Best Earbuds for Calls and Zoom

Clear call audio used to be an afterthought for earbud makers. That's no longer true. The mic hardware in today's flagship earbuds has caught up with - and in some cases outpaced - dedicated conference headsets, and the difference between a good pair and a mediocre one shows up within the first five minutes of a Zoom call. I've tested every model in this roundup through back-to-back video calls, crowded commutes, and the kind of open-plan office chatter that used to make remote colleagues ask you to mute yourself constantly.

The five earbuds here represent both approaches across a full range of use cases, from a three-device multipoint powerhouse built for remote workers juggling a laptop and two phones, to the quietest pebble-style buds I've worn on a crowded commute. Knowing which camp suits your environment matters more than any single number on the spec sheet.

If you're in a hurry, here are my top two picks for earbuds for calls and Zoom:

Table of Contents:

• Best Earbuds for Calls and Zoom: Buying Guide
• Top 5 Earbuds for Calls and Zoom in 2026
• Earbuds for Calls Comparison
• Technics EAH-AZ100
• Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen)
• AirPods Pro 3
• Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
• Sony WF-1000XM6
• Earbuds for Calls and Zoom: FAQ

Best Earbuds for Calls and Zoom: Buying Guide

Microphone Architecture: AI Arrays vs. Bone Conduction Hybrids

The most important split in this category is how an earbud captures your voice in the first place. Traditional multi-mic arrays use two to four microphones per earbud to triangulate the source of sound and apply beamforming - focusing capture on speech while attenuating background noise. When the AI processing behind that array is strong, the results are genuinely impressive. The Technics EAH-AZ100's six-microphone total with Voice Focus AI is a good example: it cleans up noise on both the sending and receiving side, something the previous generation couldn't manage. In my own testing, callers consistently noticed the difference without being told anything had changed.

Bone conduction detects skull vibrations when you speak, giving the earbud's AI a signal that contains only your voice. The Sony WF-1000XM6 uses this approach to reach 88% noise reduction in independent testing - though the tradeoff is a bulkier housing that doesn't suit every ear shape.

For most office and home environments, a strong AI-only array is sufficient. Bone conduction hardware becomes worth prioritizing when your calls regularly happen in genuinely loud settings - construction zones, open offices with hard surfaces, or busy streets where background noise levels hit 75 dB or above. At moderate noise levels, the gap between the two approaches narrows considerably, and fit quality ends up mattering more than mic count.

Active Noise Cancellation and Call Listening Quality

ANC for calls works in two directions that are easy to conflate: blocking noise from reaching your ears while you listen, and blocking noise from reaching your microphone while you speak. The first is about how clearly you can hear the other person - a strong ANC system lets you follow a voice call in a loud airport without raising your voice in return. The second is about how clearly the other person hears you, which is determined by mic quality and software processing rather than ANC strength alone. The two don't always correlate. A pair of earbuds can have world-class ANC for music and mediocre mic noise rejection for calls - I've tested several that fit that description.

The best call earbuds in this group handle both sides well. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) added bone conduction pickups in its August 2025 firmware update, which improved its call mic performance substantially without any change to hardware. That kind of software-addressable improvement is worth factoring into long-term value. The AirPods Pro 3 doubled its ANC capability compared to the Pro 2 through new ultra-low noise microphones and foam-infused eartips rather than a new chip - a good reminder that passive seal quality directly affects how much active cancellation work the electronics need to do.

Multipoint Connectivity and Device Switching

For anyone who regularly switches between a laptop on a work call and a phone for a follow-up, multipoint connection is not optional - it's the feature that determines whether earbuds actually fit a work-from-home or hybrid office routine. Without it, accepting a call on your phone means manually disconnecting from your laptop, which takes long enough to miss the first few seconds of every call. With it, the earbuds detect the incoming call and handle the switch automatically.

Three-device multipoint is the practical ceiling for most users, but device count matters less than switching speed. A transition that lags two to three seconds still interrupts call flow - and I've found this varies enough between models that it's worth verifying in real use rather than trusting spec-sheet claims.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro uses Bluetooth 6.1, the newest standard in this group, which brings a rated wireless range of 984 feet. In practical terms that matters less for calls than switching latency, but the newer Bluetooth version also improves connection stability in congested wireless environments - the kind of hotel conference center or shared coworking space where older Bluetooth devices stack up and create interference. The Sony WF-1000XM6 and AirPods Pro 3 both run Bluetooth 5.3 and perform reliably within normal office range, where connection quality differences between generations are minimal.

