Best Bluetooth earbuds and headphones for making phone calls

 Are you looking for a pair of wireless headphones or earbuds that may be used to make and receive voice calls? Our current top picks are shown below.

While sound and comfort are undoubtedly the most important considerations when purchasing headphones, their ability to function as a headset for making voice calls has become increasingly important as we use headphones to communicate while on the go — or while working from home — in a world where we're no longer bound by the office.

I've put together a list of the finest headphones for working from home, but this one is unique. That category contains more "work" or "business" headphones that are more likely to be used with both a phone and a computer, as well as enterprise headphones with boom microphones. Some of them are Microsoft Teams certified and built to interact with Unified Communications software. This list is less business-oriented, and only covers consumer wireless Bluetooth headphones that can be used to make phone calls while on the road (and yes, most of these work just fine with video-conferencing applications like Zoom and Microsoft Teams).

So, what distinguishes an excellent pair of headphones for making phone calls? To begin with, the best Bluetooth earbuds or headphones can reduce ambient noise even in noisy places, allowing others to clearly hear you while you speak. Naturally, you'll want to be able to hear people clearly, so sound quality — and, in some cases, noise isolation (so you don't hear the outside world) — are crucial considerations. Finally, comfort is critical, as is a lengthy battery life.

To that aim, we've put a number of Bluetooth headphones through their paces, focusing on their audio quality during phone calls. Our current top selections for the best Bluetooth headphones for calls are listed below. We'll keep it up to date as we test new goods.

Bose noise cancelling headphones 700

The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, the long-awaited successor to Bose's QuietComfort 35 II model, aren't a quantum leap ahead, but they do offer somewhat improved sound and noise cancellation, as well as excellent headset performance for voice conversations. They're a capable all-around audio performer with a battery life of up to 20 hours and a more robust construction than their predecessors (some find the QuietComfort 35 II headphones slightly more comfortable).

They were $400 when they first came out, but the price has since dropped. The white version has been as low as $299, while the black and silver models have gotten as high as $340. However, the new Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, its main rival, have also experienced significant reductions. 

Apple AirPods pro

Even if they don't sound exactly as magical as you'd expect from a $249 set of true wireless earbuds, the Apple AirPods Pro are still a fantastic pair of true wireless earphones. That's because to their winning design and fit, outstanding sound quality, effective noise cancellation, and excellent voice-calling performance — and now these true wireless headphones have been upgraded with spatial audio, a new virtual-sound mode for viewing movies and TV shows (only works with iPhones and iPads running iOS 14).

Yes, they're pricey at $250, but the good news is that they usually sell for $190 to $210 on the secondary market. Despite the competition, they are still difficult to surpass, especially for iOS users.

Jabra Elite 45h

The Jabra Elite 45h was advertised as the finest on-ear headset for the money when it was released in mid-2020. While this bluetooth headphone isn't particularly flashy, it is one of the finest on-ear headphone bargains available right now, with superb sound quality, a durable build, and a comfortable fit (for on-ear headphones, anyway). This wireless headphone also works as a headset for making calls and has a sidetone function that lets you hear your own voice in the headphones so you don't speak too loudly.It boasts good battery life and multipoint Bluetooth pairing, so you can connect to both your computer and your smartphone at the same time and effortlessly switch between the two if your phone rings (it mostly works).

It is available in a variety of colors and listed for $100, however it is frequently discounted to as low as $70.

It's worth noting that the $250 Evolve2 65, which includes an integrated boom microphone, is essentially the office-ready version of this headset.

Sony WF-1000XM4

Of course, no earphone is perfect, and not everyone will enjoy the Sony WF-1000XM4 buds' fit or be able to afford their hefty price ($280). These earbuds, on the other hand, check all the boxes if you're seeking for fantastic-sounding earbuds with great noise cancellation, solid voice-calling features, and a long battery life.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds offer excellent noise cancellation and sound quality, while the Sony is on par with the Bose in terms of noise cancellation (and, in some cases, slightly better). The Sony has somewhat superior sound quality and a more compact design, especially in terms of the casing (albeit the Sony buds aren't tiny).While the voice-calling features of the previous WF-1000XM3 were inadequate, Sony has significantly improved them in this model, making them a strength rather than a liability. Unfortunately, these earbuds lack multipoint Bluetooth pairing, which would allow you to connect to both your phone and PC at the same time, but that's the only significant flaw.

Edifier TWS 330NB

Edifier has a few new true-wireless earbuds, and the most of them, including the TWS 330NB, are excellent buys. While the TWS 330NB buds lack a sensor that automatically pauses your music when you remove them from your ears, they provide good sound quality for the money, great active noise cancellation with a transparency setting, and reliable voice calling (they have three microphones in each bud for noise canceling and noise reduction during calls).

They fit my ears nicely — they're basically AirPods Pro clones — and while the touch controls are limited, you can configure them using the Edifier Connect app for iOS and Android, where you can also adjust the touch sensitivity. They have an IP54 designation, which means they're splash and dust resistant, and the battery life is claimed at four hours with noise cancellation on and five hours without (at moderate volume levels). That's OK, however the charging case comes with an extra two charges.