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 320 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.
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Quick Look
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Best Earbuds For Phone Calls
The Technics EAH-AZ80 are the best earbuds for phone calls we've tested. While their performance isn't objectively superior to all our options, their combination of features and customization at a competitive price make them our top pick. Their mic system captures your voice intelligibly, and their noise handling reduces constant background hiss quite handily, though it has difficulty with extremely loud noises like arriving subway cars. You can improve their noise handling by enabling 'JustMyVoice,' which improves microphone noise attenuation at the cost of recording quality. Your voice isn't perfectly natural-sounding, limited by the distance and angle of truly wireless earbud microphones from your mouth, but you'll remain comprehensible. Meanwhile, their great noise isolation means you won't be distracted by construction outside your window or ambient office chatter.
Their three-way Bluetooth multi-point lets you easily switch between multiple devices for calls and meetings, which is perfect if you run a side business or have multiple work devices. Plus, their 7.3-hour continuous battery life decreases your chances of needing to contend with a dead battery mid-call. You can also adjust their control scheme exclusive to calls to suit your needs, including a touch control to mute/unmute the mic, which is handy during group meetings.
If you predominantly take calls or meetings with video and are sensitive to audio-visual desync, consider the Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed True Wireless, which includes a 2.4GHz USB-C dongle in addition to Bluetooth. They have much lower latency with the dongle compared to any of the Technics' connections, so you likely won't notice any lip sync issues on varied calling applications. The Razer's mic system sounds clear and rejects background noise well, but have a shorter battery life, and their app doesn't offer as much control over call commands. Their ANC is very good, but it won't block out as much environmental noise as the Technics'.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Earbuds For Phone Calls
The best Bluetooth earbuds for phone calls in the upper mid-range we've tested are the Nothing Ear. While they lack a dedicated customizable calling control scheme of the Technics EAH-AZ80, the Nothing have a comparable mic performance, as you can hear in this audio sample. They cut out noises in the background well, so callers can make out your voice even in hectic spaces, though your voice will lack in body and come off a bit harsh. The Nothing also offer a stable fit with dedicated call controls via pressure-sensitive stems, which means they won't fall out or accidentally hang up on a call if you brush up against them.
Their frequency response reproduces the person you're speaking to on the line well, so they sound essentially the same as what their mic captures. While their active noise cancelling isn't class-leading, it still handles office and street racket decently well to help isolate you from your environment and hear the caller better. Their multi-device pairing also expands their utility, so you can quickly move from one device to another for a smooth transition between your phone and laptop.
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Best Mid-Range Earbuds For Phone Calls
If you're looking for more affordable earbuds, the CMF Buds Pro 2 might be just the ticket. These buds have a mic that performs better in calls than our results suggest, accurately rendering the range where human voices tend to reside as you can hear in our voice sample. They also do a decent job of isolating your voice against external noise, particularly in noisier environments like a subway station. Unlike most earbuds in this price range, they come equipped with a solid ANC system too, which can help you concentrate on the call at hand.
They have over six hours of continuous playback time, shorter than the Nothing Ear's 7.5-hour battery life but still enough to last you through the day if you top them up when you're not using them. They even support multi-device pairing, which gives you some options in terms of multitasking. That said, their bulkier design isn't the most ergonomic and can result in some variation in comfort and fit depending on your ear shape. The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE offer a more consistently comfortable fit, though they lack multi-device pairing. While their mic performs better within our testing methodology, your voice sounds more muddy and lacks some clarity in real-life use.
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Best Budget Earbuds For Phone Calls
Shopping on a budget? The best wireless earbuds for phone calls we've tested at this price point are the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless. They aren't quite as comfortable as the Nothing Ear 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. Here's an audio sample of it in action. They're customizable, and their 8.3-hour battery life will be more than enough to last through your workday. Unfortunately, they don't come equipped with Bluetooth multi-device pairing, so you'll need to manually unpair and re-pair if you switch over to a different device.
