Flashback: it is March of 2023. The world is slowly awakening from a three year pandemic. As life begins to re-emerge on the city streets and people restart their routines, a new normal has emerged. With the lockdown, a headfake experiment has just been conducted, and for almost three years the question to “can people truly be productive at home?” has been answered.
It’s a resounding yes. The workplace has never been the same. With hybrid work becoming the new normal for a vast majority of the population – well, at least for PhilSTAR Tech readers it’s roughly 70% – tech companies have invested more into collaboration tools in hardware and software.
Between the two, the hardware isn’t often highlighted so it is to my delight to have been able to use the Jabra Speak2 75 business speakerphone. Released in 2023, it has finally landed in Philippine shores this 2025. But what is it really? Is it a mic? A speaker? How does it differ from a headset?
The Jabra Speak2 75 is a professional, portable speakerphone designed to significantly enhance the audio quality of your conference calls and provide an immersive sound experience for both work and leisure. The device itself sports a modern and minimal “puck” shape with brushed aluminum detailing and premium speaker fabric. It’s designed to be highly portable, coming with a nice travel pouch, and is durable enough to handle daily use, with an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance. This means you can use it in various environments without worry. If you have cargo pants, the whole puck fits right in.
The Speak2 75 redefines what a portable speakerphone can do with its advanced audio capabilities. It features super-wideband audio, which captures and reproduces a broader range of frequencies in the human voice, making conversations sound more natural and powerful, like “widescreen for your ears”. This technology ensures that every subtle tone and nuance in your voice is picked up. Complementing this is an advanced full-range 65mm speaker, which not only delivers crystal-clear calls but also rich, powerful music, allowing you to fill your room with sound for focus or fun.
Unlike some speakerphones that restrict simultaneous speaking and hearing, the Speak2 75’s supercharged chipset allows conversations to flow freely in both directions, just as they would in person, removing the awkward pauses in conference calls where one party waits for the other party to finish.
The Jabra Speak2 75 is equipped with four state-of-the-art beamforming microphones coupled with the latest digital signal processing algorithms. These microphones are designed to highlight your voice while employing innovative noise reduction technology. In my experience using this at conference calls, I had the device right beside my mechanical keyboard and surprisingly the mic is able to cancel out such ambient noises, focusing only on the human voice. That means if you’re in a public space with ambient noise, these all get cancelled out without the need to have headphones on.
A standout differentiator for the Speak2 75 is its custom-designed Microphone Quality Indicator. This intuitive 360-degree light ring provides real-time visual feedback on how well your voice is being picked up. A green light indicates you’re sounding great, while an amber light suggests you need to move a bit closer, acting like your own “personal voice coach”.
Designed for the modern hybrid world, the Speak2 75 offers multiple connectivity options. It connects wirelessly via Bluetooth to your cell phone or laptop. It also features built-in USB-C and USB-A connectivity on a single cable, making it compatible with both older and newer devices without needing an adapter. It is certified for leading virtual meeting platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom, ensuring seamless plug-and-play functionality and optimized call quality. The device also includes dedicated buttons for managing calls, adjusting volume, checking battery level, and activating Teams functions. For quick setup, it supports Microsoft Swift Pair and Google Fast Pair.
With an impressive battery life of up to 32 hours of wireless use, the Speak2 75 is built to last through even the longest meetings – something that I hope nobody has to endure. For larger spaces, you can link two Speak2 75 devices together for maximum audio coverage, ensuring everyone’s voice is heard. The device also supports firmware updates via Jabra Direct and Xpress software, and allows customization of settings through the Jabra Sound+ app. Notably, Jabra has also focused on sustainability, with the casing made from over 33% sustainable materials and incorporating repairable or replaceable parts for a longer product life.
I never thought I would be so attached to a device like this. Running Windows, I am able to choose whether to have the Speak2 75 as a “pure mic,” a speaker, or as an all in one speakerphone. It’s versatile enough that you can use it for work and for entertainment as a portable speaker system with all-around decent low and mid frequencies. On my phone, it makes out of office Zoom or Meet calls much easier to do because I don’t need to lug around a headset.
