Best earbuds for phone calls: Anker tops Rolling Stone’s 2026 test
Rolling Stone tested earbuds in quiet rooms and busy streets, naming Anker’s Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro the best for calls.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Rolling Stone has named Anker’s Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro the best earbuds for phone calls in a 2026 roundup led by reviewer Jonathan Zavaleta, who tested microphone performance in quiet rooms and on busy streets.
The guide, published July 24, says the Anker earbuds did the strongest job of cutting background noise during calls, especially in loud places. Rolling Stone notes it may earn an affiliate commission when readers buy independently reviewed products through its links.
What are the best earbuds for phone calls?
According to Rolling Stone’s testing, the top overall pick is the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro, listed at $169.99. Zavaleta reported that traffic and wind were reduced to very low levels in a street recording, while his voice stayed clear enough to beat the other models he tested for noisy-call performance.
The full list spans six picks, with each model given a different job for different buyers:
- Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro: best overall, $169.99
- Nothing Ear: best design, $99, shown down from $159
- Apple AirPods Pro 3: best for iOS, $199.99, shown down from $249
- Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro: best for Android, $249
- Sony WF-1000XM6: best splurge, $329.99
- Technics EAH-AZ100 Earbuds: best sound quality, $299.99
Zavaleta said nearly all wireless earbuds have microphones now, yet music quality does not guarantee strong call quality. His test focused on how well each pair captured speech and separated a voice from noise, with recordings used instead of live calls to avoid problems such as unstable cell service.
Why stem-style earbuds helped in the test
Rolling Stone found that stemmed earbuds, including AirPods-style designs, tended to do better on calls than pod-shaped models. Zavaleta attributed that to microphone placement, since a stem brings the mic closer to the mouth.
The review also weighed active noise canceling, fast phone pairing, battery life and controls, all features that can matter during long calls or quick switches between devices. Zavaleta still considered music playback, saying buyers are unlikely to use earbuds only for phone conversations.
How the other picks performed
Rolling Stone praised the Nothing Ear for its transparent design, customizable controls, solid active noise canceling and dependable call microphones. Zavaleta said the pricier Nothing Ear performed better on calls than the cheaper Ear (a), and noted support for Google Fast Pair plus multipoint connection with up to two devices.
For iPhone owners, Rolling Stone chose Apple’s AirPods Pro 3. Zavaleta cited fast pairing with iPhones, strong active noise canceling, adaptive noise control, voice isolation and simple pinch controls for answering or declining calls. He also reported that Apple increased earbud battery life from six to eight hours, while the charging case battery life declined.
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds4 Pro were named Rolling Stone’s Android pick. Zavaleta said the earbuds offered clear, natural call audio and strong music quality, while also noting that some background noise came through during calls in noisy settings.
Sony’s WF-1000XM6 took the splurge slot, and Technics’ EAH-AZ100 was listed as the sound-quality pick. Rolling Stone’s lineup makes one message plain for shoppers: call performance depends as much on microphones and noise handling as it does on how good the earbuds sound with music.
This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.