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Best Premium Earbuds For Phone Calls
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 does a very good job separating your voice from the noise around you, so whoever you're talking to will hear you clearly. Here's a recording of its mic quality.
They have great build quality and a well-balanced sound out of the box, ensuring anyone you're talking to sounds natural and clear. They also support multi-device pairing and Google Fast Pair. That said, their battery is considerably shorter than that of our top pick, the Technics EAH-AZ80, which can limit their usefulness for back-to-back calls. If you work extended hours or take lots of battery-draining calls, consider the Technics EAH-AZ100. The successor to our top pick has over 12 hours of continuous battery life, though their noise isolation is slightly less effective compared to that of the Devialet.
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Best Wired Earbuds For Phone Calls
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 an EQ 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 relatively well-balanced sound that ensures voices sound clear and natural. That said, 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 much background noise, so it can be harder to hear your conversation well if you're calling from a noisy office.
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Best iOS Earbuds For Phone Calls
Considering the ubiquity of iPhones and iOS devices, it can be important to pick earbuds that work well within the Apple ecosystem. The Apple AirPods Pro 3 are Apple's flagship earbuds and come equipped with the H2 chip for seamless pairing with iOS devices. As with some of our other picks, their mic performance tends to vary depending on what device you're connected to. Our testing indicates that mic quality improves when connected to an iPhone over our usual testing rig, which you can hear in this audio sample. The mic is able to isolate your voice from its background decently well.
Their incredible ANC performance is also a strong asset when on calls, as they can effectively block out external noises across the entire frequency spectrum. On top of that, they offer the winning combination of a very comfortable fit, an IP57 rating, and more than nine hours of continuous battery life. If you're looking for buds with a mic that also perform well on your work PC, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) are also worth considering. Their mic renders your voice with plenty of detail, regardless of the device you're connected to. While their ANC performance lags slightly behind the Apple, it's still stellar. They have a shorter battery life, though, and lack Apple's IP57 rating against water and dust.
Notable Mentions
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SteelSeries TUSQ:
The SteelSeries TUSQ are wired gaming earbuds with a detachable boom mic. While their mic offers a better overall recording quality, they're not as comfortable as the Apple EarPods.
See our review - TOZO T6 Truly Wireless: The TOZO T6 Truly Wireless are the cheaper alternative to the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless. They're similarly well-built and passively isolate against more background noise. However, their battery life isn't as long-lasting, and they lack sound customization tools. See our review
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Turtle Beach Battle Buds:
The Turtle Beach Battle Buds are another pair of wired gaming earbuds with a boom mic. They're much less comfortable than the Apple EarPods, but they can passively block more ambient noise.
See our review
Recent Updates
Oct 24, 2025:
We've made some major changes to this article, including adding a new iOS pick which features the Apple AirPods Pro 3, with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (Gen 2) as an alternative. We've also replaced the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE with the CMF Buds Pro 2, as user reports and our own mic recordings indicate the Samsung headphones don't live up to their mic recording score. Otherwise, we've made minor changes throughout the text.
May 22, 2025:
We've adjusted some of our picks to reflect Jabra's exit from the consumer space and dwindling stock availability. Notably, we replaced our top pick, the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2, with the Technics EAH-AZ80.
Feb 14, 2025:
Our picks haven't changed, but we've updated the text in the article for clarity and accuracy.
Nov 22, 2024:
This article's picks have been updated to replace the Razer Hammerhead HyperSpeed Pro True Wireless with the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 True Wireless as the best pick for the improved feature set, though the Razer is mentioned as an alternative for the USB connectivity. The Nothing Ear Truly Wireless have replaced the Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless as the upper mid-range pick because their performance is similar, and the Nothing are cheaper. The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 True Wireless and Jabra Elite 8 Active True Wireless were added as a Notable Mention, and the text throughout has been slightly adjusted.
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.
All Reviews
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.