Can Earbuds Be Used For Phone Calls?

Yes, earbuds can absolutely be used for phone calls. Choosing the best earbuds for phone calls has become very important, far more crucial than it used to be. You might be joining video meetings, driving totally hands-free, or taking calls in notoriously noisy public spaces. For this, you absolutely need earbuds that deliver crystal clear voice pickup, strong noise isolation, and lasting comfort.

Taking calls today means switching locations constantly — think home office, car, commute, café, or the airport. That is exactly why the best earbuds for telephone calls need to adapt to all different noise environments, pairing effortlessly with multiple devices and delivering stable voice clarity. With AI noise filtering and beamforming microphones becoming standard tech, choosing the right pair now makes a clear difference in how others genuinely hear you.

What to Know About Calling with Wireless Earbuds

Wireless calls are not as reliable as a wired earphone with a microphone you can hold close by your mouth, or pin on your shirt with a clip. While most wireless earphones have no trouble with phone calls and video calls in quiet areas, it differs how wireless earbuds perform in busy or outside situations.

There is a lot of variation in how earbuds handle phone calls. Some earbuds handle phone calls well, but can make you inaudible in video calls, such as WhatsApp group calls, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom meetings. Many earphones drown your voice, have no volume, or have too much hiss or surrounding noises on the line — some in phone calls, some in video conferences. Wind noise often is the biggest threat for the clarity in your voice.

The issue is that "mic quality" and "mic works well in noisy environments" (also known as voice isolation) are diametrically opposed. You will get better overall sound quality with a wired mic; however, no wired mic will ever have good voice isolation. This is because good noise isolation requires the same powered IC that helps with active noise cancellation, and you need several beamforming mics. Wireless earbuds can offer good voice isolation, but there are overall limits to voice quality because of the use of Bluetooth HFP, which has a more narrow-band sampling rate.

Must-Have Features for Call Quality

Seamless Multipoint Connection

Multipoint lets you stay connected to your laptop and your phone at the same time. This simple feature prevents missed calls and genuinely improves your workflow.

Sidetone (Hearing Yourself)

Sidetone feeds a bit of your own voice back to you. This is crucial: you sound more natural and avoid speaking too loudly during calls.

Advanced Voice Isolation

Modern earbuds now use beamforming microphones combined with AI algorithms. They work to separate your voice completely from all background noise. This feature is absolutely essential if you frequently take calls in loud environments.

Beamforming Microphones

More premium earbuds tend to have six microphones (three in each bud), with some dedicated to analyzing ambient noise and others dedicated to capturing your voice. Typically, there is at least one beamforming microphone on each bud to hone in on your voice.

Bone-Conduction Sensing

Some earbuds have bone-conduction sensing technology that detects your jaw movement vibrations when you are talking. That helps the earbuds know when you are talking so they can focus on your voice while also reducing background noise. Sophisticated software also plays a role in filtering out background noise while the microphones focus on your voice.

Top Picks for Phone Calls

• Anker Soundcore Liberty Pro 5 — Comfortable, secure fit with different-sized eartips and fins included. Very good sound with much improved noise canceling. Great voice-calling performance. Robust feature set. Small touchscreen built into case. Built-in voice commands. IP55 water- and dust-resistant. Up to 28 hours total battery life with ANC on.
• Sony WF-1000XM6 — Completely redesigned with upgraded components and slightly better fit than XM5. Top-notch sound that is accurate, well-balanced, and natural. Excellent noise-canceling and voice-calling performance with 8 microphones (4 in each bud). Improved transparency mode and enhanced antennas for more stable wireless connection. Up to 24 hours total battery life with ANC on.
• Apple AirPods Pro 3 — Design upgrades to the buds and ear tips improve their fit. Noise cancellation has been upgraded and is now top-notch. Excellent voice-calling performance with upgraded microphones. Battery life rated for up to eight hours (up from six for AirPods Pro 2). IP57 water and dust resistant. Up to 24 hours total battery life with ANC on. Many features are exclusive to Apple devices.
• Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro — Sleeker design with slightly more comfortable, secure fit. Excellent sound with upgraded drivers. Top-tier voice-calling and transparency mode. Built-in voice and touch controls work well. IP57 waterproof and dust-resistant. Up to 26 hours total battery life with ANC on. Some features are exclusive to Samsung Galaxy devices or Android-only.
• Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 FE — Lightweight and comfortable. Excellent sound quality if you get a tight seal. Good noise-canceling performance. Top-tier voice-calling performance. Pinch-and-swipe controls work well. Bluetooth auto-switching between Samsung Galaxy devices. IP54 dust-resistant and splash-proof.
• Shokz OpenFit Pro — Comfortable fit and good build quality. Strong sound for open earbuds, with large 11×20 mm dual-diaphragm drivers. Good battery life (up to 12 hours single charge, up to 50 hours with case). Noise reduction technology takes the edge off ambient sound. Good voice-calling performance. Wireless charging. IP55 splash-proof and dust-resistant.
• Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 — Improved design and sound quality with smaller case. Equipped with more powerful H2 chip. Good noise canceling. Excellent voice-calling performance. Heart-rate sensors. Strong battery life. Wireless charging. Up to 36 hours total battery life with ANC on.
• Apple AirPods 4 with ANC — Lightweight, more compact design and comfortable fit. First open earbuds with effective active noise canceling. Improved sound quality with new acoustic architecture. Equipped with Apple's powerful H2 chip. Compact case has wireless charging and speaker for Find My. IP54 splash-proof and dust-resistant. Up to 20 hours total battery life with ANC on.
• JBL Live Beam 3 — Buds are lightweight and comfortable to wear. Clear, well-defined sound with punchy bass. Color touchscreen in case to control playback and access key settings. Decent noise canceling and good voice-calling performance. Wireless charging enabled. Support for LDAC audio codec for Android users along with AAC. IP55 splash-proof and dust-proof. Up to 40 hours total battery life with ANC on.

