overview 11 comments
Thanks to their portable and convenient design, earbuds and in-ears can be excellent daily headphones. However, they generally don't have the best microphone quality, especially if they rely on a Bluetooth connection. In comparison,Bluetooth headsets designed for phone calls may have better microphones, but they often only have one earbud, making them less than ideal for listening to music at work or during your daily commute. Luckily, there are more and more earbuds on the market that balance call quality and casual versatility, which is great if you work from home or take calls on the go.
We've tested over 285 pairs of earbuds and in-ear headphones with microphones, and below are our recommendations for the best earbuds with a mic to buy. If you're looking for our top picks for other earbuds and in-ear headphones, check our recommendations for thebestin-ear headphones, thebest truly wireless earbuds, and thebest Bluetooth headsets for phone calls.
-
Best Earbuds With A Mic
Sony WI-1000XM2 Wireless 0
Neutral Sound
7.0
Commute/Travel
7.7
Sports/Fitness
7.6
Office
7.3
Wireless Gaming
5.7
Wired Gaming
7.4
Phone Calls
7.4
Type In-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Yes
Transducer Hybrid
Noise Cancelling Yes
Mic Yes
See all our test results
The best earbuds withmicrophone capabilities we've tested are the Sony WI-1000XM2 Wireless. These in-ears aren't completely wireless since they have a cable that goes around your neck, so their style may not be for everyone. This design is also a bit dated now, and finding them in stock is getting harder.However, thanks to theirneckband, their in-line mic sits closer to your mouth than most integrated microphones on truly wireless earbuds. It makes your voice sound clear and understandable over the phone and does an okay job separating it from background noise if you're calling from a busy setting. Their sound is well-suited for phone calls since voices reproduce clearly and accurately.
They last about eight hours of continuous use and have a decently comfortable fit, although the neckband can snag longer hair. They also have a good selection of differently-sized ear tips, including foam and silicone options. Their very good active noise cancelling (ANC) feature can block out the low rumble of bus engines during your commute and ambient chatter at work. You can connect them to your phone and computer simultaneously and easily take calls on either device.
See our review
-
Best Upper Mid-Range Earbuds With A Mic
Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless 2
Neutral Sound
7.8
Commute/Travel
8.0
Sports/Fitness
8.4
Office
7.6
Wireless Gaming
6.1
Wired Gaming
5.9
Type In-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Truly Wireless
Transducer Dynamic
Noise Cancelling Yes
Mic Yes
See all our test results
The best earphones with mic capabilityin the upper mid-range we've tested are the Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless. These earbuds are cheaper than the previous pick and have been on sale lately for even less.They have a truly wireless design that makes them more compact, which means they have an integrated mic that sits further away from your mouth than the Sony WI-1000XM2 Wireless' in-line mic. It still captures your voice well, meaning people on the other end of the line will hear you clearly over the phone. There's a sensor in each earbud to detect wind, which is meant to improve the mic's noise handling when you're outside.
They support multi-device pairing, so you can stay connected to your computer while you take a call on your phone. Their neutral sound profile ensures voices sound clear and accurate, but if you prefer a different sound, it can also be customized with a graphic EQ and presets in the companion app. These earbuds also have ANC, but unfortunately, it's not very effective, so these aren't the buds for you if you want to cut out the sound of rumbling engines during your commute. That said, they passively block out a decent amount of mid-range noise like background chit-chat.
See our review
-
Best Mid-Range Earbuds With A Mic
Nothing Ear (2) Truly Wireless 16
Neutral Sound
7.5
Commute/Travel
7.7
Sports/Fitness
8.2
Office
7.3
Wireless Gaming
5.9
Wired Gaming
5.8
Phone Calls
7.2
Type In-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Truly Wireless
Transducer Dynamic
Noise Cancelling Yes
Mic Yes
See all our test results
The Nothing Ear (2) Truly Wireless offer a versatile performance with a sleek design. They have a cool transparent stem design, which allows you to see their inner circuitry. This stem also places the mic closer to your mouth than buds without it. As a result, the mic can separate speech from background noise, so people on the other end of the line will hear you clearly if you're taking calls from a noisy office. Their recording quality is okay, though not as great as the Jabra Elite 7 Pro True Wireless because your voice sounds thin and distorted.
They're equipped with an ANC system and can help reduce a decent amount of background noise. With their ANC on, they last over 5.5 hours continuously, which is less than the Jabra, but their carrying case supplies an extra four charges. They also have a fairly neutral sound profile, which you can customize via their companion app's graphic EQ or presets. They even support multi-device pairing, which is handy if you want to connect to your PC and smartphone simultaneously.
See our review
-
Best Lower Mid-Range Earbuds With A Mic
Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Truly Wireless 29
Neutral Sound
7.6
Commute/Travel
7.9
Sports/Fitness
8.2
Office
7.6
Wired Gaming
5.8
Phone Calls
7.5
Type In-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Truly Wireless
Transducer Dynamic
Noise Cancelling Yes
Mic Yes
See all our test results
For something below the $100 mark, you'll want to check out the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Truly Wireless. While they lack the premium look and feel that the Nothing Ear (2) Truly Wireless provide, they make up for it with their edge in microphone performance. Your voice sounds clear as well asintelligible, and if you're calling from a noisy environment, speech remains easy to follow, even if a lot is going on around you. They also have a very neutral sound, making them well-suited for most kinds of audio content, and their companion app offers EQ presets for added customizability.
