BOBOVR M3 Mini Review: Cheap Strap, Excellent B100U Upgrade
The BOBOVR M3 Mini is an inexpensive elite-style strap whose flexing, deformation and loose adjustment are difficult to accept, but adding the B100U battery creates one of the best Quest battery upgrades.
Want the full version? The video review includes all the demonstrations, comparisons and extra details that are easier to show than describe.
Watch the full review on YouTubeDisclosure: The review unit was sent to me for free by BOBOVR. I use affiliate links always when they are available. If you buy through one of them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Quick verdict
The BOBOVR M3 Mini is a cheap elite-style strap for Quest 3 and 3S. The $25 price is attractive, and the top and rear cushions are comfortable, but the side arms flex too much, deform when opened and make the adjustment awkward. It definitely feels like a budget product.
The optional B100U battery changes the value proposition. It is the same excellent battery used by BOBOVR’s more expensive straps: S3 Pro and M3 Max. A normal Quest session that lasts about two hours can reach almost five and a half hours with this battery. The problem is that adding the battery and dock makes this strap much less inexpensive, while the M3 Max gives you a better strap around the same idea.
Pros
- Very light at approximately 194 g without the battery
- The B100U offers excellent Quest runtime and acts as a counterweight
- More room around the ears than other elite straps
Cons
- Side arms flex while adjusting the strap, and remain visibly deformed after that
- The adjustment knob feels loose and is poor for resting your head
- The white plastic does not match the Quest as well as the B100 battery
- The strap itself feels much cheaper than the M3 Max or S3 Pro (however it really is)
The price is low for a reason
Bobovr M3 Mini is not a smaller version of the M3 Max in terms of construction quality. It is a basic elite strap with a large amount of flexibility in the side arms. When I pull the strap open, the plastic can remain bent instead of returning neatly to its original shape.
That deformation is mostly cosmetic. More importantly, the rear angle is tight enough that moving the strap while putting it on can change the fit. I learned to leave the strap in its adjusted position and put it on without pulling the rear section upward. That workaround makes it usable, but a head strap should not require this much care every time it is worn.
The flexible rear section that makes the M3 Mini awkward to adjust.
The color is also different from the Quest. The strap is noticeably grayer, while the B100U battery has a much closer Quest-like white. None of this stops the M3 Mini from holding the headset in place, but it makes the product feel less refined than BOBOVR’s other Quest straps.
Comfort is better once it is adjusted
The top strap has generous cushioning and the rear pad is soft enough to spread the pressure well. Once I put it on in the right position, I could play for a long time.
The extra room around the ears is the main design feature. It may help people who find some elite straps cramped, although I have not had ear-clearance problems with other Quest straps. Stability on the head is also normal: it does not slide around once tightened.
The biggest comfort advantage appears after adding the B100U. The battery sits at the back and acts as a counterweight, so the whole headset feels more balanced. It makes the strap more pleasant during longer sessions.
The strap measured roughly 18 cm from the Quest connection to the rear section, with a rear part around 16 cm externally.
The review measurement showing the M3 Mini’s rear section and adjustment range.
The B100U is the real reason to consider it
The battery mount replaces the rear plastic piece. Installation is simple: remove three screws, replace the original piece with the B100U dock and reinstall the screws. The box includes a screwdriver, so no special tool is needed.
The B100U battery shown during the battery-installation section of the video.
The B100U is far better than the cheap strap deserves. Quest that normally lasted about two hours reached over five hours total with the battery. Charging it through USB-C took about three hours, while the BOBOVR dock reduced that to roughly two hours. The dock reached about 69% after one hour in the measurement shown on the channel.
Those are the B100U’s strengths, not a special achievement of the M3 Mini. The same battery can be used with better BOBOVR straps, including the M3 Max and S3 Pro. That is why the complete upgrade needs to be evaluated as a system rather than as a $25 head strap.
Should you buy it?
Buy the M3 Mini only if you specifically want the cheapest entry into the B100U system or if you strongly prefer an elite-style head strap. However if you want a budget strap without a battery, the KIWI design K4 Comfort is a much more convincing product. If you want the B100U, the BOBOVR M3 Max is the better choice: it costs more than the bare M3 Mini, but its construction and fit are substantially better.
The M3 Mini is comfortable enough, but the B100U is doing most of the work. I would not buy the strap alone, and I would not build an expensive battery setup around it unless the low initial price is the deciding factor.