Best headphones with a mic for voice and video calls 2024

The best headphones with a mic all incorporate an array of tiny microphones in the headset. Primarily, these are included as part of any built-in active noise cancelation technology, but bring additional benefits with two-way voice and video calling, too.

We've been testing headphones as a useful working from home tool since before remote working became a thing. All the headphones listed here have been assessed for their call quality capabilities when making or taking calls indoors and outdoors, as well as while traveling. Testing in these different scenarios helps us to make sure that all these headphones work on teams calls, as well as catching up with family or friends. 

Check out the list below to discover our pick of the best models at all kinds of price points. 

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About the author

Lee Dunkley

Hi, I'm Lee and I cover all things audio for Tom's Guide, including maintaining our buying guides on the best headphones with a mic for voice calls, best wireless earbuds, best soundbars, and best Bluetooth speakers. I am passionate about sound quality whether that's listening to music in the highest quality or making and receiving voice calls while working at my desk or on commutes and travels. I've been testing and writing about audio for more than 30 years, and have tested all kinds of tech to help shoppers make informed buying decisions and get great sound. 

The best headphones with a mic for voice and video calls you can buy right now

Best over-ear headphones for call quality

Bose is the class leader when it comes to active noise cancelation (ANC) on headphones, and its mastery extends to voice calling quality as well. Although these have since been replaced by the new QuietComfort Ultra Headphones as the flagship model in its line up, the Bose 700 are the better headphones for making calls (if you can track them down).

In our review we found that the 700’s extensive microphone array picked up our voice with outstanding clarity while simultaneously blocking out loud ambient noises for fewer distractions on calls even when used in busy places. Combine that with a comfortable fit, excellent sound quality for music and strong ANC, and the Bose 700s are worth hunting down. 

Find ways of saving on your order with our Bose coupon codes.

• Read our full Bose 700 review

Best value over-ear headphones for call quality

Sennheiser Accentum are a mid-priced ANC pair of headphones with plenty of flagship features. Probably the most outstanding thing about the Accentum noise-canceling headphones, though, is the 50-hour battery life and quick charge that's achieves up to 5 hours of listening time from a 10-minute top-up.

Our review mentioned that voice calls with the Accentum were loud and clear via the two built-in microphones. Background interference and wind noise was kept to a minimum, although a few people complained about the reviewer's voice sounding tinny at certain points. The SideTone feature was useful for increasing how loud I sounded on calls and helped to keep conversations feeling natural. 

ANC mode was also very effective at reducing background sounds to a pool of silence, and Transparency mode was effective during my testing, too. Multipoint seamlessly switches from one Bluetooth device to another, so you don't have to worry about connectivity when calls come in.

• Read our full Sennheiser Accentum review

Best Sony headphones with a mic for call quality

The Sony WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones had been wowing us for a while, although call quality wasn't one of their strongest features. But the surprise launch of the WH-1000XM5 back in May 2022 introduced significant advances in a new design that we didn't bargain for. Call quality is one area where significant improvements have been made, thanks to the XM5's eight mics which help it exhibit call quality quite easily described as ‘exemplary’. Wind-noise is kept to a minimum, and both ends of a conversation prove distinct and direct.

If you need to be aware of your surroundings from time to time, Transparency Mode steals the show with up to 20 levels of ambient control. The mics are strong enough to pick up sounds and conversations around me, and is particularly handy when listening out for fast food deliveries. In terms of music listening, Sony’s sound profile has been tweaked to produce crisper mids and highs, while maintaining its signature punchy and energetic presence. The XM5s are are one of the most versatile headphones around right now. 

• Read the full Sony WH-1000XM5 review

Best headphones with a mic for iOS

While not quite on Bose’s level, Apple knows a thing or two about making headphones that can double as great calling headsets. Its best effort is also the most expensive, but the AirPods Max has a few tricks that help justify the higher price. Transparency mode is one: this lets you hear you own voice when speaking, which in turn helps you moderate your own volume and make sure you’re coming through clear.

Not that the latter takes much effort, as the AirPods Max do fine work in reducing the impact of ambient sound on the microphones. These ANC headphones also feel a lot lighter on the head than their weight might suggests, which is useful for longer listening sessions or meetings — or just if you have particularly talkative friends.

• Read our full Apple AirPods Max review

Best value Bose headphones

The Bose QuietComfort 45 were replaced by the QuietComfort Headphones in late 2023, but the QC45s continue to be available and are a great value option. 

During our QC45 review, we found that the mic array was powerful and demonstrated great intelligibility with voice commands when using the native assistant. The mics worked well for voice and video calls, and the QC45 produced loud and clear results in most environments, though resistance to wind noise isn’t the strongest. Battery life runs to 24 hours on a full charge, whish is a strong as the updated version, but you can't turn ANC mode off to increase battery life further. 

Whichever way we look at them, these are versatile headphones that suit all kinds of activities. Whether you're working from home or need to take calls while you're out and about, these are worth tracking down while you can still find them.       

• Read our full Bose QuietComfort 45 review

Best earbuds for call quality

Bose did a big revamp of its line up in 2023, and despite being superseded by the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, the QuietComfort Earbuds 2 continue to be available and are the best wireless earbuds for voice calls. They deliver great sound, strong call quality and ANC performance, while proprietary technologies like ActiveSense and CustomTune balance sound and noise neutralization extremely well. 

