Theoretically, any headphone that has a mini-jack can be used with a smartphone. Theoretically. In real life, there are a few things to keep in mind:
London calling
Anyone listening to music or podcasts on their smartphones will hear incoming calls via a ring tone. If one wanted to accept the conversation, miserable fumbling is necessary, which was already sufficiently documented in various funny movies.
So, the first requirement for a smartphone headset is: you need a microphone and a phone control. In simpler models, this is a button that interrupts the music and accepts the conversation. Better models have that feature set integrated in a controller …
Skip
Pause, back and forth, turn the volume up and down. You do not want to grab your smartphone when you want to skip a track or change its volume, especially when doing sports. So please consider a headphone with a good remote control, offering buttons for music control, but also additional features such as activation of voice assistants like Siri or Alexa.
Universal
One smartphone headset for all your mobile phone models? Many manufacturers offer different versions for different devices! Again, you definitely should pay attention to it. As certain smartphone protocols vary, manufactures sometimes sell the same model but optimized for Apple iOS or Android, i.e. Samsung, Sony, HTC, LG and others.
Impedance
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind comes at the end. Smartphones supply their headphone jack output only with relatively little power. This means that a headphone needs to have a low impedance to work properly, typically around 20 to 80 ohms. Here at headphonecheck.com we measure the impedance and you can find this important spec in the sidebar of the respective review. The higher the impedance, the less volume a headphone have!
With the Epic Air ANC, the American manufacturer JLabs have incorporated several features that mobile users swear by: long playing time, active noise cancellation, convenient music control and telephony. In addition, its balanced sound with self-confident bass is pleasing, and it can be adjusted to suit your personal taste via configurable graphic EQ in four modes.
Bowers & Wilkins like to take their time in the innovation race and do not always try to jump on the technology-driven bandwagon immediately. Better late and done properly was what I thought when B&W announced the first True Wireless in-ears in their range with the PI5 and PI7.
KEF, the renowned British manufacturer of hi-fi speakers has launched its first completely wireless in-ears, the Mu3, which sound very musical, offer a long battery life and feature both active noise cancellation and a transparency mode. The design, originated by Ross Lovegrove, also features a high level of wearing comfort.
After Bang & Olufsen announced a partnership with Microsoft in mid-2020 and specifically mentioned the US software giant's Xbox gaming console, it was only a matter of time before we got the chance to wear a pair of gaming headphones from the Danish hi-fi specialist on our ears. Now the time has finally come: Beoplay Portal are here, and we shall see if they have what it takes to take the throne in the hotly contested gaming headset market. But will the result be Game Changer or Game Danger?
Bang & Olufsen launches the HX, a successor to the H9 that is supposed to offer more in all respects - except weight. At 285 grams, it occupies a top spot in the lightweight ear-cup league, which makes them exceedingly pleasant to wear right from the first fitting.
With the Rival, the Austrian manufacturer Ready2Music want to cater to every taste. Their flagship wireless headphones come in eight gaudy designs and can even be personalised for an extra charge. But they also offer comfortable listening pleasure in other ways, with a slightly pronounced bass that is warm and melodious overall.
With the FreeBuds 4i, Huawei introduce a cheaper and technically slimmed-down version of the FreeBuds Pro. The new headphones offer a sleek design, active Noise-Cancelling and long battery life. On the other hand, they do without the dynamic ANC of the FreeBuds Pro. Here we take a look at what the other differences are.
Lypertek's SoundFree S20 have an appealing minimalist design and a straightforward, functional performance. The aim is to offer great-sounding True-Wireless headphones without an app and noise cancelling, but at an attractive price.
Sennheiser promise top technology for not much money with the HD 250BT: battery life of up to 25 hours, sound adjustments via an app and modern audio codecs for perfect picture-sound synchronisation. They're aiming to deliver premium features for less than 70 euros. Will they succeed with this device?
With the Dime, the US company Skullcandy offers great-sounding, cable-free in-ears at an attractive price. They are characterised by an ultra-portable design in a pocket-friendly format and offer extensive device control via remote button.