Poly Sync 10, hands on: Sounds good, but key features are missing

Over a year ago I reviewed the Poly Sync 20, a USB/Bluetooth speakerphone designed for those who need high-quality kit suitable for both work and leisure, and portable enough to carry around with a laptop when needed. Now I’ve got the entry level model, the $99.95 Poly Sync 10.  

There are also two larger and more expansive options in the range: the $299.95 Poly Sync 40 for flexible working spaces and huddle rooms, and the $599.95 Poly Sync 60, which is designed for conference rooms. 

According to Poly’s website, the Sync 10 is ideal for “remote enterprise professionals with a dedicated home office”, while the Sync 20 is better suited to “Flexible enterprise professionals who split time between corporate office, home office, and travel”.  

Given that mobile workers want to keep their bag as light as possible, and while the differences in size and weight are slight, the smaller, lighter Poly Sync 10 may suit both types of user. But size and weight are not the whole story, and the Poly Sync 10 is missing some key features — even for primarily home-based users. 

Design across the Poly Sync range is very similar, with a rather nice curved rectangular form factor and primarily fabric grey upper section, with a narrow strip of touch buttons for managing calls and volume. Importantly for those who use Microsoft Teams, there’s a Teams-certified version with a dedicated button on the front panel to instantly connect with the Teams app. Both the Poly Sync 10 and 20 have an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance.  

Connectivity to a PC or laptop is wired. The cable curls underneath the device and locks securely in place. It’s a USB-A cable, and there’s a USB-C converter included in the box. Every other speaker in the Poly Sync range has a Bluetooth adapter, which brings several advantages: it’s easier to conveniently locate the speaker when several people want to share access to a single laptop and speaker, and you can easily connect to a tablet or smartphone. Moreover, the cable here is only 71.5cm long. This is fine when you’re sitting at a desk having a meeting, but in more relaxed circumstances — when taking a family call, for example — the wired-only setup is restrictive. 

There’s no battery in the Poly Sync 10, which is powered via its USB cable. The other speakers have an internal battery, and the Poly Sync 20 is rated for 20 hours of life. The Poly Sync 20 can be used to charge a tablet or phone via its cable – which is clearly not possible with the Sync 10. 

In use the Poly Sync 10 was fine in my home office in terms of both microphone pickup and sound quality, although in both respects it’s less well specified than the Sync 20, with 1.5m microphone pickup range compared to 2m, and two microphones versus three.  

Finally, the Poly Sync 10 doesn’t come with a carry case, while there is one with the Sync 20.  

The Poly Sync 10 is small and light, and both the microphone and speaker perform well. However, even as a primarily home office-based user, I miss the Bluetooth and battery power that make the Poly Sync 20 much more flexible. Given the small price difference – currently just $15 – we’d recommend the latter. 

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Poly Sync 10 vs Poly Sync 20 specifications

	Poly Sync 10	Poly Sync 20
Dimensions	32.5mm x 89.2mm x 182mm (1.3in. x 3.5in. x 7.2in.)	34mm x 95mm x 182mm (1.3in. x 3.7in. x 7.2in.)
Weight	280g (9.9oz)	360g (12.7oz)
Connects to	PC via integrated USB-A cable and included USB-C adapter	PC via USB-A or USB-C cable; smartphone via Bluetooth
Cable length	715mm (28.1in.)	715mm (28.1in.)
Wireless	n/a	Bluetooth 5.1
Dust & water resistance	IP64	IP64
UI features	touch controls for call answer/end, mute, volume up/down; Microsoft Teams button (Microsoft Teams version only); status light bar	touch controls for call answer/end, mute, volume up/down; Microsoft Teams button (Microsoft Teams version only); status light bar
Microphones	2x steerable array	3x steerable array
Mic pickup range	up to 1.5m (5ft)	up to 2m (7ft)
Mic frequency response	100Hz to 7.8kHz	100Hz to 6.7kHz
Mic features	full duplex audio; noise and echo reduction	full duplex audio; noise and echo reduction
Speaker	1x 50mm high-performance music speaker	1x 40mm high-performance music speaker
Speaker frequency response	80Hz to 20kHz	80Hz to 20kHz
Speaker features	bass reflect with dual passive radiators	bass reflect with dual passive radiators
Compatibility	Windows or MacOS	Windows or MacOS
App support	Poly Lens desktop; Plantronics Hub desktop; Plantronics Manager Pro suites — Asset Management and Adoption	Poly Lens & Poly Lens App; Plantronics Hub (desktop & mobile); Plantronics Manager Pro suites — Asset Management and Adoption
Platform certification	Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Teams version only), Zoom	Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Teams version only), Zoom
Battery capacity	n/a	3200mAh
Talk time	n/a	up to 20 hours
Charge time	n/a	4 hours
Price	$99.95	$114.99 (discounted from $139.95)

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Alternatives to consider

The Poly Sync 10 and 20 are among the more affordable speakerphones on the market. Here are a couple of more premium devices.

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