Plantronics BackBeat PRO Wants To Oust Your Bose Headphones

Plantronics' latest set of BackBeat headphones are here, and while the BackBeat FIT may have targeted fitness nuts, the BackBeat PRO wants music quality to be its focus. Piping stereo audio from your phone, tablet, laptop, or something else over Bluetooth, the headphones boost wireless range to a hefty 100m if you're pairing them with a Class 1 Bluetooth device, as well as packing sensors that control playback depending on whether you're wearing the cans.

So, take them off and they automatically pause playback, resuming only when you put them back on but without demanding you touch your phone. There's also the same sort of speech-guided settings system as we've seen on recent Plantronics Bluetooth hands-free headsets, so the BackBeat PRO will whisper things like connection status, battery life remaining, Caller ID, and more into your ear.

Two microphones are included, with active noise-cancellation, and there's NFC pairing for easier connectivity to an Android smartphone. Multi-device Bluetooth is supported, too, for several pairings.

The fold-flat earcups have 40mm dynamic drivers, and Plantronics says a full charge is good for up to 24 hours of listening. Interestingly, if you're not interested in music but just want background noise cancellation – useful if you're on a flight, perhaps – you can have up to 60hrs of that.

Standby is 21 days, or there's a deep standby mode good for six months.

The Plantronics BackBeat PRO headphones are on sale in the US today, priced at $249.99. They'll arrive in international markets come October, priced at €249.99/£249.99.

SOURCE Plantronics