Best Wireless Earbuds for Phone Calls

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Earbud reviews tend to focus on music. For calls, what matters is different: how well the microphones pick up your voice and suppress background noise, how natural you sound, and whether you can wear them comfortably all day. Earbuds that are great for music can make you sound distant or garbled on calls, especially in wind or traffic.

We chose these on microphone design (beamforming mics, bone-conduction voice sensors and boom mics), call noise suppression, comfort for long wear, multipoint connection and ecosystem fit. Call quality depends heavily on the environment and on your phone's call features, so we describe strengths rather than invented scores. For desk calls, a boom-mic headset still beats any earbud. See best office headsets at ComputerGear.

What makes earbuds good for calls

• Beamforming microphones that focus on your mouth and reject sound from other directions.
• Voice pickup sensors (bone conduction or voice accelerometers) that detect when you're speaking and help separate your voice from noise.
• Wind reduction: mesh-covered mics and software that cut wind noise outdoors.
• Stem or boom designs: mics closer to your mouth generally pick up voice better.
• Transparency mode so you can hear your own voice naturally and don't shout.
• Multipoint, which connects to phone and laptop at once for switching between calls.

The best earbuds for calls

Ecosystem matters

Earbuds work best with phones from the same maker: AirPods with iPhone, Galaxy Buds with Samsung, and Pixel Buds with Pixel. Features like automatic switching, spatial audio and some call enhancements only work fully within that ecosystem. If you switch between iPhone and Android, choose cross-platform earbuds with multipoint and a good companion app on both.

Earbuds, open-ear or headset?

In-ear earbuds are best for noisy places and music. Open-ear or bone-conduction headsets like Shokz keep you aware of your surroundings, which is great for runners, cyclists and workers who need to hear traffic or colleagues. Business earbuds and boom-mic headsets prioritize voice clarity for people who live on calls.

Tips for sounding better on calls

1. Update the earbuds' firmware in the companion app. Call processing often improves.
2. Turn on Voice Isolation on iPhone (Control Center during a call) or your Android phone's equivalent.
3. Use Wi-Fi calling in weak-signal areas. Poor signal hurts call quality more than earbuds do. See Wi-Fi calling explained.
4. Face away from the wind, or shelter your ear with your hand in gusts.
5. Keep mic openings clean. Lint and wax muffle voice pickup.

Hearing health features

Some earbuds now include hearing health features. Apple, for example, received FDA authorization for a clinical-grade hearing aid feature on AirPods Pro for people with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, along with a hearing test in iOS. If calls are hard to hear, these features and your phone's accessibility settings can help. See phone accessibility features and plans. For hearing concerns, talk with a hearing professional.

Comfort for all-day wear

For long call days, comfort matters as much as sound. Try the included ear tip sizes (the right seal improves both noise suppression and bass), take short breaks, and consider open-ear designs if in-ear buds cause fatigue. Charging cases with wireless charging make it easy to top up between calls. See best wireless chargers.

Earbuds and car calls

In the car, your vehicle's hands-free system or CarPlay/Android Auto is usually the safer and clearer option, and some jurisdictions restrict wearing earbuds in both ears while driving. Check local laws. For work vehicles without Bluetooth, a single-ear headset with a boom mic is a good middle ground.

Which earbuds for which phone?

• iPhone: AirPods Pro for the best integration, with Bose and Poly as cross-platform alternatives.
• Samsung Galaxy: Galaxy Buds3 Pro for the deepest Galaxy features.
• Google Pixel: Pixel Buds Pro 2.
• Mixed households or work laptops: Bose, Poly or Shokz with multipoint.

Care and cleaning

Earbuds live in your ears and pockets, so they collect wax, dust and lint that muffle both microphones and speakers. Clean the mesh gently with a soft, dry brush, wipe the tips and case with a slightly damp cloth, and replace ear tips when they lose their seal. Avoid liquids near the openings. Keeping the charging contacts clean prevents charging failures, one of the most common earbud complaints.

Battery life for call-heavy days

Talk time is usually shorter than music playback time, because microphones and call processing use extra power. If you're on calls for hours, look for earbuds with fast-charging cases, and alternate buds on long calls if your model supports single-bud use.