I’ve seen my fair share of devices carrying the “Certified for Microsoft Teams and Zoom” badge but never earbuds. Especially earbuds from Dell, a name I do associate with office tools but certainly not audio. That was my first impression of Dell’s Pro Plus Earbuds (EB525), and the pitch holds: Microsoft Teams Open Office–certified, Zoom‑certified, retailing for AU$245 direct from Dell. On paper, they’re built for people who live in video calls and either don’t want the messy cables of headsets or just don’t want to mess their hair with dorky headsets. Either way, the Dell Pro Plus earbuds are a real thing and in practice, they excel at making your voice the star.
I spend about 80% of my week working from home, and most of that inside Teams, with one particular day renown in my house as “Meeting day”. On days like those, combined with Queensland summer heat, I don’t want big, bulky headphones on all day so earbuds make perfect sense. But historically, earbud mics have kinda sucked for meetings. In that world, the EB525’s AI noise‑cancelling mic is the headline act. Colleagues heard me clear, centered, and surprisingly isolated—even with the washing machine on and a bin truck rattling by. Compared to everyday earbud mics, Dell’s voice isolation is a real upgrade, and those certifications aren’t just sticker lore; the tuning does what it promises.
Touch controls are well implemented, none of that annoying tap, double tap stuff. These are tactile with pinch to toggle ANC or transparency, swipe for volume, pinch to answer. The controls also correspond to Teams or Zoom when connected. But really, when you’re parked at a computer, reaching up to finger your buds to mute or change volume is far more work than using your keyboard and mouse. It’s nice that Dell got the gestures right, yet they don’t change a desk workflow much.
Connectivity is strong and reliable. Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint lets you pair up to eight devices and stay connected to two simultaneously, which neatly covers a laptop‑and‑phone setup. Better still, the Pro Plus comes with a 2.4Ghz USB Type-C dongle which neatly packs away inside the case. This ensures the best audio quality and latency. Battery life is tuned for workdays: up to 8 hours of listening with ANC, up to 33 with the case; talk time up to 5 hours (16.5 with the case). The five‑minute fast charge that nets about an hour is genuinely handy when you’re bouncing between meetings. USB‑C and wireless case charging add convenience. Overall comfort is solid—four tip sizes, 6g per earbud, and IP54 dust/water resistance(for those of you put on the spot to make a presentation). I do wish Dell had included memory foam tips as many manufacturers are doing so now, especially at almost $250.
Sound is clearly tuned for speech first, music second. Voices sit forward, intelligible, and easy on the ear over long calls. Music is pleasant enough for focus, but it won’t thrill anyone chasing detail and stage. I found the Pro Plus to be quite piercing on the highend and a bit lacking on the bass. Even with the EQ presets, the difference wasn’t enough to make music listening anywhere near as good as my AirPods Pro 2. That’s a deliberate trade: these are tools designed to make conversation effortless, not to replace your favorite consumer buds for music.
Noise cancelling is where the gap shows. Adaptive ANC is perfectly serviceable for home hums and background whoosh, and transparency mode sounds natural without the tinny edge some buds get. But the AirPods Pro 2 still cancel more noise, do it more intelligently, and avoid that in‑ear pressure. My company office isn’t the noisiest either so I couldn’t really test how good the mic noise-cancellation is but my hacky home testing against laundry machines, air vents, noisy gaming laptops suggests the Pro Plus would handle that excellently.
Software leans more to the practical than flashy. Dell Display & Peripheral Manager and the Device Management Console make life easy for IT teams rolling out fleets. For solo users, the mobile app — available on iOS and Android — offers sensible EQ presets (Speech, Bass Boost, Treble Boost), firmware updates, control remapping, and Find My Earbuds. It all works without drama, which is exactly what you want mid‑workday.
Verdict
So here’s the honest WFH verdict. The Dell Pro Plus EB525 deliver on their premise — excellent call clarity and platform reliability. But at a desk, the idea of earbuds dedicated to Teams and Zoom doesn’t add much to my day. I’m already in one environment, already using software controls, putting the buds controls effectively on mute. If you spend time in open offices, hot desks, or noisy hybrid spaces, Dell’s mic performance and badges make a lot of sense. If you’re home most days, even your joe schmo earbuds will do the job just as well.
At AU$244.20, the pricing is fair—especially for businesses that care about support and standardized deployment. For individuals, the value hinges on whether you prioritize voice‑first clarity or an all‑round earbud experience. Dell chose its lane and executed well. I’ve sounded the clearest I’ve ever sounded on Teams with these. The certifications matter more in shared spaces than quiet home offices like mine. Great idea, less impact in my use case. I’ll keep them for co-working days but at home, I’ve got better options to listen to my tunes in between meetings.
Dell Australia kindly provided the Pro Plus EB525 Earbuds to PowerUp for the purpose of this review.
