Make hands-free calls with these Bluetooth headsets

Bluetooth headphones and earbuds are all the rage these days, and rightfully so. However, for some people, Bluetooth headsets are less bulky and focus on delivering a great hands-free phone call experience, so they might just be the better purchase. Especially if you’re now working from home, 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

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 think 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 being 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 being 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

Cons:

• Relatively short battery life

Best Overall

Plantronics – Voyager Legend (Poly)

From $80 at Amazon
$80 at Best Buy
$97 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 that’s 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.

That’s quite the package for such a low price, and as icing on the cake, New Bee goes as far as to include a three-year warranty just in case anything goes wrong.

Pros:

• Comfortable and lightweight
• Additional earbud tips
• Noise-canceling
• Extremely affordable
• Three-year warranty

Cons:

• Uninspired design
• Not the greatest sound quality
• Short battery life

Best Budget Pick

New bee Bluetooth Earpiece V5.0

From $18 at Amazon

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: YAMAY Bluetooth Headset

For folks with multiple phones they regularly take calls from, our top recommendation goes to the YAMAY Bluetooth Headset. YAMAY’s headset crams in just about everything you could ask for, and it does so at a price that’s quite compelling.

Right off the bat, this is an excellent design. The headset is lightweight and comfortable to wear, the soft ear pads make long phone calls a breeze, and the flexible headband allows people of all head shapes/sizes to wear the headset with ease. It’s bulkier than other options on this list, but it shouldn’t cause a strain.

One of the best features of the YAMAY headset is the ability to pair it with two devices at once, allowing you to switch back and forth between two different Bluetooth connections seamlessly. If you have a work and personal phone, this could come in handy a lot.

You’ll also be treated to a battery that lasts for up to 17 hours of talk time, and a handy charging cradle where you can store the headset when you don’t need to use it, and a competitive price tag.

Pros:

• Flexible headband and easy to wear
• Can be connected to two devices at once
• Fantastic sound quality
• Good battery life

Cons:

• Bulkier than other headsets

Best for Multiple Phones

YAMAY Wireless Headset with Microphone

$35 at Amazon
$42 at Walmart

Get this if you have multiple phones

If you take calls from more than one phone, you need the YAMAY Bluetooth Headset — it can be connected to two phones at once!

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 a great 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

Cons:

• Bulky
• High price

Best Noise-Cancelation

BlueParrott B450-XT Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headset

$169 at Amazon
$169 at Walmart
$205 at Staples

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: Sennheiser Presence UC

Some of you reading this list are likely budget-conscious and don’t want to throw too much money at your next Bluetooth headset. However, if you happen to be on the opposite end of the spectrum and don’t have a budget you need to stick to, the Sennheiser Presence UC is worth splurging for.

This is one of the smallest Bluetooth headsets we’ve found, and for folks that are always on the go, that’s a huge benefit. You also get access to Sennheiser’s SpeakFocus technology that uses three digital microphones to enhance the quality of your voice no matter what kind of environment you’re in. Similarly, ActiveGuard Technology aims to keep your ears safe from sudden sound bursts.

Other highlights of the Presence UC include the ability to connect it to two devices at once, a premium carrying case, and a two-year warranty to keep your purchase protected.

Pros:

• Premium design
• Extremely compact
• Crystal clear sound
• Connect to two devices at once
• Two-year warranty

Cons:

• Most expensive option on this list

Best Premium Headset

Sennheiser Presence UC (504576)

$212 at Amazon
$164 at Walmart
$150 at B&H

Treat yourself to something nice

Sennheiser’s Presence UC headset isn’t affordable, but if you want a high-end experience, this is one of your best options.

Best for Battery Life: TaoTronics Trucker Bluetooth Headset

Get up to an impressive 34 hours of playtime with these long-lasting wireless earphones that are also comfortable to wear all day thanks to the lightweight design and adjustable headband that can fit any head size and shape. It also includes an anti-slip pad that helps keep it securely in place.

Offering AI Noise Reduction Technology, they help reduce background noise up to 40dB so you can still hear in noisy environments. Connecting via Bluetooth 5.0, you’ll get a fast and stable signal as well, and you can even connect two Bluetooth devices at the same time.

It has buttons for mute, redial, answer, reject, end, and transfer, and buttons to adjust call volume up or down. Finished in black, the over-ear headset is ideal for working from home, virtual school, conferences, and more.

Pros:

• Long battery life
• Lightweight and comfortable design
• Can be connected to two devices at once

Cons:

• Overhead design not for everyone
• Can be expensive

Best for Battery Life

TaoTronics Trucker Bluetooth Headset

$49 at Amazon
$70 at Walmart

Lasts all day

With impressive 34-hour battery life, this headset will last all day whether you’re on the road or at home

Bottom line

As 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, especially now that you’re working from home, but among everything else, we consider the Plantronics Voyager Legend to be the best overall choice.

The Voyager Legends strikes a great balance of offering a high-end headset experience without costing too much money. Some of the 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 with fast charging speeds, this pain point is remedied a bit.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Joe Maring Joe is Android Central’s News Editor. He loves talking about all things tech, but smart wearables are what get him really excited (just ask the drawer of smartwatches in his office). He also likes coffee and goes to Starbucks far too often. Have a tip? Send an email to joe.maring@futurenet.com or hit him up on Twitter @JoeMaring1