystal. You can also redial the last call, or reject an incoming call.?The Crystal also supports A2DP. I had no problem streaming music to it from the iPhone, although sound quality was pretty bad; consider this a feature exclusively for streaming voice prompts from turn-by-turn GPS apps, or for listening to podcasts or audiobooks.
Other Features and Conclusions
Battery life is excellent; the SuperTooth Crystal is rated for 20 hours of hands-free talk time, or 40 days of standby time. A low-battery alert sounds toward the end of the unit's life. With the iPhone 4, the Crystal shows a battery meter in the top right portion of the display, which is helpful. Even with that, it only takes three hours to charge the internal battery. Standard Bluetooth range is 33 feet; I found I could walk about 15 feet away from the SuperTooth with my phone before static crept into the audio signal.
Overall, the SuperTooth Crystal isn't a particularly remarkable device, but it does exactly what it's supposed to do. If voice recognition and a voice prompt-based interface is important to you, consider stepping up to the SuperTooth HD, which offers more control flexibility, although not everyone will take to the voice prompts (I prefer buttons myself, for example). The SuperTooth HD also offers a slightly fuller sound, which makes sense given that it's a bit larger and heavier than the Crystal. Otherwise, the Crystal is a worthy purchase.
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