Swiss computer accessory giant Logitech has announced its next-generation Zone Wireless 2 headset in a move that underscores the company’s commitment to the burgeoning business-to-business market. Whether staff are working from home, office or a combination of the two, those workers need the right tools for Zoom meetings and phone calls.
These hybrid workers are the target market for Logitech’s new Zone Wireless 2 headset. This premium business headset harnesses the power of AI to deliver a unique, two-way, noise-free calling experience. The Zone Wireless 2 headset not only cancels unwanted sounds at the user’s end of the conversation but can also reduce unwanted sounds picked up by the microphone at the other end of the line.
The Zone Wireless 2 headset cuts local background sounds with high-quality noise-canceling mics. The headset also offers hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) for anyone working in a busy office where there’s a buzz of conversation, the hum of air-conditioning or the sound of multiple keyboards being tapped. In addition, the Zone Wireless 2 also offers personalized stereo sound that helps the user hear and be heard more clearly during phone calls and video meetings.
Today’s hybrid workers often work in various locations such as homes, offices, coffee shops, or client premises. All these spaces will have different noise challenges, ranging from almost silent to very loud. Those unwanted sounds can seriously impact a worker’s productivity and concentration during a call.
A recent Equipping Your Employees for Hybrid Work study found that 85% of home workers struggle with audio issues, whether background noise from family members or poor sound quality produced by laptop speakers. The same study found hybrid workers often lack good collaboration tools, such as high-quality headsets.
“Zone Wireless 2 is Logitech’s top-of-the-line headset for skilled professionals who need technology with a high degree of control, precision and innovation,” said Prakash Arunkundrum, Chief Operating Officer at Logitech. “We built Zone Wireless 2 with advanced technology for uncompromising performance at a lower carbon footprint.”
The new Zone Wireless 2 headset has a superbly comfortable design that’s easy to wear even for long meetings. The headset’s ANC function effectively stops unwanted sounds like office chatter or air-conditioning. Thanks to the Advanced Call Clarity feature, the Zone Wireless 2 can suppress unwanted sounds coming from the other end of the call, even if the caller isn’t using a headset with noise-canceling microphones. This feature can be activated using Logi Tune software, which uses AI to separate the caller’s voice from the background sounds at the end of the call.
Noise-canceling mics on the boom arm of the Zone Wireless 2 can also suppress distracting sounds and near conversations by using advanced beamforming technology that captures the user’s voice and not much else. These features create a two-way noise suppression system when used with Advanced Call Clarity. The boom mic can also be swiveled out of the way when not in use and automatically mutes the mic. It’s a convenient feature if you need to talk privately to a colleague.
Another of the Zone Wireless 2’s innovative features is called smart emuneration. This feature defaults to the host computer’s native audio input and output devices should the Bluetooth connection be broken. Smart emuneration is a helpful feature when you forget to disconnect the Bluetooth and then wonder why the speakers in your laptop are no longer working.
The headset can connect to a smartphone using Bluetooth. Logitech also provides a USB wireless dongle for connecting with a computer. The dongle offers a more robust and secure wireless connection. The Zone Wireless 2 also supports Bluetooth multipoint connectivity, so two devices can connect to the headset simultaneously. For example, the Zone Wireless 2 can simultaneously connect to your smartphone and laptop. If a phone call comes in on your smartphone while in a Zoom meeting, you can easily switch seamlessly from the Zoom call on the computer to a phone call on your iPhone.
To provide enough power for several working days, the Logitech Zone Wireless 2 has a rechargeable battery that can play for up to 40 hours or provide up to 17 hours of talk time, depending on whether the ANC function is turned on or off. If the battery charge is low, a quick five-minute burst can deliver an hour of talk time or you can also use a USB cable to set up a wired connection with a computer that doesn’t require any battery power.
As a company, Logitech is particularly invested in sustainability. It has published a sustainability report on its business activities for the past 15 years. Like the rest of the company’s products, the Zone Wireless 2 is made with recycled plastic and all its removable parts – like the earpads and rechargeable battery – can be replaced by the user, ensuring the headset offers a much longer service life than many other headsets.
All the packaging used on the Zone Wireless 2 comes from FSC sources and plastic usage is kept to an absolute minimum. The sustainability of the headset makes it an attractive proposition for large corporations with strict ESG targets. In addition, the Zone Wireless 2 can be easily deployed across large workforces with Logitech’s Sync software. That’s bound to please IT departments and the headset is certified for Microsoft Teams with a premium microphone for open office, Zoom, Google Meet, Google Voice, and Fast Pair.
Verdict: I’ve spent a week testing the new Zone Wireless 2 and for my money, it’s Logitech’s best headset yet. I love the adjustable sidetone levels so I could hear myself speak. The ANC works well and is adaptable depending on the noise you want to cancel. One of the most impressive features is the Advanced Call Clarity feature, which can make a caller battling lots of background noise much better. The fit of the Zone Wireless 2 is exceptionally comfortable and I particularly like the fact that the earpads can be changed and the rechargeable battery replaced. These two features alone should stop thousands of headsets from being recycled or dumped before their time is up. I wish other headset manufacturers would do this with the Zone Wireless 2. Logitech has produced an advanced headset that can rival the best models from Jabra and EPOS, leaders in this field. Highly Recommended.
Pricing & Availability: Logitech’s Zone Wireless 2 headset is available globally from logitech.com and through authorized resellers. There are three colorways: Graphite, Off-White and Rose. The suggested price for the headset is $299.99 / £299.99.
More info: www.logitech.com
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