Budget

Before anything else, you’ll want to figure out how much you’re willing to spend on a new wireless headset. The quality of value-priced headsets continues to improve, so you can find good affordable headsets and headphones for less than $100. The premium models, which offer better build quality and performance, tend to cost $200 or more, and sometimes much more.

Boom microphone or not?

When a headphone has a boom microphone, that’s when it technically becomes what we describe as a “headset.” Many consumer headphones work well for making calls, having an extended microphone that sits closer to your mouth can improve how well your voice gets picked, making it sound clearer. When retracted, some boom microphones will mute the headset so people can’t hear you. Some boom mics now feature mute buttons on them. This is an important feature for video calls where you want to easily mute and unmute yourself. The downside to having the boom microphone is that it makes you look like you’re wearing a headset instead of headphones. That’s a bit of a factor if you plan on wearing whatever you buy outside your home or office.

Fit aka comfort

It’s key that the headset or headphones you buy fit your head well. They should offer a comfortable fit that’s snug yet not too snug. Ideally, you want a headset of headphones you can wear over the course of a day with minimal breaks.

Durability

You want headset that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality.

Return policy

It’s critical to buy your headphones at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer’s remorse. Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days, and then return one.