Genius HS-935BT Bluetooth Headset Review

A Closer Look

The headset has a nice look to it, with a matte black finish to the headband and ear cups that looks pretty smart. There’s a silver coloured plastic disc on the back of the drivers, which feels hollow and cheap though, and I think keeping it all black would have been a much more pleasing design overall.

The plastics used aren’t the best, they’re durable enough of course, but the do have a cheaper feel to them. Not that you’ll be feeling them all the time while wearing the headset, but it’s the little details that stand out. Of course, this is a budget headset, so to expect premium build quality would be unfair on Genius.

On the bottom of the headset, you’ll find the 3.5mm jack and the Micro-USB input for charging the built-in battery. Genius claim about 15 hours usage on the headset, and while I lost track of the real total, I managed to leave them running for over 10 hours at high volume, so I’m guessing that 15-hours would be based on a mid-volume setting and is certainly pretty reasonable.

Pairing the headset via Bluetooth is easy enough, just turn them on, find the headset on your mobile device and click pair, couldn’t be much easier really. With a Bluetooth headset, you’re hardly going to be wanting to pull your mobile device out every few minutes to change songs and other settings, so you’ll be happy to find these on-headset controls on the side of the ear cup.

There a dual function volume +/- and song fwd/back control based on a single press or long press, as well as play/pause controls and power. The silver panel design is a rocker plate and feels a little cheap to the touch, but on the plus side it worked perfectly, and function over form isn’t the worst thing in the world; if it works it works.

The headset is very light, which is great for a wireless headset that still packs a decent battery life. There’s ample padding on the ear cups, and they’re big enough to fit around your ear, giving you a nice fit that distributes the headset weight very nicely for long-term comfort.

The drivers are nothing fancy, and while the front of the box does say “bass enhancement” I’m not very convinced. Powering through bass heavy music or music that requires a sharp driver response, such as heavy metal, throws up a bit of a muddy sound and the low end just isn’t that detailed. The clarity at the mid and high end is great, though, and vocal heavy music, ambient, pop, etc, all sound great. This isn’t a headset for music enthusiasts, but I found its lightweight design, good battery life and comfortable fit made it perfect for listening to audiobooks, especially given that voice was the thing the drivers best represented.

The headset has a few other tricks that I like, such as this clever folding design, which makes it easy to store it away in the protective carry pouch, and it’ll take up less space in your backpack, making it travel-friendly. There’s also a built-in microphone, which is perfect for using in Bluetooth mode, as you don’t have to reach for your phone just because you have a call coming in. Voice chat sounds natural to listen to, while the microphone does a good job of picking up your voice even in a noisy room.

Overall this isn’t a bad headset, but it’s not versatile enough for my music loving ears. It certainly has its uses for casual entertainment on a long journey, even a few hands-free calls and it excels for enjoying a few audiobooks with its lightweight design and clear high-end. Plus it looks nice enough, even if the ear cups back look a little cheap in silver.

Tuck it away in the protective bag between uses, chuck it back in your backpack and it’s ready to go with you on your next train journey or flight, easy!