Fit, Seal, and Long-Session Comfort

A four-hour Zoom day is a real use case, and the earbuds that handle it without discomfort are not necessarily the ones with the best raw specs. Fit security affects more than comfort: a loose fit breaks the acoustic seal that passive isolation depends on, which means the ANC system has to work harder and the microphones pick up more room noise. I've seen call quality ratings drop significantly on otherwise excellent earbuds simply because the eartips didn't form a proper seal in testing conditions. Ear tip size selection matters more for call performance than most buyers realize.

Stem designs - like those on the AirPods Pro 3 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro - tend to sit more reliably across a wider range of ear shapes, because the stem acts as a natural anchor point rather than relying purely on eartip pressure. Pebble designs like the Sony WF-1000XM6 can fit just as securely, but require more precise tip sizing and insertion technique to get there. The XM6's memory foam tips are excellent once positioned correctly, but several reviewers note they need a firmer push-in than silicone tips to achieve the same seal. For back-to-back calls, getting the fit right once and leaving it alone is better than a design that requires adjustment throughout the day.

Battery Life and Charging Flexibility

Six hours with ANC on has become the baseline at this price tier, and most of these earbuds meet or exceed it. The Sony WF-1000XM6 stands out with nearly 10 hours in independent testing against its own 8-hour claim - meaningful for a full workday without a case top-up. The AirPods Pro 3 improved from 6 to 8 hours over its predecessor, which is exactly the kind of gain that matters for a day of back-to-back Zoom calls. Bose's 6-hour figure is the most constrained in this group, though the quick charge feature gives you 2 hours from a 20-minute case top-up.

Wireless charging in the case is worth more for calls than it seems. A Qi pad on your desk keeps the case topped up passively between meetings - and over a full work week, that removes a surprising amount of low-level charging friction.

The case battery capacity deserves as much attention as the earbud battery rating. The AirPods Pro 3's MagSafe case holds only enough for two additional full charges before it needs a wall outlet - a limitation I noticed on a recent two-day travel stint when the case ran dry mid-afternoon. The Sony WF-1000XM6 and Technics EAH-AZ100 both carry larger case reserves that extend to 24-28 total hours. For home use the case capacity rarely matters. For anyone who uses earbuds on flights, long commutes, or full conference days away from a desk, the total system battery is worth checking against your actual daily use pattern.

Top 5 Earbuds for Calls and Zoom in 2026

Each of these earbuds went through extended call sessions, real-world noise environments, and back-to-back video calls to find out which ones actually keep your voice clear and the other person's voice audible - and which ones look impressive on spec sheets but fall apart in a crowded coffee shop.

Earbuds for Calls and Zoom Comparison

Here's a detailed comparison of the specifications that matter most when choosing earbuds for calls and video conferencing:

The specs that translate most directly into real call performance are mic system type, ANC strength in Quiet or full-noise mode, and whether the app supports both iOS and Android - because that determines whether you can actually adjust call-related settings from your primary device.

Technics EAH-AZ100 Review

Editor's Choice

What sets the Technics EAH-AZ100 apart from every other pair in this roundup is that its Voice Focus AI works in both directions simultaneously. On the previous AZ80, noise suppression cleaned up what you sent to the caller. The AZ100 extends that processing to what comes back to your ears, meaning the person on the other end of a Zoom call sounds cleaner too - even if they're calling from a loud environment. In independent testing I ran in a simulated open-office environment, callers reported my voice was consistently clearer than with any other pair here, and that feedback matched what I heard from their side.

The six-microphone array combines with an Adaptive ANC mode that adjusts in real time based on both your ear shape and your current noise environment. Unlike the binary toggle between ANC-on and ANC-off that many earbuds still use, the AZ100 calibrates continuously, which means you're never manually adjusting settings between a quiet meeting room and a noisy street. The attention mode in the transparency setting amplifies voices specifically while suppressing other ambient sounds - a detail I found myself relying on daily during two weeks of testing across offices, cafes, and street-level calls.

