True wireless earbuds come in different shapes and sizes, but if you’ve been searching for a TWS earbud that doesn’t cost an arm or a leg, you’ve probably come across something from Chinese earbud maker Mpow.
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The average Mpow TWS earbud will cost you in the range of $20 – $50. That’s a very small price to pay especially considering the fact that similar earbuds from ‘premium’ manufacturers retail in the $100 – $150 range. And while you might expect the drop-dead pricing to translate to a drop in quality – you get what you pay for right – this isn’t exactly the case.
You see, overall, a TWS earbud from a premium earbud manufacturer, think Sony or SoundCore, will outclass the average Mpow earbud. However, the difference is in the aesthetics and build department, not the sound quality, tech, and audio listening experience.
What Mpow manages to do with some of its TWS earbuds is trim off the extra bits you can do without on a TWS earbud. I say some because not all of Mpow’s earbud line-up make the bang for buck cut. In this review, I outline the best Mpow TWS earbuds, so you know which to get when you’re working on a budget and want a TWS earbud that sounds great and provides a pleasant all-round listening experience.
The overall best Mpow TWS earbud – the Mpow X3
Read my full review of the Mpow X3 here
The Mpow X3 is the perfect example of an excellent sounding TWS earbud that cuts down on the accessory, usually unimportant features to keep the pricing drop-dead cheap. This doesn’t come with wireless charging, waterproofing, or any of the supposedly high-end driver tech you’ll find on pricier TWS earbuds.
However, for the extremely cheap $20 you pay, you’ll get active noise cancellation, an onboard battery that can go 24 hours on standby, and, most importantly, a pure and detailed sound profile. If you’re an audiophile, you’ll love the sound quality of the Mpow X3. I say it’s balanced and detailed, and what I mean by that is virtually all sound frequencies are fully represented on the X3’s soundstage.
You get pumped up bass that gels smoothly with decent-sounding vocals and searing mids/trebles. With active noise cancellation onboard (that works, not a gimmick like it is on some other TWS earbud), this TWS earbud is even better equipped to provide an immersive listening experience. Indoors it cancels out background noises quite well, and as long as you don’t get into a busy marketplace outdoors, it should work great when you’re outside too.
Now, I will add that the Mpow X3 is not the best-sounding Mpow TWS earbud. That title goes to the hugely underrated Mpow Mods. However, It sits on top of this list because it’s the most balanced all-rounder Mpow earbud available on the market now. The design and trumps virtually every other Mpow earbud, and the sound profile though not the best, is absolutely amazing. Active noise cancellation works flawlessly, and the touch control on this is probably the most intuitive on any Mpow Earbud.
1st runner up – the Mpow X6
Read my full review of the QCY HT01 here
The Mpow X6 is just a QCY HT01 with the Mpow Badging, and frankly speaking, it’s one of the best, if not the outright best, TWS earbud available to buy right now. The only reasons it comes second on this list is because it’s a rebadged QCY earbud (and rebadges are common practice with Chinese earbuds) and because of its price. This is the most expensive Mpow TWS earbud on the market right now.
For the $50 you pay, you get premium grade sound quality, one of the most exquisite builds on a sub $50 TWS earbud, and an array of features including hybrid noise cancellation, wireless charging, and Bluetooth 5.1 (the only other earbud with Bluetooth 5.1 on this list is the Mpow M13). This thing is a major beast, and I could go on and on, but you’re better off just reading my full review.
Second runner up – the Mpow Mpods
Read my full review of the Mpow Mpods here
The Mpow Mpods is a clunky and unattractive TWS earbud. It certainly doesn’t have any of that suave, machined, premium look associated with new-gen earbuds on the market today. Now that that’s out of the way, let me go on to tell you that this is probably the best sounding Mpow TWS earbud made to date.
It doesn’t have the excitingly bumpy bass of the Mpow Mdots but what it does have as far as sound profile goes is a delightfully pleasant and open soundstage. You can compare it to the soundstage of the Mpow X3, and in truth, both have very similar sound profiles.
The Mpods, however, edge out the X3 in terms of the depth of sound quality and its ability to recreate the surround 3D effects that are ingrained in most songs today. If you’re a fan of EDM, Pop, or Hip Hop music, you will absolutely love the Mpow Mods.
I know it sounds cliché, but with the Mpods, it’s like having your own mini 5.1 channel home theater system in-ear. Totally blew me away the first time I had it.
Like the Mpow X3, you get the usual complement of must have TWS add-on features, including;
- active noise cancellation that works exactly like the implementation on the Mpow X3
- Soft-touch controls. This is a little bit fiddly and honestly not as great as what you’d get on the X3, but that notwithstanding, they work, and they work quite well
- A battery that can go a whole day on standby mode and about six hours on active mode.
I did mention that the design is not that top draw. But note that I meant only the design, not the build quality. This is still a solidly built TWS earbud, and if I were the type who didn’t care much about looks, this would probably be my recommended best Mpow TWS earbud.
Unfortunately (for the Mpods), I love good-looking things, and if you’re like me, you’ll want the X3 or the X6 for that sole reason.
