Make hands-free calls with these Bluetooth headsets
Bluetooth headphones and earbuds are all the rage these days, and rightfully so. However, Bluetooth headsets are less bulky for some people and focus on delivering a great hands-free phone call experience, so they might just be the better purchase. Whether home or on the go, a headset is an easy way to stay on top of your work in a distracting environment. For us, the Plantronics Voyager Legend is one of the best Bluetooth headsets around, but there are plenty of other options on this list worth considering.
Best overall: Plantronics Voyager Legend (Poly)
Even though wireless earbuds are the new hot ticket item, there's a surprising amount of Bluetooth headsets still kicking around in 2021. Among them all, we think the best pick for most people is the Plantronics Voyager Legend. The Voyager isn't the most premium Bluetooth headset out there, but we believe it offers the best overall experience and value.
Plantronics' design for the Voyager Legend is simple and minimalistic in all the right ways. It hooks over your ear with ease, and thanks to Smart Sensor Technology, the Voyager Legend can automatically detect when it's worn. In real-world use, this means you can accept a call just by placing the headset on your ear without having to press any buttons.
Other highlights include a triple-mic array that cancels out unwanted background noise, a nano-coating that allows for water resistance, and a battery that's rated to last for up to seven hours of talk time on one charge. When you aren't using the Voyager Legend, it tucks away nicely in the premium carrying case.
A lot is offered here, and for the price Plantronics is asking, you're getting one heck of a deal.
Pros:- Simple design
- Noise cancellation
- Wear detection
- Water resistance
- Relatively short battery life
$80 at Amazon$80 at Best Buy$74 at Walmart
Best of the best
For most people, the Voyager Legend is the best Bluetooth headset money can buy. It looks great and offers fantastic features.
Best budget pick: New Bee Bluetooth Earpiece
If spending as little as possible is at the top of your priority list, we recommend checking out the simply-named New Bee Bluetooth Earpiece. This is the most affordable headset we picked out, and while it may not offer the absolute best experience, the value proposition offered is tough to argue with.
The design of New Bee's headset isn't anything special. The plastic over-ear design gets the job done, but it doesn't go any further than that. It's perfectly functional and comfortable, but pizazz is not a word in its vocabulary (although the white and gold colors do spice things up just a little bit).
New Bee includes additional earbud tips to help you get the perfect fit. CVC 6.0 technology is present to help eliminate background noise for crystal clear calls, and you can expect 24 hours of talk time with charging taking between 2-3 hours.
Pros:- Comfortable and lightweight
- Additional earbud tips
- Noise-canceling
- Extremely affordable
- Three-year warranty
- Uninspired design
- Not the greatest sound quality
- Short battery life
From $18 at Amazon$19 at Walmart
For tight budgets
Trying to save as much money as possible? New Bee's Bluetooth headset offers a good feature set at a truly incredible price.
Best for multiple phones: Jabra Talk 55
For folks with multiple phones they regularly take calls from, we could easily recommend the Jabra Talk 55 as the best option. Jabra's headset crams in just about everything you could ask for, and while the price is on the higher end, you do get what you pay for.
Right off the bat, the Talk 55 sports an excellent design. The headset is lightweight and comfortable to wear, the sturdy connection and HD Voice make long phone calls a breeze, and the minimalist design allows people of all ear shapes and sizes to wear the headset with ease. It's smaller than other options on this list, but it shouldn't feel loose or threaten to fall out.
One of the best features of the Talk 55 headset is the ability to pair it with two devices at once, allowing you to seamlessly switch back and forth between two different Bluetooth connections. If you have a work and personal phone, this could really come in handy. While you're at it, you can also listen to GPS directions or music and podcasts in between calls.
You'll also be treated to a battery that lasts for up to 10 hours of talk time, plus a handy charging cradle where you can store the headset when you don't need to use it.
Pros:- Simple design that's easy to wear
- Connect to two devices at once
- Fantastic sound quality
- One-touch voice assistant access
- Good battery life
- Pricier than other mono headsets
Get this if you have multiple phones
If you take calls from more than one phone, you need the Jabra Talk 55 to connect two phones simultaneously.
Best noise-cancelation: BlueParrott B450-XT
If you're a truck driver or someone that deals with a lot of background noise, chances are you want a Bluetooth headset that can block out as much sound as possible. If that sounds like you, the BlueParrott B450-XT is an excellent pick-up.