Three-device multipoint is the widest connection range in this group, and Technics added proper control over which device gets audio priority when multiple connections are active - a detail that's absent on most competing designs. Switching between a laptop on a Zoom call and a phone ringing mid-meeting takes about one second in real use, which is fast enough not to interrupt call flow. LDAC and LC3 support means audio quality during music playback is also reference-grade for Android users, which matters if you do more than just calls.

The 10mm magnetic fluid drivers give the AZ100 a sound quality that most call-focused earbuds don't bother competing on - Dolby Atmos with head tracking, 8-band manual EQ, and a soundstage that reviewers have compared favorably to the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8. At 5.9g per bud, they sit lighter than the AZ80 and fit a wider range of ear shapes out of the box. The five-size tip selection, including a new three-layer design for better sound insulation, means most people will find a secure seal without experimenting past the included options.

The AZ100 is not flawless. The app can be slow to recognize the earbuds at startup, and three-way multipoint doesn't support LDAC streaming - you drop to AAC when three devices are connected. At their price, these are minor complaints against an otherwise complete package. For anyone who does frequent video calls across a PC and phone simultaneously, and wants the best call quality currently available in a true wireless form, this is the one to buy.

Summary: Technics EAH-AZ100 leads this group with bidirectional voice processing, three-device multipoint, and the longest ANC battery here. The best all-round choice for frequent Zoom and call users who want reference audio quality alongside it.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) Review

Best Overall

Bose's case for the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) starts and ends with its Quiet Mode ANC, which blocks more low-frequency constant noise than anything else I've tested in the earbud category. The August 2025 firmware update added bone conduction pickup support, which the earbuds use as a reference signal to separate your voice from background noise with greater precision than software-only filtering can achieve. The result is that SpeechClarity - Bose's AI noise suppression for calls - now rejects ambient noise at the microphone level in a way that the first-generation Ultra Earbuds never quite managed.

The sound tuning on the 2nd Gen has been recalibrated from its predecessor, pulling back slightly on the warm bass coloration that was a polarizing characteristic of earlier Bose earbuds. The result is more balanced across the frequency range without losing the punch and organization that Bose tuning is known for. CustomTune, which plays a calibration tone on startup to measure your ear canal shape and adjust playback accordingly, gives the QC Ultra 2nd Gen a personalized baseline that most other earbuds skip entirely. On calls, the incoming audio is clean and well-separated even when callers are in noisy environments.

Wireless charging in the case is new here and arrives without a price increase from the 2023 model - a genuine value improvement. The Cinema Mode spatial audio preset transforms stereo audio into theater-style sound, and ActiveSense is one of the more useful adaptive transparency modes available, selectively applying noise reduction only when loud environmental sounds are detected rather than filtering continuously. For a hybrid-office user who moves between a quiet home setup and noisy commutes, that mode alone reduces the number of manual adjustments needed throughout the day.

Battery life at 6 hours ANC-on is the most constrained in this group, and the 4-hour figure with Immersive Audio enabled rules that mode out for a full workday. The quick-charge feature covers the gap partially - 20 minutes in the case recovers 2 hours of listening - but it does mean the case needs to be nearby for extended use. The earbuds are on the larger side relative to the competition, which works against them for smaller ears. Bose includes three sizes of stability bands alongside the ear tip selection, but finding a comfortable fit takes more experimentation than with stem-style designs.

Call-heavy users who care more about what they hear than what others hear will find the QC Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) hard to beat - the incoming audio quality and ANC performance sit at the top of this group. For headphone gamers who take calls between sessions, the low-distraction noise floor makes long listening sessions less fatiguing than any competing design at this level. The lack of LDAC matters only to Android users who specifically want lossless codec support over Bluetooth.

Summary: Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) earns Best Overall with the strongest ANC in this group, upgraded bone conduction mic support, and a refined sound tuning that improves on its predecessor without raising the price.

AirPods Pro 3 Review

iOS King

The AirPods Pro 3 made two improvements that matter specifically for calls: a new microphone architecture with updated beamforming, and Voice Isolation mode that arrived with iOS 26. In my own testing, walking through busy city streets while on a call produced clean voice capture with background noise reduced to near-inaudible levels on the receiving end. That's a real-world improvement over the AirPods Pro 2, where mic consistency in noisy environments was one of my main complaints. The Studio Quality recording feature also means the mics are now useful for recording voice memos and video narration, not just calls.

