Do you want the best headset? 
Whether you work from home, on the go, or in an office, you probably have a need to make calls and join video meetings. The device someone chooses for those calls can vary a lot. You can opt to use a headset for example, but if you’re collaborating with someone else, or a small team, a headset may not be your best choice.
For personal use, as well as for small team collaboration, portable speakerphones have become a popular choice. They can be used with your computer, or mobile device and they’re highly portable while offering professional grade sound quality. This versatility and audio quality help to make speakerphones a solid communication option.
So if a new speakerphone is in your future, you may want to know which make or model is best.
In this blog, I’ll compare three of the most popular models, from three very reputable manufacturers:
- Poly (formerly Plantronics), now part of the Hewlett Packard ecosystem
- Jabra, a world class communications company
- Yealink, a reputable global supplier of audio and video equipment
I’ll share points and opinions on:
- Design
- Features
- Performance
- Speaker and mic tests
- And of course price
Hopefully this will provide you with some insights that can be of use if you’re in the market for a new speakerphone.
Prefer To Watch A Video Instead?
If you’re more inclined to watch video rather than read content, then you’ll want to watch our video comparison below. David explains the important points of all three models, and does some sound quality, and noise reduction tests too. It’s concise, and packed with good information, so make sure to check it out.
The Models Tested And Compared
The three models we selected as the top three models in this class include:
There are things these three speakerphones have in common, and there are also things that set them apart. In this blog, I’ll shed light on both.
Design
Let's start with design, how they look.
The truth is, all three of these speakerphones look good and none will leave you feeling embarrassed having them connected to your computer or mobile phone whether you're in the office, or out and about.
The Poly Sync 20 comes wrapped in a gray fabric to accent the metallic body color.
The Yealink SP92 takes this same approach by incorporating fabric into the design scheme, which looks decent, but the SP92, and Sync 20 using this design approach can make it appear less pleasing to look at compared to the Jabra model.
The Jabra Speak2 55 doesn’t use fabric. Jabra opted to take a more European, or Nordic approach through the use of quality looking materials, and a traditional design to give it a more polished look. And for this reason, the Jabra Speak2 55 earns our first choice in the category of design. The look is classic, and the arrangement of the control buttons are easy to locate, and use.
Features
One of the things that all three of these USB speakerphones share in common is they all connect to computers and mobile devices. With that said, there are differences in the way they do that.
Connectivity
The Poly Sync 20 can be used with a computer via the integrated USB-A cable. Unwind it, plug it in, and you’re ready to go. Alternatively, you can opt to choose the Poly Sync 20+ model that offers you a USB adapter for wireless computer connectivity.
Jabra Speak2 55, like the Poly Sync 20, uses an integrated USB cable for connecting to a computer. It comes with both USB-A, and USB-C connectors.
One drawback with this model is there isn't a USB adapter available. You’re limited to a hard wire connection.
Drawbacks to using a hard wired USB cable are two-fold:
- The cable is limited in length, at around 3 feet, which could prove to be problematic in certain use cases.
- If frayed or damaged, the cable isn’t replaceable which could result in the need to buy a replacement unit.
The Yealink SP92 offers a better alternative. It uses a plug in USB cable that’s not only replaceable, but you have the option of replacing it with a longer cable if needed. Comparing hard wired cables to replaceable easily points to the replaceable cable as being a distinct advantage.
Mobile Phone Connectivity
As with computer connectivity, all three of these speakerphones can be used wirelessly with a Smartphone via Bluetooth.
Connecting to a Smartphone via Bluetooth is the same process as with any device. Get the phone in search mode, and the device in pairing mode. And though the connection is pretty much the same between these devices, there is a difference in the Bluetooth versions used. the Poly Sync 20, and Jabra Speak2 55 both use Bluetooth version 5.1 and the Yealink SP92 uses Bluetooth version 5.3. There are some advantages in the more current version 5.3 which are highlighted below.
- Better Power Efficiency. Version 5.3 allows devices to obtain longer battery performance compared to version 5.1
- Improved Call Stability. The technology offers better call performance reducing the risk of dropped calls especially in crowded environments where many devices are in use.
- Lower Latency. LC3 codec cuts audio delay for clearer calls.
- Enhanced Security. Dynamic encryption improves data safety and call security.
UC Compatibility
All of these devices are compatible with the leading UC applications such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, RingCentral, Dialpad and others. You’re able to do several things from the speakerphone such as launch the application, adjust the volume or answer and end calls.
In order to provide you with a more tailored experience, all of these speakerphones come with their respective free, downloadable software. Through this software, you can perform firmware updates to help keep the device up-to-date, and access feature adjustments to configure the device more to your liking.
- Yealink offers USB Connect downloadable software
- Jabra offers Jabra Direct and Jabra Xpress
- Poly offers Lens
Software to customize, or to manage devices across an enterprise.
Battery Power
It’s possible that you may find yourself on unexpectedly long calls, and if you do, having a long life battery could be important. You don’t want your device dying on you in the middle of a call, so how many hours of talk time do each of these speakerphones offer?
