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Best New Bluetooth Headsets for Your Phone
A few years ago, Bluetooth headsets were rarely seen in public, and early adopters were accused of making both fashion and etiquette faux pas.
But the proliferating bans on driving while holding a phone, coupled with people's discovery of hands-free convenience, has rendered the devices standard-issue these days.
And headsets continue to improve in both sound quality and features. Most new devices utilize one or more noise-canceling technologies, such as dual microphones and voice optimization (which suppresses ambient noise for less distortion). Some headsets use a boom (which extends the microphone closer to the mouth), and better in-ear designs either eliminate the dorky ear loop altogether or relegate it to an optional add-on.
Some of these Bluetooth devices boast A2DP technology in order to wirelessly stream music from a phone. And designers are finally paying attention to fashion, not just functionality.
To help you find the best match for your ear, we've taken some of the newer Bluetooth headsets out for a test drive, using them on calls everywhere from noisy city streets to wireless-saturated offices and homes (where there's a lot of potential interference). We evaluated them on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent) for sound quality, ease of use (especially for tasks like pairing and answering calls on the fly), comfort, and aesthetics (you know, so you don't look like a 'Bluetool' while you're wearing it). Take a look at our favorites.
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