Full wireless earphones at a good price? Amazon is overflowing with products like these, but you always need to go with the lead. In a world where most accessories aim for price competition, it is easy to find something inexpensive but designed and assembled with a disregard for quality. Usually it is not the choice of Mpow, a company that we have learned to appreciate in the course of countless tests we have carried out and as we have also been able to see by trying these Mpow T5, very popular earphones on Amazon and sold for 55 euros
Mpow T5 how they are made
The Mpow T5 are classic full wireless earphones with In ear form factor, Airpods style. And while larger and less refined in design, they have almost everything that Airpods can offer. The plastics are of good quality, they are small and have a case (not too compact and with a strange plastic that wants to imitate the skin) for charging, they are connected by “opening the box”. They are also quite comfortable (although the shape does not facilitate their correct insertion into the earphone cable) and can be adapted using the three different “rubber pads” that we find in the package. They are also certified as IPX7, a level of protection against water that is the same as the Apple Watch. Technically they can be immersed in a meter of water without problems for up to 30 minutes, but Mpow more cautiously speaks of resistance to rain and shower. In any case, the latest Airpods Pro are certified at a lower level (IPX4).
Ergonomics
As we mentioned above, the Mpow T5 are quite ergonomic at least from the point of view of actual comfort. Guessing their position is not easy at first glance. The writing that we will try to place horizontally and the shape are misleading. Once worn correctly, as mentioned, they do not cause any discomfort or press excessively on the earphone cable. Stability is excellent for use that is not particularly “busy”; used in the gym, for running or for a fast pace they do not give problems. However, they are not comparable to earphones with a headband, so you will not use them for your mountain bike outings. As mentioned, the case is quite uncomfortable due to its oval shape and size; Mpow supplies it with a wrist strap. However, it offers a series of LEDs that tell us how much the internal battery is still charged. Among the features that have to do with ergonomics is the ability of the earphones to function independently of each other and to turn on and off when removed from the ears. In this they are reminiscent of the Airpods. And the fact that iPhone is able to record the amount of battery remaining in the case even when the earphones are inside the shell is another peculiarity that not all competitors have.
Connection and controls
The Mpow 5 earphones go into pairing mode when taken out of the case. At that point, you need to activate Bluetooth on the iPhone or Android and connect the earphones. The Mpow T5s have full controls with electromechanical keys. You can manage everything: volume, back and forth for tracks, answer the call and also call Siri (three clicks on the right earpiece button). Just keep in mind that the controls are different for each earphone: the volume is raised by clicking the right button, it is lowered with the left. After a moment of use you get used to it and what at first is a convoluted piece turns into something intuitive. If anything, we can argue that some competitors use touch controls, while here you have to press on the device and then push the “rubber” inwards, which could be a bit annoying for some. Even more annoying is the powerful “beep” that the earphones produce at every action performed on the keys. A system to deactivate it would have been very welcome …
Sound quality
The quality of the Mpow T5 is definitely good for the price range and the type of these earphones that are in Ear. The sound is balanced without excess on the two extreme bands. The bass is perceptible, sufficient to give a warm tone to the sound (we are not talking about the sub-bass which are rendered in a non-optimal way), the mids and the human voice are defined and the highs not suffocated. Indeed the frequencies around which the sound of a guitar and the human voice rotates can be defined as excellent. The resolution of the sound and the separation are also good: spatiality and the positioning of the instruments are clearly perceived. Ultimately the Mpow T5 cannot compete with earphones like the Airpods Pro, but we did not perceive a significant difference in music quality compared to the Airpods 2. Apple earphones have perhaps slightly higher sound definition and equally slightly more pronounced bass. , but they don't win outright.
Noise reduction
The soundproofing, the result of the In Ear form factor alone, is sufficient to attenuate the noises, not to cancel them. After all, we are not talking about earphones with noise suppression as are the AirPods Pro and this must reduce the expectations from this point of view. Other earphones of this type have the same level of noise attenuation, a level that is higher than that obtained with the AirPods 2 which in any case are not real in-ears …
Quality of the phone call
The telephone call is one of the real weaknesses compared to more qualified competitors, not so much from our point of view as from the point of view of our interlocutor. Since we have been able to perceive by putting ourselves on the other side of the line, receiving a phone call made with the Mpow T5, the audio has less than perfect clarity and is also low in volume. And this even when we manage to engage the VoLTE mode. If we have ambient sound that surrounds us as we speak it becomes very complicated to make us hear this despite the Qualcomm technology that should filter out ambient noises. The problem is likely to be that the microphones are far from the mouth; the fact is that the Mpow earphones are deficient from this point of view.
Autonomy
Mpow says the earbuds last for about 5 hours and the promise is kept. Made to ring at half the volume, the internal battery (50 mAh) allows you to reach and even exceed 5 hours. The battery inside the shell should be enough to charge the earbuds six times. We didn't go as far as this, but the case's 800mAh actually fits this figure. Theoretically it can therefore reach about thirty hours of use. Too bad that it takes two hours to fully recharge the earphones and that there is no such thing as the fast fuel of the Airpods. Note that the two earphones do not have the same autonomy in stand by; the left (106 hours) lasts longer than the right (96 hours).
Conclusions
The Mpow T5 earphones are a product that stands out in the sophistication and quality of music in relation to performance. They work in different respects such as Airpods with semi-automatic connection, activation of music when worn, use of a single earphone. Music reproduction is certainly appreciable, even beyond expectations for a device in this price range and the battery is long-lasting. From an ergonomic point of view, the Mpow earphones are quite comfortable and stable even if for a particularly intense physical exercise they may not be sufficiently resident to the jolts. The worst limit, however, is in telephone calls whose quality is far below sufficiency. But if you are not particularly interested in this function and the operation of an accessory is more important than the brand and its iconicity, the purchase for 55 euros (current price) is a great deal.
