For the past month, the Garmin dezl Headset 200 has been hanging on my dash. Not being the biggest fan of driving for hours with an overhead headset, I couldn’t believe the comfort and ease of operations once I gave it a try. The clarity, comfort and the time it gave me to communicate with my GPS, receive calls, join meetings via audio while not driving and stay connected with my family and friends is well worth the price.
The most impressive feature was the battery life.
I’m not sure if Garmin knows how many hours we as truck drivers talk with one another or about our infamous phone tree calls, but the headset provides up to 50 hours of Bluetooth talk time. And as Garmin says, you will give out talking before the Garmin dezl Headset battery dies out.
It also provides up to 25 hours of media play time with active noise cancellation that you can enable or disable.
The full charge time is 2.5 hours and quick charge is only 15 minutes for eight hours of use. During your 30-minute mandatory FMCSA break, you can charge for 15 minutes then finish your shift and do a full recharge on your 10-hour break.
It comes with a USB cable that I found was too short to reach the hanger close to my charging port. But it allows for an adaptable cord and I had a longer one I used. It also has an auxiliary cord.
The headset is very sturdy, but at first, I thought it was going to be bulky and heavy on my head. It actually felt a little cumbersome for a few minutes, but it quickly became very comfortable.
It comes with single-ear and double-ear options, which are fully adjustable and swivel to fit your head. You can use the comfortable single memory foam ear headset for driving so as not to be impaired by sounds around you. And while not driving, you can add a second comfortable ear cup to have dual-ear, full stereo headphones.
The sound from the single ear was clear and easily adjusted by one button on the side by pushing up or down. And after adding the second memory foam ear cup, the full stereo sound was amazing.
The active noise cancellation was a big plus, and I used it on several conference calls and meetings while inside my truck and while it was running. I asked many who were on these calls if there was any background noise, and not one person heard anything, not even an occasional truck horn.
The operations for answering as well as making calls from your contacts were simple, as they are voice-activated. It even understood my hillbilly accent, which other voice activation has struggled with.
The adjustable boom microphone was comfortable and not like a big ball in front of my face; it is very sleek and slim. To pause or mute yourself while on a call, say to answer someone at a shipper or receiver, you flip the microphone up, and to rejoin your call and unmute, you lower it back down to talk position. This was one of my favorite features as well.
Everyone I spoke with while using it bragged about the quality of the sound from the boom mic.
The connection through Bluetooth was easy to establish and remained connected throughout my usage. This headset didn’t have the long five- to 10-second pause before connecting, and that was very impressive, especially since there was nothing to touch and search for to make sure it connected. I know I call many of my fellow drivers and even though we know it is going to have a pause, we still try to bypass it by fumbling around with buttons. The dezl 200 seems to have found how to get an instant connection on a call.
I used a Blue Parrot for many years and switched to the small Bluetooth Legend Voyager earpiece by Protonics. I found the Garmin dezl Headset 200 more comfortable after several hours on the road. The second cushioned headphone was very efficient and worked great for my conference calls and meetings as well as when I watched my iPad. The connection without the delay was a seller for me after all the previous headsets I have used had the pause.
The control button is located conveniently on the outside and controls the volume, start and end calls, and phone features connected to any other Garmin dezl product in your truck. I can tell my dash cam what to do on my Garmin dezl 785 with one touch on the dezl Headset 200 as well as give my GPS instructions. The Garmin dezl Headset 200 will also connect with the Garmin Instinct 2 dezl Trucker Smart Watch, which we will be reviewing soon. The power and Bluetooth connection buttons are right on the front of the single-ear headphone and can be turned on and connected before you ever take off to drive.
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It is pricey at $399.99, but for the battery life, talk time and durability, it is worth the cost, especially when we as truck drivers know that the one thing besides our cellphones we can’t live without is a Bluetooth headset.
Here’s a look at the Garmin dezl Headset 200:
| GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS | |
| Dimensions | 7.9″ x 8.3″ x 3.3″ (20.0 x 21.0 x 8.5 cm) |
| Weight | 12 ounces |
| Battery type | Rechargeable 820 mAh battery |
| Battery life | Up to 50 hours Bluetooth talk time; up to 25 hours media play time with ANC-enabled |
| Charging time | Full charge: 2.5 hours Quick charge: 15 minutes of charge for 8 hours of use |
| CONNECTIVITY | |
| Smartphone platform compatibility | iPhone, Android |
| Works with Garmin app on a compatible smartphone | Yes (via the Garmin dezl app) |
| Range (via smartphone or other Bluetooth source) | 300 feet |
| Audio input | Wireless: Bluetooth Wired: 3.5 mm |
| Number of Bluetooth connections | Pair to and switch between up to 8 Bluetooth devices |
| ELECTRICAL FEATURES | |
| Power source | USB-C |
You can take a look at all the features here.
