The Poly Sync 20 and Sync 20 + were released towards the end of 2020 and is a personal Bluetooth and USB speakerphone. This isn’t a new format as we have seen similar devices from Plantronics and other manufacturers before, however, the design and features make the Sync 20 a great device for those looking for a Bluetooth speaker and smart portable speakerphone solution.

The Poly Sync 20 is the first product in the new Sync range of USB and Bluetooth speakerphones, its bigger siblings are due for release in the coming months and will be aimed at huddle spaces and small to medium conference rooms.

The types are devices for people that are on the road often and will be needing to join conference calls with one and two others. If you regularly (Under normal working conditions) visit customers and join a conference call with your customer and remote specialists this type of device is great to ensure you have the best experience and not need to rely on your customers AV solutions! I have been on the far end of too many bad meetings like that!

The Poly 20 Sync is 34mm x 95mm x 182mm so it is not really the device you will be carrying in your pockets but will fit well in your laptop bag so it’s easy to grab when you need it. The included rechargeable battery will give you approx 20 hours of talk time between charges and will take 4 hours to fully charge using the attached USB A cable. Different to many other devices in this category it is also able to act as a portable battery charger allowing you to plug your mobile phone into the Sync to stay charged whilst on the road.

• Bluetooth Speaker
• Portable Speakerphone
• Portable Battery Charger

The Poly Sync 20 is a nice looking device with a silver bezel and a fabric mesh speaker cover, importantly for a device, you will be taking in and out your bag it is IP64 dist and water-resistant and comes with its own slipcase for storage. On the front of the device, there are a number of buttons for call controls as well as a programmable button that you can use to open a voice assistant, play / pause music etc. The Teams certified version also has a dedicated Teams button on the device for instant access to the Teams app. On the front is also a large call status light.

There are a number of different versions of the Sync 20 including a + model that includes the BT600 Bluetooth dongle for wireless connection to Windows devices and a dedicated Microsoft Teams Certified version including a Teams button. If you are a Teams user or are likely to use it in the future I would highly recommend getting the Certified for Teams version to ensure support.

The Test

I was able to quickly connect the device to both my Windows 10 PC using the attached USB cable and my iPhone 12 Max using Bluetooth. Upon connecting the Sync 20 to my iPhone the PLTHub app recognised the device and allowed me to configure the device including changing the voice to British English and changing the settings as needed.

Bluetooth Speaker

Once connected to my iPhone the device was immediately recognised as a Bluetooth speaker or TV. Playing Stormzy’s Heavey is the heart the audio sounds good, the music was clear largely without distortion all the way up to about 80-85% volume after this there was slight distortion but to be honest the music was more than loud enough at this point. I am not an audio expert but the device produces a nice well-rounded sound, however, I did notice some distortion on the bass at lower levels on certain tracks. I have a small Bose portable speaker that does have deeper and crisper bass but really isn’t as portable or robust as this device.

Speakerphone using Phone app on iPhone and Bluetooth connection

When connected to the iPhone with Bluetooth the standard app picked the device up straightway and the call was routed via the device. The speaker ensured the audio was nice and clear for me to listen to the call. At the other end of the call, the audio was clear although I was able to tell that a speakerphone was being utilised, I would still able to hear the person using the device when they were 1.5m-2m away from the device but for the optimal experience, I would recommend sitting between 0.5m and 1.5m away from the device.

USB Connected to a Windows PC

Upon connecting the device to my Windows 10 PC it was automatically detected and was immediately ready to be utilised. Music performance on the device was the same as mentioned above as a Bluetooth speaker. When connected both to the iPhone via Bluetooth and to my PC via USB I did have a few issues with music on the PC stopping, however, I have seen this issue across multiple Bluetooth devices when connecting them to more than one device and upon disconnecting the phone at the same time I had no issues. When used with Teams (I also must point out the version I have isn’t the Teams certified version) sounded fantastic, the microphone was very clear and sounded like I was wearing a headset or similar.

USB Charging

There is not much to say about its charging ability and I didn’t test it to its full extent however during the review I managed to charge my phone from 68% battery to 100% whilst playing music without a problem.

You can hear for yourself how the device performs in the video below

//www.youtube.com/embed/QZ2HpCryeK4?start=5&wmode=opaque&enablejsapi=1

In this video, Barry gives his first thoughts of the Poly Sync 20 Smart Speakerphone. He demonstrates how the Poly Sync 20 sounds when used with Microsoft Te…

Conclusion

If you are looking for a small portable smart speakerphone to use with your mobile phone and PC and would also like a good quality Bluetooth speaker this is an excellent choice. Not only is it a good performing device but the build quality is fantastic, you get peace-of-mind for future upgrades with the ability to manage and control the device using Poly’s management applications. I am looking forward to using this device in some real-life remote working scenarios when life starts to return to normal after the current pandemic, it will also be interesting to see how the Sync 40 and 60 perform when released.

Disclaimer – ComputerWorld is a Poly partner and I have been leant this device to look at however I am under no obligation to create a review of any kind.