Here’s how their batteries compare:
- Poly Sync 20 - up to 20 hours - battery recharges in less than 4 hours
- Yealink SP92 - up to 20 hours - recharge time 2.5 hours
- Jabra Speak2 55 - up to 12 hours - recharge time not stated in documentation
Based on this snapshot, the Yealink SP92 has an advantage over the others. Longer battery life than the Jabra, and faster charging than the Poly.
Speaker Sound
When you’re spending time on a call, you don’t want a tinny sound. Over time, that can wear on you, and lead to some frustration. Having decent sound quality makes being on those calls just a little bit better.
All three speakerphones are wideband audio rated, so you can expect solid sound across all three models.
In terms of speaker size, the Poly Sync 20 uses a 40mm speaker, whereas the Jabra Speak2 55, and the Yealink SP92 both use 50mm speakers. On the surface, you might tend to rule out the Poly Sync 20 simply due to it having a smaller loudspeaker. But, there’s more to audio quality than the size of the speaker alone, and in our tests, that proved to be the case.
It’s important to note that sound quality is subjective. What sounds good to one person, might not sound that good to another. So the best I can do here is to simply give you my opinion based on the test we did.
The verdict. Based on listening to all three speakerphones at full volume, and playing the same trac, the Jabra Speak2 55 was the least enjoyable to me. It lacked volume, and richness. The Poly Sync 20 sounded the best, with the Yealink SP92 coming in a close second. The Poly Sync 20 could have used a little more volume, but overall, it sounded better than the others. The SP92 was a bit crisper in sound, but to my ears, I still preferred the audio on the Sync 20.
We did a speaker sound quality test on the video above, so if you’d like to hear how these speakerphones sound, make sure to give it a watch.
Microphone(s)
There are some differences between these speakerphones as to their microphone setups. Here’s what each comes with helping you to sound your best:
- Poly Sync 20 - comes with a 3 microphone array
- Yealink SP92 - 1 omni-directional noise canceling microphone
- Jabra Speak2 55 - 4 beamforming noise canceling microphones
Disclaimer. Like ear speaker sound quality, microphone sound quality is also somewhat subjective. Still, in our video, we put each to the test, up against the sounds of dogs barking and babies crying. Here are the results of those tests, as I saw (heard) it.
All three speakerphones sound decent when there isn’t any background noise. But, when you introduce noise that competes with the voice microphone, there is a noticeable difference.
The Poly Sync 20, and the Jabra Speak2 55 didn’t remove the background noise. It was easily heard which suggests that both of these models would be best suited for environments without distracting background noise.
The Yealink SP92 did a good job at eliminating background noise. The crying babies, and barking dogs couldn’t be heard at all. However, in all three cases, when the speaker was talking when background noise was present, the noise could be heard. Only the Yealink SP92 eliminated it once the speaker stopped talking.
Conclusion. If you’re in need of a new speakerphone, and you have background noise, such as noisy coworkers, children, pets etc., then the Yealink SP92 is the clear choice when comparing these three speakerphones. For next level noise reduction there’s an app called neep you should look into.
neep The Noise
For those who contend with background noise, and want the best solution to eliminate it, consider pairing your device of choice (headset, speakerphone etc) with neep ai noise canceling software.
neep is extremely affordable, and it works with whatever audio device you’re using. It removes noise in your background, and it also removes the noise in your caller’s background.
To learn more about neep, or to request a free trial, go to neep.com
How Their Prices Compare
Price is often seen as the elephant in the room. Though a device might be a perfect for your situation, it might not fit into your budget. Here’s how each of these speakerphones compare when it comes to pricing.
Poly Sync 20 - HP website: $140.00 w/USB adapter, $120.00 without
Online for $120 - $150
Jabra Speak2 55 - Jabra website: $284.00
Online for $140.00 - $180.00
Yealink SP92 - Yealink website: $109.00
Online for under $100.00
Like A Discount? When it comes to saving money, that’s a subject that interests most of us. So if you’d like a nice discount on any of these speakerphones, make sure to use coupon code BLOG when checking out on our website.
Final Thoughts
When you take everything into account, such as microphone quality, speaker sound, replaceable USB cable, included USB adapter, and price, the Yealink SP92 comes out on top in this side-by-side comparison.
At a price of less than $100.00, the SP92 represents the best value among these three models. So if you like the idea of getting a quality sounding speakerphone with the latest features, at a price that’s hard to beat, then the SP92 should be your next new audio device.
By selecting this model over the others, isn’t to say that the Poly or Jabra products are bad, because that wouldn’t be true. Poly makes professional grade products, and has for decades. Jabra is a world recognized leader in the audio and video space, so you simply can’t go wrong with either. But, this is a side-by-side comparison where only one can come out on top. And though each has its strengths and weaknesses, for my money, I’m taking the SP92.
Have Questions Or Need Some Help?
Headset Advisor has been assisting customers with their communication needs for over 30 years. So if you have questions, need a compatible recommendation or a bulk quote, don’t hesitate to contact us, and let one of our friendly, and knowledgeable Advisors provide you with the answers you’re looking for.
