Your laptop’s microphone might sound better than you think

Compilation of screenshots of video calls from Times Square

Image: The Verge

Every now and then on The Vergecast, we like to do a microphone test. Because we spend a lot of time worrying about our headphones and how things sound to us but not enough time testing our microphones and how we sound to others.

Last year on the show, we stress-tested the microphones on a bunch of flagship wireless earbuds to see which sound the best for voice calls. But not everyone uses earbuds for conference calls and video chats — and many people don’t even have analog wired headphones anymore. So can your laptop’s built-in microphone handle a voice call these days?

To find out, The Vergecast sent senior reviewer Monica Chin with six laptops to one of the most chaotic spots in New York City: Times Square. The results were not...