In this day and age, there's an expectation that you can answer calls quickly and easily. Whether you're working from home and joining a meeting or you're getting a call from family on the go, you'll want earbuds with a solid mic performance. If you're taking calls from a noisy office or busy street, blocking out background noise can make it easier to understand your conversation. This article mostly covers truly wireless earbuds. They don't offer the best performance regarding calls, especially when compared to dedicated earbuds and Bluetooth headsets for phone calls, but they maximize versatility and portability.
We've tested over 330 pairs of earbuds and in-ear headphones with microphones, and below are our recommendations for the best earbuds for calls to buy. If you want more recommendations, check out our picks for the best earbuds with a mic. If you don't mind an over-ear fit, you'll also want to check out the best office headphones.
The Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed True Wireless are the best earbuds for phone calls we've tested. Their integrated mic has great noise handling, so your voice won't be drowned out by loud background noises like a truck going by. While the microphone's recording quality doesn't make your voice sound completely natural, you'll still be easy to hear over the phone. They have a well-balanced sound profile that makes it easy to understand whoever you're speaking with, and they have onboard controls for answering and ending calls.
In addition to Bluetooth, you can connect to phones and computers (as well as PlayStation consoles) via their USB-C dongle. They don't support multi-device pairing, so you'll have to re-pair them if you need to switch between your phone and computer. Their noise isolation is very good, so you'll be able to hear the person you're talking to even in noisy environments. If noise isolation is particularly important to you, consider the Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless which do an even better job than the Razer at blocking out noise. The Sony also run for a few hours longer than the Razer. That said, they have a much worse microphone than our top pick and are significantly more expensive.
The best Bluetooth earbuds for phone calls in the upper mid-range we've tested are the Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless. Although they don't block out external noise quite as well as the Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed True Wireless', they offer a comparable mic performance. Though the Jabra's microphone recording quality is a touch worse than the Razer's, it's still good enough for your voice to be understandable over the phone, and it's just as good as the Razer at noise handling, so background noise at the office won't drown out your voice.
They have a battery life of almost nine hours, which should get you through a regular workday without a recharge. Their carrying case holds three extra charges if you need a top-up. Their well-balanced sound is versatile enough for most kinds of audio content, and you can answer and end calls with the earbuds' onboard controls. The main downside of the Jabra is their only adequate noise isolation. If noise isolation is a priority for you, consider the Nothing Ear Truly Wireless. These similarly priced buds have good noise isolation and also support multi-device pairing. Their overall microphone performance is only a touch worse than the Jabra, though they do leak a bit more sound.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Truly Wireless are more affordable wireless earbuds. Their integrated mic has a good overall performance, ensuring your voice sounds clear and intelligible. Your voice won't be drowned out by moderate background noise from a busy street. If you're having difficulty paying attention to your call, their noise isolation system can block out more background noise than the Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless. Out of the box, these very comfortable buds have a fairly neutral sound that ensures your conversation is easy to understand. It's versatile enough for most kinds of music, and you can use their companion app's EQ presets to adjust their sound to your liking.
They have over six hours of continuous playback time, and their carrying case has an extra 3.5 charges if needed. However, they don't support multi-device pairing, unlike the Jabra, so you can only stay connected to one device at a time. If you want earbuds that can connect with your phone and computer simultaneously, you might prefer the OnePlus Buds 3 Truly Wireless. Their mic's performance isn't quite as good, so your voice sounds thinner and is more likely to be drowned out by loud noise, but it still has a good performance for the price. They also offer a similarly comfortable fit and good noise isolation.
Shopping on a budget? The best wireless earbuds for phone calls at this price point are the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless. They aren't quite as comfortable as the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Truly Wireless and lack an ANC system like the more premium picks on this list, so you're reliant on their passive isolation for blocking out noise. Still, that can be useful if you want to stay aware of your surroundings while you chat on the phone, like when working in an office. Their integrated microphone has a very good recording quality for the price, and it can handle a reasonable amount of background noise, making it easy for whoever's on the other end of the line to understand you. They're customizable, and their 8.3-hour battery life will be more than enough to last through your workday.
However, you might also prefer a mono headset like the Jabra Talk 45 Bluetooth Headset at this budget price point. This headset consists of one earbud with a tiny boom mic, so you can keep one ear free when you're on the phone. It makes your voice sound clear and does a passable job of separating voices from background noise. As expected for mono buds, its sound profile isn't good for music, but voices are reproduced accurately. It supports multi-device pairing, and you can set it up to read out your text messages when you can't look at your phone.
If you're happy to pay a premium for earbuds with outstanding noise isolation, it's hard to beat the Devialet Gemini II True Wireless. These expensive earbuds have remarkable noise isolation that blocks out everything from the rumble of train engines to the high-pitched whine of A/C units. Their microphone isn't quite as good as the Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed True Wireless, but it still does a very good job separating your voice from the noise around you, so whoever you're talking to will hear you clearly.
They have a great build quality and a well-balanced sound out of the box that will ensure anyone you're talking to sounds natural and clear. They also support multi-device pairing and Google Fast Pair, unlike our top pick. The Devialet are a bit more comfortable than the Razer, which might be important if you often take long conference calls, but their battery life of just under five hours is a touch shorter than our top pick's. We also found their touch-sensitive controls slightly harder to use than the Razer's. Still, if you often find yourself making calls in noisy environments and have cash to splash, these earbuds are a great choice.
Wired earbuds are worth checking out if call quality is your top priority. While they're more unwieldy than their truly wireless counterparts and usually lack useful features like customizability or noise cancelling, they have in-line mics rather than integrated ones. This design puts the mic closer to your mouth, making it easier for the mic to separate speech from background noise. Enter the Apple EarPods. Even though they're a lot older and less refined than other buds on this list, their mic has a great recording quality. It can also separate speech from ambient noise so you're heard clearly.
These budget-friendly buds may not be as well-built or as customizable as the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless since their cable is pretty flimsy, but some people may find their one-size-fits-all design more comfortable than a deeper in-ear fit. They also have a well-balanced sound that ensures voices sound clear and natural. They have an open-back design and lack low-bass, so they may not be ideal if you want to listen to genres like EDM or hip-hop in your downtime. For the same reason, they don't block out background noise, so it can be harder to hear your conversation well if you're calling from a noisy office.
Aug 09, 2024: Our top pick is now the Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed True Wireless because it has a better microphone than the Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless. Our new upper mid-range pick is the Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless because it has a much better battery life than our previous pick, the Nothing Ear (2) Truly Wireless. The Devialet Gemini II True Wireless moved from being a Notable Mention to our Premium Pick because they have a very good microphone along with outstanding noise isolation but are very expensive.
May 14, 2024: We've added the OnePlus Buds 3 Truly Wireless as an alternative to the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Truly Wireless because they support multi-device pairing.
Apr 04, 2024: The Anker Soundcore Life A2 NC Truly Wireless were added to the Notable Mentions for how well their microphone filters background noise. The article has been checked for accuracy with no changes to the picks.
Mar 08, 2024: We've added the Devialet Gemini II True Wireless as a Notable Mention due to their excellent mic quality and noise handling. Otherwise, we've checked to ensure all our picks are in stock and their pricing remains consistent.
Jan 11, 2024: We've made minor updates to the text and checked that the products are in stock.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best earbuds for calls for most people. We factor in the price (cheaper headphones win over pricier ones if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no headphones that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to choose for yourself, here is the list of all earbuds sorted by phone call usage. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. There are no perfect headphones. Personal taste, preference, and listening habits will matter more in your selection.