Best Bluetooth headset 2021: top picks for hands-free conference calls and home working
Choosing the best Bluetooth headset is crucial, as they can be useful bits of kit for anyone who heavily relies on their phones. With many of us now needing to work from home, we use our phones more than ever for everything from staying in touch with our colleagues to ordering meals from food delivery apps.
A Bluetooth headset can make your work and personal lives infinitely easier. Picking the best Bluetooth headset for you, unfortunately, isn’t as easy. There’s a myriad of knockoffs and imitations out there, with some devices looking similar with boasting features and functionality that can vary wildly.
More importantly, you have to consider things like audio quality, recording quality, and noise cancellation. After all, a headset is of no use if you’re constantly having connectivity issues or cannot year what the caller is saying.
If you're looking to find a great Bluetooth headset, you've come to the right place. We've listed the very best Bluetooth headsets for business and home users. No matter if you're in a car or at your desk, one of these will allow you to enjoy the benefits of hands-free calling. When compiling this list, we picked devices that make taking calls quick, easy and safe, whether you're driving, using equipment or typing on a keyboard.
- Not quite what you're looking for? Check out our pick of the best Bluetooth headphones and best Bluetooth speakers
But a headset is no use if you can't hear what your caller is saying – and that's why we've made sure every entry in this best Bluetooth headset list offers both high-end audio quality from your callers and excellent recording quality to boot. The best Bluetooth headsets will also offer noise cancellation, which is important as it means no matter how loud the environment you're in, the people you're talking to should be able to hear your voice without any issues.
A Bluetooth headset can make your constant calling life infinitely easier, although choosing the very best of them among the myriad knockoffs and imitations can be a pain. And even if there are some devices that look similar, the actual features and functionality can vary wildly.
But don’t worry, below you'll find the very best Bluetooth headsets currently available, and we've used our price comparison tool to help you find the top deals as well.
Best Bluetooth headsets at a glance
- Plantronics Voyager 5200
- Sony MBH22
- Plantronics Explorer 500
- Jabra Stealth
- Sennheiser Presence UC
- Jabra Steel
- Plantronics M70
- Jabra Wave
1. Plantronics Voyager 5200
Great for work and play
Weight: 2kg | Battery life: 7 hours | NFC: No | Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 4.1
The Plantronics Voyager 5200 is one of the very best Bluetooth headsets around, from a brand name that is well respected when it comes to headsets. It's designed with comfort in mind, so you can wear it for extended periods without it bothering you and it sits securely in place too, so it won't fall off. It's also completely hands free, as caller ID will announce the name of whoever is calling you and you can simply say "answer" to take the call. Its noise-cancelling is effective even in busy environments and multiple microphones ensure strong voice quality, for a great all-round Bluetooth headset. Its also coated in sweat proof material which gives it a robustness that other Bluetooth headsets lack.
2. Sony MBH22
Smart, simple and reliable
Weight: 9.3g | Battery life: 6 hours talk time / 8 days standby | Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 4.2
The Sony MBH20 headset used to sit at this point in our list. It was a simple, easy-to-use headset with good battery life, but it's since been replaced by the MBH22. Although they both have a similar, simple design, this latest model is packing some newer features.
There are the same minimal buttons, but now there's a USB Type-C connector instead of an older microUSB port. It's still a good, comfortable fit although there is only one earpiece, which means that might not be the case for everyone.
You can connect two phones at the same time to switch between calls if you're that in demand, as well as smart access to Google Assistant and Siri.
3. Plantronics Explorer 500
Compact and discrete
Weight: 7.5g | Battery life: 7 hours | NFC: No | Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 4.1
Plantronics simply makes phenomenal Bluetooth headsets, which is why it should come as no surprise that this isn’t the first Plantronics headset to make it on the list of the best Bluetooth headsets, and it certainly won’t be the last. The Plantronics Explorer 500 is built to be compact and discreet, but there is a huge amount of tech built into this tiny package, including three microphones and a boom arm for stellar voice quality. Its small size does mean its battery life isn't exactly on the same level as some competitors, but at seven hours of talk time it's still very passable.
4. Jabra Stealth
Small and stylish
Weight: 7.9g | Battery life: 6 hours | Wireless range: 10m | NFC: No | Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 4
The Jabra Stealth is one of the nicest designed Bluetooth headsets in our roundup, and not only does it look good, it also feels comfortable to wear. It's not quite as small and unnoticeable as its name suggests, but with such a nice design, you won't really mind that much. Perhaps most importantly, sound quality on this headset is excellent, and it does a good job of limiting background noise picked up by its mic as well. This is definitely a Bluetooth headset worth investing in if you rely on voice-free calls.
5. Sennheiser Presence UC
Multi-connectivity headset
Weight: 13g | Battery life: 10 hours | Wireless range: 25m | NFC: No | Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 4.0
The Sennheiser Presence UC is a brilliant Bluetooth headset if you work in a fast-paced environment where you need to multitask, as it has a multi-connectivity feature that connects to both your phone and computer, so you can quickly switch between the two. It has very good sound and recording quality, and talk time is also very impressive. It's not the most comfortable headset, however, so if you need something that you're going to wear all day, then something like the Jabra Motion will be better suited to your needs.
6. Jabra Steel
A robust headset for outdoor use
Weight: 10g | Battery life: 6 hours | Wireless range: 30m | NFC: Yes | Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 4.1
If you work outside in noisy environments, and need a robust Bluetooth headset that can eliminate background sounds, then the Jabra Steel is the best Bluetooth headset for you. Resistant to dust, dirt and water, it can also survive high drops, making it an excellent headset for outdoor use - and it comes with a 5 year warranty as well. It also features aggressive noise cancellation which will make your voice calls nice and clear, even if you work somewhere where there is a lot of background noise. Sadly, though, there's no physical volume control buttons on the actual headset, which makes it a bit annoying if you need to adjust loudness.
7. Plantronics M70
Small price, big features
Weight: 8g | Battery life: 11 hours | NFC: No | Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 3.0
The Plantronics M70 is the successor to the popular M55, and like its forbear, it is a budget headset, but you get a lot for your money. While it doesn't have a premium build it's perfectly comfortable to wear, it supports voice commands for truly hands-free use and the sound quality is good, especially when aided by the built in noise-cancelling tech. The M70 also has a DeepSleep mode which activates when it's separated from a paired smartphone for 90 minutes and leaves it with up to five months of battery life, but simply bring your phone within range and it will quickly wake up again.
- This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Plantronics Voyager Edge
8. Jabra Wave
A great Bluetooth headset for chatterboxes
Weight: 13.3g | Battery life: 8 hours | Wireless range: 10m | NFC: No | Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 3.0
With a talk time of over eight hours the Jabra Wave is a Bluetooth headset which just keeps going and going, making it a great choice if you're going to be away from a charger for an extended period. Its fairly large size means it's not the most discreet of headsets, but it's a worthwhile trade-off for all that battery life. It also features strong audio quality and is good at suppressing noise, especially wind. Add to that easy pairing and the ability to connect it to two devices at once and the Jabra Wave is a good option.
- This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Plantronics Voyager Edge
- In the market for wireless headphones rather than a headset? We've got you covered there too.
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