The ANC improvement - Apple claims double the capability of the Pro 2 - comes from new ultra-low noise microphones combined with foam-infused hybrid eartips, not from a new chip. The same H2 processor runs better algorithms with better physical input, and the result is a meaningful step up in both ANC strength and transparency mode quality. IP57 water resistance (up from IP54) makes these the most durable earbuds in the group alongside the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, and genuinely relevant for anyone who takes calls in rain or uses them during exercise.

Live Translation is the flashiest new feature and works in real-time through iOS 26 for English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. The practical use case for calls is narrower than the headline suggests - both callers need iOS 26 devices for the peer-to-peer version - but it functions well enough in the scenarios it covers. Battery life at 8 hours ANC-on is a full two hours longer than the Pro 2, and the 5-minutes-for-1-hour quick charge is fast enough to cover a forgotten top-up before a meeting.

The AirPods Pro 3 is deeply optimized for Apple ecosystem users and meaningfully less useful for everyone else. Full feature access requires an iPhone, Android support is limited, there's no equalizer, and LDAC is absent. The MagSafe case holds only two additional full charges before it needs a wall connection, which is the most constrained case capacity here. Some users note that fit stability was not fully resolved by the new design - the thicker foam-hybrid eartips require a twist to seat correctly, and users with atypical ear anatomy may still find fit inconsistent.

For iPhone users who spend significant time on FaceTime, Zoom, and phone calls throughout a work day, nothing in this group matches what the AirPods Pro 3 does inside Apple's ecosystem. The automatic device switching is faster and more reliable than any cross-platform multipoint I've tested, and Conversation Awareness - which lowers music volume and reduces background noise when you begin speaking to someone nearby - is the kind of small feature that changes how you use earbuds in a shared office without you noticing it's doing anything.

Summary: AirPods Pro 3 brings meaningfully improved ANC, updated microphone architecture, and 8-hour ANC battery life to Apple's flagship earbud line. For iPhone users, no other pair in this group covers the full call-and-listening use case as completely.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Review

Android Ace

Samsung's approach to call quality on the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is called Super Clear Call, and it combines three microphones per earbud with a Voice Pickup Unit and Deep Neural Network noise reduction to capture speech at 16 kHz Super Wideband - a frequency range that makes voices sound noticeably more natural and less compressed than standard narrowband call audio. The Buds 3 Pro was criticized for mumbled voice pickup in testing, and the Buds 4 Pro addresses that gap with enough improvement that it now competes credibly for call quality against the best earbuds here. I tested these on a Samsung S25 across a week of real calls - coffee shops, open offices, a noisy train platform - and voice isolation held up well across all three.

The dual-driver architecture - a dynamic woofer paired with a planar tweeter - gives the Buds 4 Pro the widest soundstage in this group for music, and a bass response that several reviewers describe as the most engaging here. For calls, the wide stereo presentation makes voices on conference calls sound more spacious and easier to follow than the compressed mono imaging of earlier Galaxy earbuds. Adaptive ANC 2.0 adjusts automatically between environments, and the IP57 rating - matching the AirPods Pro 3 and bettering the IPX4 competitors - makes these genuinely appropriate for outdoor use in rain.

Bluetooth 6.1 is the newest standard here and brings a 984-foot rated range, though the more relevant benefit in daily use is connection stability in dense wireless environments. The compact square case with a transparent top supports both USB-C and wireless charging, and at 5.1g per bud the Buds 4 Pro are the lightest earbuds in this group - a difference you notice during extended Zoom days. The stem design and pinch controls are comfortable for most ear shapes, and Samsung Galaxy device owners unlock head gesture controls for managing calls and notifications without touching the earbuds.

The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is the most ecosystem-dependent pair here for feature completeness. Full AI integration, 360 spatial audio with head tracking, and the Samsung Seamless Codec for high-res audio all require a compatible Samsung Galaxy device. On an iPhone, you get basic playback and call functions with no app support - a significant limitation. Multipoint is also restricted to Galaxy devices, meaning a Samsung phone and Galaxy tablet combination rather than cross-brand switching. For a fully cross-platform user, this is the least flexible option in the group.

