Ever used your phone in hands-free mode? If you have, you’ll know it… doesn’t really work that well. Ambient noise is a killer, and your microphone is apt to pick up all kinds of unwanted sounds, even if you’re in a quiet home office. Try having a speakerphone conversation in a café or busy office and you’ll find you’re in the aural equivalent of World War III.
The answer: a Bluetooth headset. These little beauties let you talk hands-free with superlative sound – and the latest models offer spectacular battery life at very affordable prices. If you’ve had enough of having your phone clamped to your ear, this is the roundup for you.
How to buy the best Bluetooth headset for you
Grand designs
Don’t like poking things in your ears? You’ve come to the wrong bar-fight because most Bluetooth headsets are of the inner-ear variety. Over-ear headsets certainly exist, but they’re designed for pros who do nothing but talk all day, and they come with prices to match.
The good news is that an in-ear headset doesn’t need to be uncomfortable. Many models are very small and light, and some come with a variety of different-sized rubber plugs to ensure a good fit. Or, there may be a loop that hooks over the back of your ear for security.
Even so, it’s wise to be cautious when it comes to comfort: in-ear headphones are exempt from most returns policies, so if you wear one for a bit and decide it’s uncomfortable, you may not be able to return it.
Audio quality
For dependable audio quality, look for HD Voice support. This industry standard, also known as wideband audio, delivers a wider frequency range than your standard landline, so if your phone (and mobile provider) supports it, it should guarantee good, clear sound. A decent digital signal processor (DSP) can help too, using electronic processing to clean up and enhance the incoming voice signal so it sounds like you’re face to face.
Microphone quality
The microphone quality on virtually any Bluetooth headset will be head and shoulders above that of your run-of-the-mill smartphone, so don’t worry too much about that. If you want to use your headset in noisy environments, however, it’s worth looking out for active noise cancelling, which monitors ambient noise and digitally cancels it out, to ensure your voice is clearly audible.
Battery life
Battery life is split into two variables for Bluetooth headsets; talk time and standby time. Manufacturer’s claims may not entirely translate to the real world, but if a headset promises a nine-hour talk time then that should see you through a few days’ worth of usage between charges. If you don’t want to be caught short, look for a headset that offers a display or audio notification to let you know exactly how much charge is remaining.
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The best Bluetooth headsets to buy in 2018
1. Sony MBH20: The best Bluetooth headset for ease of use
Price: £25
Sony’s headset is certainly an understated bit of design. “Simple” barely covers it: there’s a single status LED, a micro-USB socket for charging, one multi-function button and… nothing else. There’s not even a volume control, so if you want to turn the sound up you’ll need to do it on your phone, which is no good if you’re driving and struggling to hear.
Still, that compact design – it measures just 45mm long and 17mm high, and weighs a mere eight grams – makes the MBH20 a lovely little lozenge of technology, which fitted securely and comfortably during testing. The only drawback is the lack of alternative ear coverings, which means if you find it slightly loose or slightly too big you aren’t able to pop on a new cover for a better fit.
Audio and voice quality is superb, and it’s got some clever technical tricks too: multipoint support allows you to connect it to two phones simultaneously, while the single button lets you flick between two ongoing calls or reject an incoming call while engaged on another. The MBH20 doesn’t offer the wealth of features or adaptability of other devices, but it does a great job of the basics and is absolutely superb value.
Key specs – Bluetooth: 3.0; Profiles: Hands-free 1.6, headset; Range: Not stated; Multipoint: Yes; HD Voice: No; NFC: No; Charge connector: Micro-USB; Talk time: 7 hours; Standby: 29 days; Dimensions: 46 x 17 x 9mm; Weight: 8g
2. Plantronics Voyager 3200: The best high-end Bluetooth headset
Price: £75
Not satisfied with a simple speaker and microphone combo? Enter the feature-stuffed Voyager 3200 headset, whose futuristic design packs in no fewer than three microphones for tip-top voice quality as well as active noise cancelling.
Other clever tricks include NFC pairing for compatible phones, and dedicated buttons for turning the headset on and off - plus a large middle button for starting and finishing calls, and physical volume controls. There’s also a companion app for Android or iOS: you can use this to exchange the American voice that warns you when you’re at maximum volume for a British one. The app also features a handy “Find My Headset” feature, which emits a loud noise from the headset or uses your phone’s location services to tell you the last place your phone was paired with it.
