Poly Elara 60 Review

As Microsoft rolls out Teams, one thing the application challenges is the idea of what a phone is. The Poly Elara 60 is Polycom’s 2^nd device that they have released for Microsoft Teams (the first being the fantastic Poly Trio Conference Phone). Let’s take a look how this iteration in Polycom’s lineup fairs.

Description

As you can see in the picture below, it looks very different than your usual desk phone or headset. As a combination of the Elara base, your mobile device, and the Voyager Focus, the Elara 60 is the device for the truly mobile worker.

To work it, you dock your iPhone or Android and connect to the base over Bluetooth. The Dock wireless charges your device and using the dedicated Teams shortcut button, you can easily access the Teams app on your phone. The dock itself has a dial pad, speaker headset, switching buttons and mute button. You can dial from your Teams or your cell phone.

Our Poly Elara 60 Review

I found the Elara successful in several categories, though it fails to succeed in a few others. The Voyager Focus headset is great; with high-quality audio, active noise cancelling and all-day battery life. The wireless charging is a must-have if you are going to use your cell phone as your work phone while at a desk all day.

For all the triumphs of the device, there are also a few challenges. If I wanted to use the Elara and Voyager Focus as my headset from my computer, I would have to connect via Bluetooth, which works sometimes and doesn’t others. Using your mobile device works for Microsoft Teams calls where screensharing is not necessary, however it is not ideal to use in meetings that require screensharing, especially when you have a computer in front of you as well. The biggest weakness is the speakerphone; if you are going to build a speakerphone into a dock, don’t have it firing down towards the desk. This speakerphone makes voices sound muffled and quiet.

SUMMARY

The Poly Elara 60 is a great option in the mobile world to use as a desk phone for an on-the-go worker, or at a hoteling desk. It is very easy to setup and connect to. So, what we’ve determined in our Poly Elara 60 review is that if you are the type of person that prefers to use your iPhone or Android but would like a headset when you are at a desk, this is THE device for you. However, if you need to screenshare in Microsoft Teams and would rather take your calls through the computer, than it’s a pass.

Are you ready to implement Microsoft Teams across your business? The experts at TecFac can help transition your communication platform to Teams with as little disruption to your day to day business at possible. Contact us today to learn why teams is the best choice for cutting edge businesses.