ANC performance at 84% noise reduction is strong for the category, though behind the Sony WF-1000XM6's 88% in controlled testing. The 6-hour ANC battery is the same as Bose's and on the shorter side relative to the Technics and Sony options here. For Samsung Galaxy users who want the best-matching earbuds for their ecosystem, with genuinely improved call quality over the previous generation and the widest soundstage in this roundup, the Buds 4 Pro is the clear choice. Anyone outside that ecosystem should look elsewhere.

Summary: Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro improves substantially on its predecessor with Super Clear Call, dual-driver audio, and Bluetooth 6.1. Galaxy users get the most from this pair - everyone else would be leaving half the feature set on the table.

Sony WF-1000XM6 Review

ANC Champion

No other earbud in this roundup dedicates as much hardware to the call experience as the Sony WF-1000XM6. Eight microphones total - four per earbud - paired with a bone conduction sensor and Sony's QN3e dedicated noise-cancelling processor gives it the highest noise reduction figure in independent testing at 88%, with particular strength at mid-to-high frequencies where voices, office chatter, and HVAC hum sit. That range matters for calls more than the low-frequency reduction that most ANC systems prioritize, and it's where the XM6 creates the clearest call environments I've tested. Battery life in real-world testing also consistently exceeds Sony's own 8-hour claim, reaching nearly 10 hours in standardized testing.

Sony redesigned the XM6's housing compared to the XM5, moving toward a more rectangular shape aimed at following the natural curve of the ear. The results are mixed depending on ear anatomy. The memory foam tips that ship in the box form an excellent seal once seated correctly, but they require a more deliberate insertion than silicone alternatives - you push them in more firmly and let the foam expand around the canal rather than twisting or pressing against the concha. For users who have found pebble-style earbuds uncomfortable in the past, the XM6 is worth demoing before committing.

LDAC and LC3 codec support puts the XM6 alongside the Technics AZ100 as the best option for Android users who want high-resolution audio alongside call quality. Two-device multipoint works reliably and switches between devices within a second or two. The Sound Connect app works on both iOS and Android with a full set of controls including custom EQ, ANC adjustment, and speak-to-chat mode - which automatically lowers music volume when the earbuds detect you starting a conversation, a feature I've come to rely on during back-to-back meetings more than I expected.

The XM6 is Sony's most ANC-focused product to date, and a few design choices reflect that priority. Touch controls on the outer shell work but lack the precision of pinch or pressure-sensitive systems, and several users prefer aftermarket silicone tips to the included memory foam for easier day-to-day use. IPX4 water resistance is the least protective rating in this group - fine for sweat and light rain, but behind the IP57 of the AirPods Pro 3 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro for outdoor and active use cases.

At a higher price than the other earbuds here, the XM6 earns its position primarily through ANC and microphone hardware that genuinely leads the category in controlled testing. For users who make frequent calls in loud environments - open offices, public transport, construction-adjacent spaces - and want the strongest possible noise floor reduction for both listening and speaking, the WF-1000XM6 is the most purpose-built option in this roundup. If the pebble fit works for your ears, the call performance justifies the premium.

Summary: Sony WF-1000XM6 pairs the deepest noise cancellation in this group with an eight-microphone bone conduction mic system and genuine all-day battery life. If your calls happen in loud environments and the pebble fit works for your ears, nothing here touches it.

Earbuds for Calls and Zoom: FAQ

Do earbuds actually improve call quality compared to laptop or phone speakers?

Yes, in most cases by a significant margin. The best earbuds for calls and Zoom meetings position dedicated microphone arrays close to your mouth and apply directional filtering to isolate your voice from room noise - something a laptop microphone sitting 30 to 50 centimeters away simply can't replicate. The improvement is most noticeable in environments with background noise: an open office, a kitchen, or outdoors. In a quiet room, a good laptop mic competes respectably. The moment background noise becomes a factor, earbud mics with AI noise suppression produce audibly cleaner results on the receiving end.

What is the difference between beamforming microphones and bone conduction for calls?

Beamforming uses multiple microphones to focus capture in a specific direction - toward your mouth - while attenuating sounds from other angles. Bone conduction adds a physical sensor that detects jaw and skull vibrations when you speak, giving the processing system a signal that contains only your voice with no ambient noise at all. Using bone conduction as a reference alongside microphone input allows for more aggressive noise rejection without the artificial voice thinning that digital noise reduction sometimes introduces. The Sony WF-1000XM6 and Bose QC Ultra (2nd Gen) both use bone conduction in their call systems, which is part of why they perform well in high-noise environments.

