Antec Smartbean Bluetooth Receiver Review

Performance

The Smartbean is a remarkably simple device, making it very easy to set up and use. The internal battery can be charged from flat in just two hours via the MicroUSB cable and it’ll last over five hours on a full charge; more than enough for a couple of trips in the car. You can also charge it while it is in use, which infinitely extends its usage time, so long as you have a USB port near the line-in.

Pairing the device is as simple as holding the play button for five seconds and searching for it on your device. In my case, it was the Sony Xperia Z3 and it found it within seconds; nice and easy.

The line-in can be connected to a wide range of devices. I tried it connected to the line-in on my PC, my desktop speakers and in the car, all of which worked perfectly. The Smartbean allowed me to take hands-free calls on my phone, playing the audio through the connected speakers and it worked incredibly well. It’s just as good for playing music from your phone, or other compatible device, putting Sat Nav audio through your car speakers and giving you hands-free access to Google Now.

Another cool use, although one I personally don’t need, is that I can hook up headphones to the Smartbean and clip it onto my shirt. This means I can stream music to it from any Bluetooth device, such as my PC or mobile, without the need to carry the source device around. It’s actually pretty competent to use this setup for calls too.