Best Budget Earbuds for Phone Calls

1. Huawei FreeBuds 6 — Best call quality under $100. Your voice sounds clear, natural, and loud. Indoor sounds like chatter and laughter are mostly removed in calls. Outdoor sounds like traffic are completely inaudible. Your voice output is stable even in rain and wind. You can accept or refuse calls without touching the earbuds: nod to accept, shake to refuse. IP54 waterproof. Multi-point pairing connects to two devices simultaneously. About 4.5 hours of call battery life before recharging is needed.
2. OnePlus Buds 4 — Best with ANC under $100. Your voice sounds natural and full. Outdoor sounds like traffic are reduced very well. Your voice output is stable even in rain and wind. The earbuds play 7 hours on a single charge with ANC on, with the charging case able to recharge them fully in just 10 minutes. IP55 waterproof. Dual-device multipoint connection. 3D spatial audio in the app.
3. Soundcore Liberty 5 — Best for office use. Your voice sounds clear and natural. Noise is almost completely removed. Automatic transparency mode ensures you are not speaking too loud on calls. Supports a mute button setup from the Soundcore app — a single pinch of the stems mutes the microphone, with a reminding sound every 20 seconds until unmuted. Battery lasts 7.5 hours with ANC on. IP55 waterproof. Multipoint connection for phone and laptop simultaneously.
4. Huawei FreeBuds SE 3 — Best under $50. Your voice sounds very clear and natural. Background noise is strongly reduced, even inaudible. Up to 9 hours of playtime on a single charge. IP54 waterproof. Half-in-ear design that is extremely light and comfortable to wear for hours.
5. EarFun Clip 2 — Best clip-on earbuds for calls. Your voice sounds loud and natural. Your voice keeps stable when there is some wind. 11 hours playtime on a single charge, with the charging case providing three full recharges. IP55 waterproof. Includes live AI translation feature via the EarFun Audio app.

Community Picks and Real-World Experiences

Based on real user experiences, the top 3 picks for call quality are the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4, Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and Technics AZ100. Honorable mentions include the OnePlus Buds 3 Pro and OnePlus Buds 4.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro has very good voice pickup and stays connected solidly — users report calls with no dropouts in coffee shops and busy streets. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2, Technics AZ100, and Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 were also rated among the best in direct user testing. The FreeBuds Pro 4 and QC Ultra Gen 2 sound good as well as block out almost all background noise. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro sounds great on calls for the person on the other end, though it did not block out as much background noise as the FreeBuds Pro 4 in some comparisons. The AirPods Pro 3 and 2 deliver amazing call quality but perform best within the Apple ecosystem; many of their call quality features only work well with an iPhone.

For the Technics AZ100, users highlight that the AI voice enhancement does a good job of eliminating background noise. Swapping out the stock ear tips for better-fitting alternatives can improve the ANC performance further. The Technics also offer three-way Bluetooth multi-device pairing, which lets you easily switch between a couple of phones and a laptop for calls and meetings, and 7.3 hours of continuous battery life reduces the risk of a dead battery mid-call.

Setup Tips for Clearer Calls

• Turn on the call or voice setting in the app — Most premium earbuds include a dedicated call mode that boosts vocal clarity and significantly reduces environmental noise.
• Turn on AI noise reduction — If your model includes AI-based filtering, activate it; this is crucial when taking calls outdoors or while on the move.
• Update firmware before the first workday — Firmware updates often improve microphone performance and boost device switching reliability, two features absolutely crucial for call-heavy routines.
• Enable advanced voice isolation manually — On some earbuds, this option must be enabled manually to ensure your voice remains clear in challenging environments.
• Clean the mic openings regularly — Blocked mic openings can noticeably degrade call clarity over time.