Third runner up – the Mpow M13
Read my full review of the Mpow M13 here
The Mpow M13 is one of the more recent TWS earbuds on this list, and you would think it should be higher up. My problem with the M13 is that it’s something of a jack of all trades. It attempts to be too much of everything, and that’s usually a bad recipe for budget TWS earbuds. Mpow has loaded this with IPX6 certified water resistance and wireless charging, to mention but a few features.
Impressive, I know, but when a budget TWS tries to pack everything you’d see on pricier TWS earbuds, there’s usually some sacrifice going on underground. On the Mpow M13, the sacrifice is in the sound quality department. It’s not bad, but it’s certainly not at the level of the Mpow Mpods or the Mpow X3.
The soundstage on the M13 is still as wide as that on the Mpods and the X3, so virtually all sound frequencies come out proper at practically all volume levels. It, however, lacks the depth in sound quality and super immersive surround capability you’d find on the Mpow Mpods as well the clean audio you’d get from the Mpow X3.
The M13 also lacks active noise cancellation; at least there’s no mention of its product page, and I certainly didn’t feel it come into effect while using this. Active noise cancellation is one of the major accessory features that play a huge role in the quality of the audio listening experience.
That’s a lot of nerfs for what I’d say are minor bumps in the M13’s feature list. However, these are features you won’t find on most other Mpow earbuds. Prior to now, wireless charging was a rarity on an Mpow earbud. So also was water resistance, and I know I said they are minor improvements, but these are cool features that can pan out to be useful to some TWS earbuds fans.
To cap it off. If you want a Mpow X3 with a small but significant drop in sound quality for recent gen TWS features like wireless charging and water resistance, then the Mpow M13 works out just fine. It’s also one of the better-looking Mpow earbuds on sale – way better than the Mpods and even outclassing the X3. So there’s that.
Fourth runner up – the Mpow Mdots
Read my full review of the Mpow Mdots here
Believe it or not, despite costing a mere $16, the Mpow Mdot is one of the best-sounding Mpow TWS earbuds available on the market. Now since I just said this is one of the best sounding Mpow TWS earbuds, you must be wondering why it ranks a low fourth on this list.
Well the reason’s because the Mdots kinda goes overboard with the whole stripping down a budget TWS earbuds to the bare minimum. This thing ships without the premium stuff like wireless charging and the not-so-premium approaching bare minimum stuff like soft-touch controls and active noise cancellation.
With the Mdots, Mpow pretty much went 100% bare essentials, and the good thing to show for this is that the Mdots sound insanely good at what’s pretty much the cheapest rate for an Mpow earbud or any other earbud for that matter.
The sound quality is comparable to what you’d get on the Mpow Mpods or the Mpow X3, it’s not as good, but it comes very close. Bass is punchy. Trebles, vocals, and instrumentals come out with resounding clarity. However, I should note that the soundstage is not as expansive as what you’d get on the other two Mpow earbuds. And it’s the same case for surround 3D effect – the Mdots won’t do it as well as the Mpods or the Mpow X3.
In place of the soft-touch controls, the Mdots has a physical control button. So last year, I know, but if you’ve read my review of the Mdots, you’ll know that I found it quite effective, even more effective than the soft-touch controls of the Mpow Mpods. For the lack of active noise cancellation, Mpow has made sure this fits securely and tightly in-ear to provide some passive noise cancellation.
That’s all thanks to signature ear appendages available on the Mdots. Does the passive cancellation work on the Mpow Mdots? Yes, it does. However, because the mechanism involves blocking all external sounds from reaching your ear, wearing the Mdots will pretty much isolate you from your environment. That could be good or bad, depending on the situation.
To conclude
- Buy the Mpow X3 if you want a TWS earbud that sounds great and packs all the necessary features at a very budget-friendly price.
- Go for the Mpow X6 if you’ve got $50 to spare and want the best Mpow TWS earbud all round.
- If you don’t care for nice looking things, the Mpow Mpods is a beast of a TWS earbud with an amazing sound profile at a budget-friendly price
- The Mpow M13 is a more recent gen Mpow earbud. It’s the best choice if you want an in-vogue Mpow earbud that cuts back a bit on sound quality.
- Buy the Mpow Mdots if you want a stripped-down TWS earbud that sounds great and cost way less than any other thing on this best Mpow earbuds review.
Frequently asked questions
For the price, Mpow earbuds provide a great overall build, solid sound performance, and some pretty high-tech features. They are ideal TWS earbuds if you’re looking for something that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg but that still delivers a more than an excellent audio listening experience
Most of Mpow’s TWS earbuds come with active noise cancellation. Some others come with passive noise cancellation. Rest assured that whichever Mpow earbud you buy will spot at least one form of noise-canceling tech or the other. Read my guide on buying wireless earphones for more information on how the two differ.
If you’ve tried searching for an Mpow earbud on Amazon recently, you must’ve noticed they’re nos longer available on the platform. That’s because Mpow recently violated part of Amazon’s review policy and were subsequently delisted.
You can still buy an Mpow earbud from AliExpress, their native e-commerce store. If you’ve never shopped on AliExpress before, read my guide on buying phones and other electronics here.
