In all my years of riding a scooter or a motorcycle, I have never tried out a helmet communication device. And that is because I want my 100 per cent focus on riding the machine, taking in and processing information from noises around me – a car coming at me from behind, someone honking, a bike with an out-of-tune engine, people talking about the latest IPL match and so on. On quite a few occasions, I have wondered what it would feel like, to have a communication device in my helmet, where I can listen to music and pick calls while riding.
Well, that’s where TVS Motor Company was kind enough to deliver us a unit of its TVS SmartXonnect S20X Bluetooth helmet communication device for a long term review and to see how it works while using it on daily commutes in the heat, in the rain and on long highway rides as well. This is just the introduction and over the next few months, we will have a thorough review of the device up and running on car&bike. For the uninitiated, the TVS SmartXonnect S20X is priced at Rs. 9,899.
Design
Based on BluArmor’s C30 unit, the actual device is a rectangular unit, with a slant on the top and an antenna that fits flush and comes out when required. There is an ‘X’ on the device, with three decently spaced buttons for audio controls. Right below are the micro-USB audio port and a type-C port for charging. Overall, the unit is a little boxier than we would have liked but otherwise it looks well-finished.
Contents In The Box
All the components for the Bluetooth communication device are neatly packed inside the box. You get the actual device, a pair of JBL speakers and mic, a clamp and an adhesive mount, spacers for the speakers in case you need them, charging cable and an Allen key.
Features
Now the S20X gets quite a few features, like music playback, calls, voice-based navigation and is Google and Siri enabled as well. The other important features are the Ride Grid and Ride Lynk features. Ride Grid allows you to connect up to 20 riders with a mesh system. The device comes with a claimed range of 1.2 kilometres in a straight line, without any obstacles in between. The device also gets Audio Weave intercom, IP67 rating, active noise cancellation and over the air updates.
Long Term Test
Now, we will test the device for its long term performance and durability along with battery life, audio quality, noise cancellation and other parameters. So, stay tuned as we test the TVS SmartXonnect S20X Intercom device over the next few months and bring you updates.