The headset’s battery promises six hours of talk time, but if that’s not enough, the optional charging case comes with an integrated battery to provide a further ten hours. There’s also a tiny USB connector, allowing you to connect the Voyager 3200 to a PC or Mac for use with Skype or other telephony applications.
Our only gripe with the Voyager 3200 is that it didn’t stay put in our ears with just the standard plugs; we had to use the slightly less chic plastic hook, but once in place there was no wobble and, after a while, we forgot we were wearing it. For those who are on the phone more often than off it, the Plantronics Voyager 3200 is the Rolls-Royce of Bluetooth headsets, with features galore.
Key specs – Bluetooth: 4.1; Profiles: A2DP, hands-free 1.6, headset 1.2; Range: 30m; Multipoint: Yes; HD Voice: No; NFC: Yes; Charge connector: Micro-USB; Talk time: 6 hours (plus 10 with optional charging case); Standby: 7 days; Dimensions: 67 x 23 x 23mm; Weight: 9g
3. Jabra Talk 2: The best budget Bluetooth headset
Price:£24
The Jabra Talk 2 isn’t exactly a beautiful piece of kit, but there’s a lot to like about it – not least its HD Voice compatibility, low 8.5g weight and ease of use. Its physical volume control buttons might not sound like a big deal, but they make it feel friendlier to use than the Sony.
Audio quality is excellent, thanks to HD Voice support, and our correspondents reported loud and clear reception on the other end, which might have something to do with the Talk 2’s generous four microphones.
What’s more, like the Plantronics, it comes with a useful app for Android and iOS, which allows you to check up on battery life, see the last place your headset was paired with your phone, and even read out your text messages. High design it ain’t, but frequent callers on a budget should have the Talk 2 high on their shortlist.
Key specs – Bluetooth: 4.1; Profiles: A2DP, hands-free 1.6, headset 1.2; Range: 30m; Multipoint: Yes; HD Voice: Yes; NFC: No; Charge connector: Micro-USB; Talk time: 9 hours; Standby: 9 days; Dimensions: 49 x 15 x 10mm; Weight: 8.5g
4. Jabra Motion: The most stylish Bluetooth headset
Price:£73
Looking more like a Star Trek prop than a piece of office equipment, the Jabra Motion is a neat little apostrophe of a headset that packs plenty of features – as you’d hope, given its price. Twin microphones provide excellent voice pickup and wind protection, and the clever Call Control feature automatically answers the phone when you pick the headset up to wear it. NFC support, meanwhile, means you can pair it with a new device simply by tapping the two gadgets together.
A final nice touch: when not in use, the arm holding the microphone can be flipped up, allowing you to stick the Jabra Motion in a pocket without worrying about snapping bits off. Other devices, which rely on thin plastic frames to secure them behind your ear, feel a little less chuck-and-go.
Key specs – Bluetooth: 4.0; Profiles: A2DP, hands-free 1.6, headset 1.2; Range: 100m with class 1 devices, 10m with class 2 devices; Multipoint: Yes; HD Voice: Yes; NFC: Yes; Charge connector: Micro-USB; Talk time: 7 hours; Standby: 15 days; Dimensions: 102 x 15 x 70mm; Weight: 18g
5. Plantronics Explorer 500: The most practical Bluetooth headset
Price:£40
The Plantronics Explorer 500 is a neat little headset with a few slick design touches. Cleverly, its lanyard-style USB charging cable has magnetic ends, allowing it to be clipped to itself for looping over something so it doesn’t get lost. You can leave the Explorer 500 firmly plugged in so everything stays together.
Twin omnidirectional microphones provide excellent clarity and noise-cancelling, while HD Voice support ensures crystalline call quality. We appreciate the inline volume and power controls, which make life easy, and at 7.5g it’s extremely light too. As with the more expensive B3200, you can also use Plantronics’ app to locate the Explorer 500 if it slips down the back of the sofa and to localise the accent of the voice prompts.
Key specs – Bluetooth: 4.1; Profiles: A2DP, hands-free 1.6, headset 1.1; Range: Not stated; Multipoint: Yes; HD Voice: Yes; NFC: No; Charge connector: Micro-USB; Talk time: 7 hours; Standby: 12 days; Dimensions: Not stated; Weight: 7.5g