How to choose the right speakerphone for an iphone

Its time to find out which speakerphones for iphone will be correct for you......

First of all, just to clarify things from the off.... This hopefully, extremely helpful information is not just about conferencing & speakerphones for iPhone. It covers any smartphone with Bluetooth and a headset jack. Which is pretty much every Smartphone, isn’t it? As mobile phones have become more and more powerful, it stands to reason they were going to be used “more and more” for everyday business needs as well as watching inane social media videos on “kittens and Russian car crashes” (but enough about that)

So consequently, there has been a huge increase in iPhone and mobile phone users wanting to make conference calls away from the more traditional way of a “Conference Phone in the boardroom” More and more people are searching for the correct speakerphones for iphone.

Now its important to make an important distinction between “Speakerphone & Conference phone” while they both do essentially the same job, the Speaker phone is for up to 5 people where as a top end conference phone can cope with 24 people sat around a very big desk.

Let’s move on with 4 essential questions you need to answer to ensure you get the correct speakerphone:  

How many people will be sat around my speakerphone?

If you have read this far, you will already know, you really have a maximum of 5 people who can sit around an iPhone and a speakerphone before the call will start to sound rubbish (not for you, for the people on the other end of the call) Top Tip: If its more than 5 people then move up to a fully-fledged Conference Phone

How do I connect my Speakerphone to my iPhone?

This is the easy bit as all the modern Speaker phones will connect via 3 ways: Bluetooth 3.5mm Lead (goes into the headset jack) NFC (on some conferencing units but NOT all) T

Top Tip:
As much as we all love wireless technology (its less cluttered – unlike modern life eh) there is a presumption that Bluetooth is the obvious choice.

So why is it that some manufacturers suggest using a 3.5mm lead plugged directly into the headphone jack is the preferred way to go?

Well the quick answer is old technology is tried and tested and just works well (its similar to wired and wireless headsets, they are better than they were but not as good at call quality than a wired headset) But hey: Try it both ways and see what suits your environment.

What type of call are you making via your Speakerphone?

Gone are the days of plain old boring BT calls as now we have Skype & Skype for Business, Vonage, Unified Communications like Cisco Jabber and other offerings from Avaya, Polycom, Mitel. The manufacturers have you well and truly covered here, because, as the technology changes then so do the speakerphones.

Top Tip:

If you are using a UC platform to make calls (Skype, MS Lync etc) just choose a Certified Speakerphone for your UC application. The conferencing unit will be designed around the technology ensuring you get great call quality and a great connection (see question 2 about that)

What brands of Speakerphone for iPhone (iPhone X, Smartphone, Galaxy S8 S9 S10 etc) should I be looking at?

OK, this is where the gloves come off and usually sparks a “I prefer this brand” war of words. But the rule of thumb is… Don’t be “brand conscious” be “quality conscious” Don’t be “cost conscious" be “ability conscious” My personal recommendations for the best Speakerphones for iPhone and all mobile smart phones and that’s after you have read the last 3 questions are these:

The Jabra Speak 510 Speakerphone £113 plus VAT

           

The Sennheiser / EPOS SP 30 Speakerphone £145 plus VAT
(bluetooth connection on this unit & sound quality is excellent)

 

 

           

 

And why do I personally recommend these?

• perfect for up to 4 people
• So easy to set up
• Got great sound quality
• Works perfectly on Skype, MS Lync or any other UC softphone platform

Do you have a question on anything to do with Speakerphones and or Conference phones? or would you like to learn more?

let us know below or call us on 0800 644 0424 (UK Mon-Fri)- we are here to help!