Best Earbuds for Phone Calls in 2024

Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS: What makes the Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS earbuds special is that they sound surprisingly good for open-ear headphones — they’re pretty close to what you’ll get from Apple’s AirPods 3 for sound. Plus, they support Sony’s LDAC audio codec for devices that support it. Not many budget open-ear headphones sound good, but these Soundpeats have good bass response and clarity. They’re also decent for calls, and have a low-latency gaming mode.

Sony WF-1000XM4: Sony’s WF-1000XM4, released in 2021, won a CNET Editors’ Choice Award. They’re still excellent earbuds, but Sony has now released the next-gen WF-1000XM5. They can be a great option if you can find them at a good discount.

Beyerdynamic Free Byrd: Beyerdynamic may be late to the game, but it has finally introduced its first true wireless earbuds, which offer active noise cancellation, up to 11 hours of battery life (with noise cancellation off), and impressive sound quality. Read our Beyerdynamic Free Byrd review.

Master & Dynamic MW08: These earbuds may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they certainly have a distinctive look, as well as excellent sound and a great listening experience if you can get a good seal (I was able to get a secure fit with the largest tip). They deliver more of an audiophile sound profile, with smooth, well-balanced sound and well-defined bass.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX: Bang & Olufsen’s $399 Beoplay EX earbuds are the company’s best true wireless earbuds. They have a comfortable, secure fit (except maybe for those with really small ears), top-notch build quality, great sound, solid noise cancellation, and improved voice-call performance over B&O’s EQ-enabled earbuds, with three microphones in each earbud helping to reduce background noise while picking up your voice. While they’re out of most people’s budget, they’re arguably the best stem-type earbuds available, offering a slightly better sound than the AirPods Pro 2, with better clarity, deeper, punchier bass, and richer, more accurate audio.

Sony LinkBuds: The LinkBuds are, in a sense, Sony’s answer to Apple’s standard AirPods. While they don’t sound as good as Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM4 or the LinkBuds S noise-isolating earbuds, they offer a discreet, innovative design and a more secure fit than the AirPods, as well as decent sound and very good voice call performance. Like the third-generation AirPods, their open design allows you to hear the outside world — which is what the ring is all about. Read our Sony LinkBuds review.

JBL Live Free 2: Like the Live Pro 2JBL’s new Live Free 2 earbuds are surprisingly good. With 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicone tips, they combine a comfortable fit with strong noise cancellation, very good sound quality and voice call performance. Features include multipoint Bluetooth pairing and wireless charging, and they’re rated for up to seven hours with IPX5 (splashproof) water resistance.