Why Manufacturers Lie About Bluetooth Products? DO NOT BUY ANY BLUETOOTH PRODUCT WITHOUT READING THIS!

Why Manufacturers Lie About Bluetooth Products? DO NOT BUY ANY BLUETOOTH PRODUCT WITHOUT READING THIS!

It is hard to deny that Bluetooth technology is incredibly convenient. Who needs tangly cables when you can transmit info wirelessly? If you like movies or music, you’ve surely used Bluetooth speakers and Bluetooth earphones.

If you want to make a wired device wireless, you can use a premium Bluetooth adapter with a high end CSR chipset that supports aptX and AptX HD. As of May 2019, CSR 8675 is the most advanced Qualcomm Chipset.

Please understand that there can be a drop in audio quality and if the processing power of the Bluetooth device is not up to the mark. If the chipset does not support aptX low latency, there will also be a noticeable lag between audio and video. This will totally spoil the viewing experience.

Bluetooth manufacturers, even the established ones, often misguide potential buyers regarding the specifications of their product. Take a look at just about any Bluetooth product listing online or check out several items at any store. You will notice that manufacturers almost NEVER talk about the important stuff such as the Chipset, CODECs (aptX, aptX Low Latency, aptX HD and so on). In extremely rare cases, they simply mention CSR chipset without actually specifying the exact series number (8635,8645, 8670, 8675 etc.)

Manufacturers and sellers leave no stone unturned when enlisting product features but are extremely reluctant to talk about the heart of the product – the actual chipset. The chipset is to a Bluetooth device what an engine is to a car. So imagine if car manufacturers simply stopped talking about the engine specs – it would be totally unacceptable and you would definitely sense that something’s fishy.

Imagine if car companies tried to sell cars on the basis of frivolous features and kept their mouth shut when asked about the actual engine. It’d be perceived as highly suspicious. The same goes for Bluetooth and just about everything else!

The world is slowly moving towards ecommerce. While this is has many advantages, there are also a couple of limitations. For example: When purchasing an earphone online, the buyer cannot test its sound. Hence, the buying decision is solely based upon perceived value such as quality of product photos, videos etc. Note that good advertising is never an indicator of product advertising. Manufacturers exploit this loophole in the system and misguide buyers into believing that their products are better equipped than they actually are.

HOW TO AVOID BEING CHEATED ONLINE (and even in brick and mortar stores)?

1. Pay close attention to product specs and compare them. Take the case of two Bluetooth headsets. At first, they may appear similar as both of them have the same battery life, same version of Bluetooth (i.e. BT5.0 or other). However, you should always go for the one that has a more advanced chipset and the one that supports latest codecs as these directly affect performance and sound quality.

2. Often, you will notice that a product with lower specs is selling at a higher price than a product with better specifications and performance. Often, this may be due to the fact that the former is an older model and has more reviews. Hence, buyers feel that since it has more reviews, it has better performance too. Sadly, that reviews can be manipulated and you can be tricked into beleiving that a large number of people have had a positive experience with the product. 

3. Product should be WPC certified. If it is not, then it means that it is being sold illegally. No Bluetooth product can be imported to India legally without WPC certification.

4. If a product or a brand is officially affiliated with QUALCOMM APTX (world’s largest manufacturer of chipsets, such as the ones used in almost every smartphone), then it means that it is truly genuine and delivers great performance. For example: Signature Acoustics Phoenix is the first Indian Bluetooth Adapter to be listed on the aptX international website. https://www.aptx.com/products/signature-acoustics-phoenix

The purpose of this post was not topaint any particular company or brand in bad light. It was just to educate buyers and to highlight some of the dubious practices in the industry, with the hope that they will be rectified.