Are earbuds with better ANC always better for calls?

Not automatically. Strong ANC improves what you hear on a call, but it doesn't directly improve what the other person hears - that depends on microphone quality and noise suppression software. It's entirely possible to have excellent ANC and mediocre call mic performance in the same pair of earbuds. The best earbuds for calls score well on both sides of the equation. When comparing options, I look at microphone performance separately from ANC strength rather than assuming they track together.

How important is multipoint connection for Zoom and work calls?

Very important for anyone who works across a laptop and a phone. Without multipoint, answering a phone call while connected to a laptop Zoom session requires manually disconnecting and reconnecting - a process that typically takes 10 to 20 seconds and reliably cuts the first few words of every phone call. With two-device multipoint, the earbuds detect an incoming call and switch automatically. Three-device multipoint, available only on the Technics EAH-AZ100 in this group, adds a tablet to that equation without requiring any manual management.

Do earbuds work well for Zoom calls specifically, or just phone calls?

Earbuds that perform well on phone calls perform equally well on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Webex. The mic and speaker hardware is the same regardless of the calling platform. Some earbuds have platform-specific voice processing features - the AirPods Pro 3's Voice Isolation works at the iOS system level and applies across every calling app on iPhone automatically - but the core hardware performance is consistent across platforms. What varies is whether a given app correctly detects and uses the earbud mic rather than defaulting to the laptop's built-in microphone. On first use, it's worth opening your Zoom or Teams audio settings and manually selecting the earbuds as both the microphone and speaker input to avoid this issue.

Which earbuds are best for calls in very noisy environments?

The Sony WF-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) are the strongest options for genuinely loud environments. The XM6's eight-microphone bone conduction system targets the mid-to-high frequency range where human voices and ambient chatter overlap, and its 88% noise reduction in standardized testing is the highest figure in this group. The Bose performs similarly well and adds the strongest listening-side ANC available. For construction-level or transit noise, these two outperform the rest of the field on call clarity.

Is battery life a real concern for a full day of work calls?

It depends on your schedule. A standard 8-hour work day with moderate call volume - three to four hours of active call time and the rest as music or silence - is manageable for most earbuds here if you top up the case overnight. The issue arises with consecutive all-day conference days, travel days, or situations where the case isn't accessible. For those scenarios, the Technics EAH-AZ100's 10-hour ANC battery and the Sony WF-1000XM6's near-10-hour real-world figure are the most relevant. The 6-hour options from Bose and Samsung require a midday case top-up under heavy use.

Can I use these earbuds for calls without a smartphone - connected directly to a laptop?

Yes, all five earbuds connect over Bluetooth directly to a laptop and work for calls without a phone present. Most will pair as Bluetooth audio devices and appear in Zoom or Teams as microphone and speaker options. The features that require a smartphone are app-dependent settings like custom EQ, ANC adjustment, and touch control remapping - but the core call function works without a phone. For laptop-only users, the Sony WF-1000XM6 and Technics EAH-AZ100 offer the best cross-platform software support, with apps available on both iOS and Android that also export settings to the earbuds directly.

Choosing the Right Earbuds for Calls and Zoom

After weeks of back-to-back call testing across every environment I could find, the clearest lesson is that the best earbuds for calls aren't necessarily the best earbuds overall. The Sony WF-1000XM6 leads on raw noise figures and mic hardware - if your calls happen in loud environments and the pebble fit works for you, nothing in this group comes close. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) wins on the listening side: callers come through cleaner, ANC is the most effective at quieting a noisy environment, and the bone conduction mic upgrade makes it a real two-way call tool now.

For the broadest daily use case - frequent video calls across a laptop and phone, with music and a commute in between - the Technics EAH-AZ100 is my daily driver and the pair I'd recommend to most people without knowing anything else about their setup. Three-device multipoint, bidirectional AI voice processing, 10 hours of battery, and reference-grade audio in one package is a combination none of the others quite match. The AirPods Pro 3 is the answer for iPhone users who live in Apple's ecosystem, and the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro does the same for the Samsung side - both are genuinely the best earbuds their respective ecosystems have produced for calls.