These comfortable buds are equipped with a very good ANC system. They don't block out quite as much noise as our noise cancelling pick below, but you can tune out chatty coworkers with ease. With the ANC on, they last over six hours, and there are 3.5 extra charges in the case if you need it. Unfortunately, they don't support multi-device pairing. Their control scheme also lacks volume controls by default, although you can enable them in the app.
See our review
-
Best Budget Earphones With A Mic
JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless 12
Neutral Sound
7.4
Commute/Travel
7.3
Sports/Fitness
7.9
Office
6.9
Wireless Gaming
5.8
Wired Gaming
5.6
Phone Calls
6.9
Type In-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Truly Wireless
Transducer Dynamic
Noise Cancelling No
Mic Yes
See all our test results
If you're on a budget, the best earbuds with microphone capabilities are the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Truly Wireless, they don't have ANC, so they aren't as good for making calls from noisy places. However, they offer a better mic recording quality, and your voice is clear and easy to understand over the phone. You can adjust the mic sidetone in the earbuds' companionapp if you want to hear yourself during calls.
However, the mic's noise handling is just okay. Your voice will be understandable over noise like background chit-chat at the office, but the sound of a bus passing nearby will drown it out. These earbuds have a well-balanced default sound profile that you can adjust with an in-app parametric EQ. They also last about eight hours of continuous use, so they can get you through a workday without recharging. They aren't as comfortable as previous picks and can fall out of your ears after a while.
See our review
-
Best Noise Cancelling Earbuds With A Mic
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Truly Wireless 62
Neutral Sound
7.3
Commute/Travel
8.1
Sports/Fitness
8.4
Office
7.4
Wireless Gaming
5.7
Wired Gaming
5.5
Phone Calls
6.2
Type Earbuds
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless Truly Wireless
Transducer Dynamic
Noise Cancelling Yes
Mic Yes
See all our test results
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Truly Wireless are premium buds with a fantastic noise isolation performance that easily beats other picks'.Their high-powered ANC feature helps block out chatty coworkers and traffic outside your window. With their ANC on, they last for about seven hours of continuous use, and their case stores three extra charges for top-ups when you need them. However, the trade-off is that their mic doesn't perform as well as theSony WI-1000XM2 Wireless'. Your voice can be completelydrowned out by loud background noise during a call.
They have a bassy sound profile out of the box, but you can adjust it to suit your tastes using their companion software's graphic EQ and presets. If you prefer a more neutral sound out of the box, check out the Sony WF-1000XM5 Truly Wireless. These headphones aren't quite as comfortable as the Bose. Their mic has poor recording quality, so your voice lacks depth, but it has better noise handling, so you're less likely to be drowned out by background noise on a call. Their ANC blocks out more high-pitched sounds, which is nice if you have a loud computer fan or A/C unit.
See our review
-
Best Wired Earbuds With A Mic
SteelSeries TUSQ 0
Neutral Sound
5.9
Commute/Travel
5.4
Sports/Fitness
6.7
Office
5.9
Wireless Gaming
4.8
Wired Gaming
6.8
Phone Calls
6.7
Type In-ear
Enclosure Closed-Back
Wireless No
Transducer Dynamic
Noise Cancelling No
Mic Yes
See all our test results
If you prefer a wired design, you'll want to check out the SteelSeries TUSQ, the best wired earphones with mic capability we've tested. Although SteelSeries designed them with gaming in mind, they come with a boom mic for clearer recording quality and an in-line mic if you want to use them more casually. If you use the detachable boom mic, your voice sounds clear and natural, so people won't have problems understanding you. That said, even though you can position the mic closer to your mouth than the Sony WI-1000XM2 Wireless'in-line mic, it still has trouble separating speech from ambient noise. As a result, your voice can get lost in the noise if you're taking a call from a busy street or office.
These earbuds have a decently comfortable fit and are lightweight. Their excited sound is well-suited for genres like rock and pop as it adds extra thump, rumble, and boom while vocals and instruments are bright. However, voices also sound muddy, and the headphones lack customization features to help you adjust them to your liking. They also struggle to block background sound, so it can be hard to hear your conversations clearly.
See our review
Recent Updates
-
Mar 22, 2024: We've added the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Truly Wireless as the 'Best Lower Mid-Range Earbuds With A Mic' as they have a good overall mic performance. We also added the Devialet Gemini II True Wireless to Notable Mentions, as their mic also performs well, but they're significantly more expensive than the other picks on this list.
-
Jan 22, 2024: We've replaced the TOZO NC7 with the JBL Vibe Beam True Wireless as the budget pick because the JBL have a better mic performance and are easier to find available.
-
Nov 20, 2023: Replaced the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Truly Wireless with the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds as the noise cancelling pick.
-
Sep 25, 2023: Confirmed product picks. Minor text edits for clarity.
-
Jul 27, 2023: We've overhauled this article to add more versatile picks. As a result, we've removed the EarFun Air Pro 3 True Wireless, TOZO T6 Truly Wireless, and Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 with the Nothing Ear (2) Truly Wireless, TOZO NC7 Truly Wireless, and Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II Truly Wireless, respectively as these picks offer a more well-rounded performance. We've also moved the EarFun to Notable Mentions.
All Reviews
Our recommendations aboveare what we think are currently the top earbuds with a mic to buy for most people. We factor inthe 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 findor almostout of stock everywhere).
If you would like to choose foryourself, here is the list of all earphones we've tested with a mic. Be careful not togetcaught up in the details.There are no perfectheadphones. Personal taste, preference, and listening habits will matter more in your selection.
