Poly Voyager Legend 50-M review: Calling with total freedom

Do you want the comfort of a wireless earbud, but the audio and microphone quality of professional headphones? The Poly Voyager Legend 50-M combines the best of both worlds.

Business headsets come in all shapes and sizes. The Poly Voyager Legend 50-M UC, which has been under the HP umbrella for about two years, falls into the ‘mono headset’ category. This means you wear the device on only one ear. Designed with hybrid work in mind, this headset aims to provide a noise-free calling experience no matter where you are.

Bodyguard

Portability is definitely a plus for the Voyager Legend 50-M. Even including the charging case (included if you buy the UC version), the headset weighs barely 120 g. This makes it easy to carry in your backpack or even your pocket.

The earbud feels light, and the ergonomic design fits easily around your ear. Flip open the microphone and you look like a bodyguard. The device features several easily accessible buttons for adjusting the volume and switching the power on and off. The earpiece sits on your ear rather than in it, making the device feel looser than it actually is—you might even forget you’re wearing it.

No need to worry: you can walk around and even lean over to tie your shoelaces without fear of it falling out. Should that happen, a special coating provides protection against dirt and water. We were able to wear the Poly Voyager Legend 50-M comfortably for several hours, which is something we can say about very few headsets. This also makes the device worth considering if you have a sedentary job.

Moving freely

The Poly Voyager Legend 50-M is easy to use. To connect the device to your smartphone, simply toggle the Bluetooth slider on the earbud and pair it with your phone. A USB-C dongle is required for laptops; this is included in the package with the UC version. Multipoint support allows you to connect to multiple devices simultaneously.

Bluetooth 5.4 is supported: currently the most modern Bluetooth standard, although Bluetooth 6.0 is expected later this year. This standard ensures the most stable connection. Windows and Bluetooth is always an interesting combination, but we rarely encountered problems with the Poly Voyager Legend 50-M. When making sound recordings, we noticed a one-second delay before a beep confirms the connection.

Wireless headsets give you the freedom to walk around during a phone call or virtual presentation if you aren’t expected to be on camera. With the Poly Voyager Legend 50-M on your ear, you can move up to nearly thirty meters away without compromising the connection.

Sound & noise cancellation

The most important quality of a headset is its audio performance. These earbuds are built for phone calls, but we have no complaints when it comes to listening to music either. Music sounds deep and warm, and the earbuds accurately distinguish subtle background effects, such as raindrops, from musical tones.

Built-in noise cancellation ensures you can make calls even in challenging conditions. The NoiseBlockAI feature filters out distracting sounds, and there is even a specific function to block out wind (WindSmart). Anyone who has ever made a call outside knows how disruptive wind can be for a smooth conversation. However, you can only partially shut yourself off from the outside world; for total isolation, you would need a full headset.

Noise cancellation is also built into the microphone. The audio clips below compare the standard microphone of a Microsoft Surface laptop with the Poly Voyager Legend 50-M. We are standing on a busy street where roadworks are also taking place.

Everything happening around the Poly Voyager Legend 50-M seems to have little to no impact, whereas a poorly timed passing car can quickly ruin a recording on the laptop microphone. We used the standard Windows recorder app for this test. Most video conferencing platforms have built-in background noise filters, so in that setting, the Poly Voyager Legend 50-M offers just a touch of extra noise cancellation.

We’re making it a bit harder for the Poly Voyager 50-M. In addition to the noise outside, we’re creating some extra noise indoors by running our coffee machine behind us.

The loud roar of the coffee machine cannot be heard. The Poly Voyager 50-M can filter out most distracting noises in both indoor and outdoor environments so they don’t negatively affect your conversation.

Battery & charging

Battery life is often a pain point for smaller headsets: a few calls and the battery dies. The Poly Voyager Legend 50-M contains a 130 mAh battery which, despite its small capacity, should last up to ten hours on a single charge. We hope for your sake that covers more than one workday. The charging case extends the maximum battery life to thirty hours.

The case is more than worth the extra money. The charging case is handy for carrying the earbud, and there is a dedicated slot to charge it after every call. An LED indicator shows when the headset is charging and therefore correctly placed in the port. You can charge the case itself via USB-C from a wall outlet or your laptop.

Poly Studio

The Poly Lens app has been renamed Poly Studio. This support app is available on all software the headset is compatible with (Windows, macOS, Android, iOS). While the app is not required to use the Poly Voyager Legend 50-M, it takes very little effort to install.

Through Poly Studio, you can view the battery level, easily download firmware updates, or adjust audio settings. For example, you can set a maximum volume that the headset cannot exceed. The Poly Studio app also has a calendar module, which is somewhat redundant if you already use the Microsoft or Google calendar app.

The UC variant we tested is certified for Microsoft Teams, which is a nice extra for those who use the video conferencing app frequently, though it doesn’t limit you to it.

Calling with total freedom

Within the specific product category of mono headsets, the Poly Voyager Legend 50-M is an absolute standout. Poly succeeds in combining the portability of wireless earbuds with the audio and voice quality you expect from a professional headset. This headset feels at home in various environments and allows you to stretch your legs while calling or in meetings. The Poly Voyager Legend 50-M is a headset tailored for the hybrid worker.

Poly Voyager Legend 50-M UC – €140 incl. VAT, with charging case and USB dongle