Parrot MiniKit Slim Bluetooth Visor Review

Those nice folks at Orange have kindly sent me a rather big selection of Bluetooth car kits to try out.  First on my list for testing was the Parrot MinKit Slim which as the name suggests is rather slim. I have used Parrot in car products before and actually owned the predecessor to the ‘Slim’ which was not as slim!

Is this new version any good. Well you will have to read on to find out.

Device: Parrot MiniKit Slim Bluetooth Visor

Price: £58.00

Buy it now from: Orange

Parrot MiniKit Slim Specifications:

• audio output via the vibrating panel
• includes Advanced Parrot NR3 noise reduction
• full duplex
• built-in omnidirectional microphone
• features AEC-2 echo cancellation
• includes DSP-2 signal processing algorithms
• pairs up to 5 devices
• features Bluetooth v2.0 + EDR
• range 10 meters
• over 15 hours talk time
• over 20 days standby time

Review:

Over the years I have used dozens and dozens of in car Bluetooth devices from visor mounts to in-ear headsets. It’s not very often I actually find one that I am happy with as I am quite critical. I spend between two to five hours a day in my car and rely heavily on a Bluetooth device that delivers a good quality sound as I talk to customers while I drive.

The Parrot MiniKit Slim Visor is a good looking device.  Its both slim and sleek and looks good mounted to the sun visor. Looks are one thing but using the device is another. Luckily the Parrot does a great job. It’s easy to use, volume is good and the microphone delivers decent quality.

Pairing with a phone for the first time is simple. In this operation the Parrot also syncs with your phones contacts so that when you get a phone call the device actually speaks the name of the person that is calling. A nice feature. In addition the Parrot will pair with up to five devices so if you do carry more than one phone with you then this will eliminate the need for two hands free kits.

The knob/button that sticks out is where you control the settings from. A press of the knob will activate the menu and the Parrot will speak the menu options to you. You can then turn the knob left or right to alter the settings. For example: Parrot will say “Volume” and you can swivel the knob to adjust the volume of the speaker.

The one feature that I like most about the Parrot MiniKit is that is takes the hands free thing to the max. You can call a contact with one press of the device. No need to touch your phone or even look at the Parrot. Just press the green ‘call’ button once and the device speaks to you “Who do you want to call”. Just say the name of the contact and that’s it, the Parrot calls them. How cool is that!

Conclusion:

Overall I really like the Parrot MiniKit Slim. Aesthetically it looks modern and the build quality appears to be decent. Performance wise it didn’t let me down once. If you need a hands free kit in your car you could do a lot worse than this one. Will I continue to use the Parrot? I may well do. I have become quite attached to it.

Posted by: James