This is far from being a compact headset, but that bulky design has a purpose. Do you see that huge earpiece and microphone? With this setup, BlueParrot says the B450-XT can cancel out 96% of all background sound. Seriously.
In addition to the powerful noise-cancellation, the B450-XT also comes equipped with incredible sound quality, a comfortable design, Bluetooth 4.0, the ability to connect up to two devices at once, and over 24 hours of talk time.
You'll pay a pretty penny for the B450-XT, but considering everything you're getting, it's money well spent.
Pros:- Unmatched noise-cancellation
- Powerful sound
- Comfortable
- Pairs with two devices at once
- 24+ hours of battery life
- Bulky
- High price
$180 at Amazon$170 at Best Buy
Block out the world around you
For people that need to take calls in noisy environments, the BlueParrott B45-XT is the clear choice (even with its high price).
Best premium headset: BlueParrot M300-XT
Some of you reading this list are likely budget-conscious and don't want to throw too much money at your next Bluetooth headset. But if your budget is more flexible, the BlueParrot M300-XT is worth splurging for because of its excellent combination of features and performance.
While not the absolute smallest headset around, it is one of the slimmest and lightest, which is a huge benefit for folks who are always on the go. You also get to utilize the two built-in noise-canceling microphones that can block out up to 80% of background noise. To help keep phone calls clear at all times. It's also nice that you can talk further away, as the M300-XT can stay connected up to 300 feet away, though real-world scenarios will probably only give you a fraction of that. With the free BlueParrot app, you can also customize some of these features.
You can also do it with relative freedom in varying conditions. The IP54 rating gives you a moderate level of protection from tougher situations, which is excellent because the headset supports muting and push-to-talk. Since you can connect to two devices simultaneously, you're always in the loop with whoever needs to talk to you.
You can do all this for up to 14 hours per charge and up to 420 hours of standby time, so no need to be as anxious about whether you can make it through a full day at work wearing this thing.
Pros:- Premium design
- Slim and lightweight
- Excellent sound quality
- Solid noise cancelation
- Connect to two devices at once
- Good battery life
- Further distance isn't as clear
- Not as flexible on fit
$99 at Amazon$100 at Best Buy $100 at B&H
The right price for something nice
BlueParrot's M300-XT headset isn't as affordable compared to others, but you do get a high-end experience worth the money.
Best for battery life: TECKNET Trucker Bluetooth Headset
Get up to an impressive 32-36 hours of playtime (up to four days standby) with this Bluetooth headset that is comfortable to wear all day thanks to the lightweight design and adjustable headband made of soft protein leather with anti-slip padding. The mic is also rotatable and reversible to use on your left or right side.
Offering AI Noise Cancelling technology, they help reduce up to 99.6% of transmitting noise, so customers, clients, or whoever is on the other line won't hear your background noise. Use the mute key to easily turn the mic off when you need to tell the kids to get back to bed or talk with a co-worker in person. Connecting via Bluetooth 5.0 for a fast and stable signal, you can even connect two Bluetooth devices at the same time.
Finished in black, the highly-rated over-ear headset is ideal for working anywhere, conferences, or using at the office so you can keep your hands free to multitask.
Pros:- Long battery life
- Lightweight and comfortable design
- Can be connected to two devices at once
- Mic can be worn on left or right side
- Overhead design not for everyone
Lasts all day
With impressive up to 36-hour battery life, this headset will last all day whether you're on the road or at home
Bottom lineAs you can see, the Bluetooth headset market is chock-full of some pretty great options. We think you'll be happy with any of the picks on this list, but among everything else, we consider the Plantronics Voyager Legend to be the best overall choice. When you're enjoying downtime, a Bluetooth headset for gaming can also come in handy.
The Voyager Legends strikes a great balance of offering a high-end headset experience without costing too much money. Some highlights are a superb design, top-notch sound quality, noise-cancelation, and Plantronics' Smart Sensor Technology. Battery life is on the weaker side of things, but this pain point is remedied a bit with fast charging speeds.
Credits - The team that worked on this guide
Ted Kritsonis loves taking photos when the opportunity arises, be it on a camera or smartphone. Beyond sports and world history, you can find him tinkering with gadgets or enjoying a cigar.