The QC Earbuds 2 kept vocals prominent over noisy backgrounds during our voice call tests. Using the Self Voice feature via Bose Music app increases vocal volume to hear yourself louder on calls, which our reviewer recommended. 

• Read our full Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 review

Best $99 buds for voice calls

At $99, the OnePlus Buds 3 are one of the most affordable flagship wireless earbuds around. They rank as one of the best wireless earbuds overall thanks to their great sound performance and personalization modes. ANC does a great job of eliminating unwanted noises, and helps ensure strong call quality experience. 

In our tests we found these to some of the best headphones with a mic for voice and video calls. Call quality was impressive and voices sounded loud and clear with zero background noise. Wind resistance was also strong and didn't enter conversations. 

They are stacked with more features than that have any right to at the price, and everything is available to Android and iOS users via the HeyMelody app. Just be sure to keep an eye on battery life as these can deplete more rapidly in ANC mode with several special features enabled.

• Read the full OnePlus Buds 3 review

Best for Galaxy phones

A worthy addition to the list, Samsung’s three-mic array produces loud, clear-sounding calls with minimal background interference. Whisking effects were reduced heavily when chatting with the missus outside. There was mention of minor muffle, which occurred in all settings, but nothing too worrisome. The buds were also reliable for video conferencing, with several clients complimenting the loudness and clarity on my end. 

Samsung’s ANC holds its own against the best ANC models and blocks out close to 90% of ambient noise although it’s disappointing to see such a short ANC playtime. Sound alone makes the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro worth the investment, though, giving you a high quality audio experience and compelling 3D sound with precise head tracking. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are a versatile option with excellent mic quality for calls.

• Read our full Samsung Buds 2 Pro review

Best for business calls

Available exclusively from Best Buy, these are Jabra’s best buds for call quality and a great productivity companion to have, be it working from home or in the office. Sound is vibrant, battery life is lengthy, and cool features like multipoint technology allow for seamless switching between devices. Had noise cancelation and comfort been better, these would have earned a higher rating, but a 4-star review still makes them worth checking out.

These are a well-featured set of buds and come packaged with a wireless charger. Call Experience enhances call quality, and you can adjust how loud you sound on calls and turn on functions like auto-answer or mute through wear detection, while soundscapes acts as a meditative tool that plays different ambient sounds to mask distractions around you, which could be useful at the end of the working day.

• Read the full Jabra Connect 5T review

Best budget wireless earbuds for calls

The Skullcandy Dime 3 are the best cheap wireless earbuds for call quality. They come with multipoint connectivity and the mics do a solid job with noise reduction and voice recognition.

The charging case is nicely compact and small enough to be a neat key-fob addition. Sadly, there's no companion app to let you tweak the sound profile to suit your preference, but Music (the default), Bass Boost, and Podcast serve listeners well.

At the price, it's not surprising to find that some features are a bit clunky. There’s no way to assign and personalize the controls, and there's no wear detection to auto-pause playback when removing the buds.  The IPX4 rating for durability means they're as well protected from moisture ingress as Apple's AirPods Pro 2.

• Read our full Skullcandy Dime 3 review 

Best headphones with a mic FAQ

How to connect headphones to your work device? 

To get your headphones working with your computer, laptop, or mobile device, it's usually a simple case of pairing them to your device once. The next time you put on the headphones, you'll be connected automatically. Volume can usually be adjusted via the controls on your playback device to make voices sound louder or quieter in the earpieces.

How to choose the best headphones with a mic for voice and video calls for you

First, consider whether you’d prefer over-ear headphones or a pair of in-ear buds. There’s no rule of thumb that suggests one style is inherently better than the other for calling quality, though both have their pros and cons.

Wireless earbuds, for example, are more portable but don’t create a seal around your ear; as a result, over-ear headphones might be better if you expect to take calls where there’s a lot of ambient noise that could make it harder to hear what other call participants are saying.

Over-ear headphones also tend to have longer battery life, though most true wireless earbuds will last upwards of 4.5 hours between charges. That’s enough for all but the longest voice and video calls.

Don’t forget, also, that the main benefit of buying a pair of headphones over a headset or standalone microphone is that you can use it for music and podcasts too. So think about whether you want to pay extra for ANC, which enhances your listening experience in busy areas or on transport, as well as how important sound quality is for you more generally.

How we test the best headphones with a mic for voice and video calls

We test the calling capabilities of mic-equipped headphones exactly as you’d expect: by making calls. This lets us make sure each pair delivers the sound quality needed to ensure other callers are clearly audible, and we ask whoever we call for their feedback on how we sound. This helps us identify any problems with microphone volume or clarity — or, conversely, if we sound clear to others.

This is one of many tests to which we subject each pair of headphones. We also judge overall audio performance by how well each pair handles a variety of music genres, and will measure how long we get out of the battery before it runs empty.

To test comfort, we make sure to use the headphones over several days, including sessions wearing them for 2-3 hours at a time. This gives a good indication of how comfy each pair is, and whether that comfort is maintained in extended use.

Finally, we score each pair of headphones on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is the lowest, 5 is the highest, and the most impressive headphones might get an Editor’s Choice badge as well.

Discover more about our reviewing process and how we test headphones.

Contributions from: Alex Bracetti

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