AnkerWorks PowerConf H700 is a neat conference call headset solution for those spending their days at home on calls who can't use speakerphone due to family life or environmental constrains (e.g. noise pollution). PowerConf H700 can be connected two ways - via the built-in bluetooth connection and via the included wireless dongle. The wireless dongle provides the best wireless range and battery life; whereas bluetooth consumes more power but has the advantage of multipoint connection (up to 2 devices) and being able to connect to a smartphone too - something that cannot be done with the wireless dongle.

The PowerConf H700 bluetooth chip supports SBC and AAC codecs, as well as absolute volume so, you can control the volume of the connected device (e.g. smartphone) via the knob on the headset. The knob on the PowerConf H700 left earcup controls volume and track skipping. The knob is made of grippy textured plastic and uses a spring loaded potentiometer. To control track skipping, you simply do a long flick of the knob clockwise or anti-clockwise to skip to previous or skip to next track. To volume up and down, you do a short flick of the knob either way. The knob also has a centre button functionality so, you can control the play/pause.


There are various voice prompts integrated in the headset too, which can be heard loud and clear. For example, you will hear a battery level announcement when powering on the headset, as well as the words "normal", transparency" and "noise cancelling", which is the same active noise cancellation found in the Life Q35 headphones. 

 

The PowerConf H700 noise cancellation works well too, quieting down background noise although due to the on-ear style, the PowerConf H700 noise cancellation is not equally effective as with a sealed earcup.

In normal listening mode (anc off), the bass falls behind the midrange and treble so, the vocals standalone more clearly, which is exactly what you want from a conference call headset. In transparency/noise canceling modes, the bass gets noticeably boosted, which is nice when listening to music.


The 14cm long boom arm microphone is made of solid plastic; hence it is not flexible or bendable but can be rotated front to back, which is pretty neat as it this allows you to have the boom arm mic on the left side or right side. The boom arm also controls the mic mute in two ways by lifting up the boom arm and by pushing and holding the boom arm outward. There is also a physical mute button.


The included cradle stand doubles as a charging dock, as well as a stand for holding the headset when not in use. The PowerConf H700 cradle stand is made of plastic but has a nice premium look and feel to it that nicely compliments the snazzy look of the PowerConf H700 headset. The cradle stand assembles in two parts magnetically and can be easily disassembled in seconds.


As far as battery performance, the PowerConf H700 takes approximately 2 hours to charge, which is a bit long but there is fast charge support so, you can get 3 hours of talktime (1 hr of playtime) from a quick 5 minute re-charge. If you use the PowerConf H700 exclusively for calls at 50% volume, you can achieve a talktime of 22 hours with anc off and 19 hours with anc on. If you use the headset for listening to music only, the playback time is 33 hours (anc off) and 25 hours with anc on.


The status led next to the USB port feedbacks the status of several functions - one of them being low battery alert, which kicks in when there is less than 10% of battery left. There is another led on the boom arm mic itself that feedbacks mute status and call status. There is also on-ear detection which automatically pauses/resumes the audio playback when taking off the headset. The nice thing about this feature is that it will also turn off anc (within 10 seconds), which is useful for battery preservation.


The PowerConf H700 headband has the same styling as the Soundcore Life Q30 headband which has a plastic metal-reinforced inner band built on the outside that slides into the plastic frame of the headband. The PowerConf H700 inner band adjusts smoothly and securely like a ratchet and has lots of notched teeth that allows the headband to be adjusted into different levels to suit shorter and taller heads. This is a good feature for shared places like office, call centre or home where you're likely to share the headset with someone. 


Underneath the headband, there is a soft squishy piece of foam padding covered with PU leather - the same soft PU leather material used on the earpads. The PowerConf H700 earpad padding is soft and squishy too and comfortable for its purpose - conference call headset - although a little on the thin side. That said, the PowerConf H700 headband has low clamping force so, the headband doesn't press against the ears too hard, which is nice as it allows you to wear the headset for longer sessions. The on-ear earpads are dome shaped with a 7cm overall diameter. The inner perforated area has a 3.5cm diameter.


Total weight of PowerConf H700 including the cradle stand is 338 grams so, it's a very compact solution - about the same weight as the PowerConf speakerphone, which weighs 350 grams. The cradle stand weighs 154 grams, while the headset weighs 185 grams. When assembled, the cradle stand measures 13cm deep, 7cm wide and 11cm high. If you don't want to use the stand, you can also lay the PowerConf H700 headset flat on its right earcup.


Speaking of earcups, the PowerConf H700 has an interesting yokeless earcup design with a vertical rocking pivot that allows the earpads to naturally tilt up/down according to the head shape. The earcups also have a swivel hinge that allows you to rotate the earcups flat. PowerConf H700 comes with mobile support too via the AnkerWork which features 8 sound presets and a custom sound mode to customize your own sound signature via the 8-band equalizer. 

 

The app also lets you enable and disable features such as the busy light, mute light and sidetone, which turns on transparency mode automatically during a call. The buttons are made of plastic and make a loud and clicky sound.


PowerConf H700 uses AI noise reduction technology - similar to the Life P2 earbuds - but superior at dynamically blocking sounds in real time just a like a proper call centre headset. The second accessory included with the PowerConf H700 is a lovely zippered hardshell carry case similar to the one you get with the new AnkerWork PowerConf S500 speakerphone. 


The PowerConf H700 carry case has a reverse coil zipper with a single metal slider pulltab that opens the carry case like a clamshell. The carry case has a long webbing loop that doubles as a lanyard for hanging or carrying the case on the wrist. The outer shell of the carry case is water resistant - made of soft woven fabric material. The zipper is not water resistant though.


Internally, the carry case is lined with softer fabric material and has preformed cutouts for the headset, as well as a secret storage compartment for storing the included charging cable, wireless dongle and adapter (USB-A to USB-C). The cradle stand doesn't fit inside the carry case, which would have been neat. You can buy the AnkerWorks PowerConf H700 from amazon with and without the charging stand/cradle. Check out the review of the AnkerWork B600 video bar.