When Motorola announced the Moto G, Moto X Style and Moto X Play, the company also announced a pair of Bluetooth headphones. This isn’t Motorola’s first attempt at audio accessories like headphones, and Motorola has made a big splash this time around. I’ve been using the Moto Pulse for a little over a week now, and am very impressed with them. These are Bluetooth headphones, and can be used with Moto’s Connect app, as expected. Connect is quickly becoming their hub for controlling all of their accessories. Like the Moto 360, Moto Keylink, Power Pack Micro, Moto Pulse, and Moto Surround. One of the cool features of having Moto Pulse in Connect, is that you can find where you left your headphones are, no matter where you left them.
The Moto Pulse Bluetooth headphones are very lightweight, and thus they are very comfortable to wear and listen to music with. In fact they are only 110g in weight. Motorola sells them in both black and white. The White model actually looks really nice. I’ve worn these all day long and they never got too heavy, and in fact I even forgot I had them on. They are that comfortable. The design isn’t anything really special. Of course, Motorola isn’t really known for their amazing design.
We have controls here that allow you turn on/off the headphones, as well as control the volume. The volume rocker can also double as track control. And on the front we have the Play/Pause button. Which can also be used to take calls. These do have a microphone, so you can take calls. And perhaps more important (or just cool in my opinion), you can use Moto Voice with the Moto Pulse headphones. There are a couple of ways to do this. You can either do your launch phrase, like OK Moto, or press and hold the Play/Pause button and then give your voice command. Which you’ll also need to choose which app to use. Either Moto or Google. If you’re using a Motorola smartphone with Moto Voice, I’d definitely choose Moto Voice.
The Moto Pulse earflaps can turn up to 90 degrees. Probably not a big issue, but still pretty cool. The headband has two 40mm drivers that are delivering the music to your ears. The music is quite good. Especially on bass-y soundtracks like Hip-Hop or Rap music. The Pulse can also get quite loud, while still not getting distorted, obviously that’s a big deal. The headband is also encased in fabric, which doesn’t look cheap, but it’s still pretty plain. And that’s not a complaint. The headphones look good, are comfortable and output some great sound with the 40mm drivers inside.
So what about the battery life? Since it is a Bluetooth headset, battery life is going to be an issue. Well maybe not an issue, as they are rated to last about 18 hours. Now I have never completely killed them, but have been able to get through a full day, around 10 hours of continuous playback. That’s actually pretty insane for Bluetooth headphones. A lot of times they only last around 8-10 hours, and sometimes not even that long. But Motorola says around 18 hours. I’d say that’s plenty for most people.
The Moto Pulse checks just about every box for most people. Even price. These cost just $59. Now some of you may think that’s quite expensive, but if you’ve ever checked out some other high-quality headphones, you’ll see they are typically around $200 for wired headphones nevermind wireless headphones. If you’re looking for a good set of cans that won’t set you back too much, but does work with Google Now and Moto’s Voice actions, then this is probably the best set you can buy.
