The Mpow X5 are truly wireless in-ear headphones with an active noise cancelling (ANC) feature. They're portable, comfortable to wear, and block out ambient noise to an impressive degree. They also feel quite well-made and have a relatively long continuous battery life. Unfortunately, they don't have any sound customization features to adjust their boomy sound profile and have a microphone with poor noise handling capability.
The Mpow X5 are okay for neutral sound. They have a somewhat boomy default sound profile that should emphasize the thump and rumble of EDM music but may sound overwhelming to some listeners. They also lack any sort of sound customization features to adjust this, like a graphic EQ or audio presets. Thankfully, they offer very consistent audio delivery.
The Mpow X5 are very good for commuting and traveling. They're exceptionally portable and have an ANC feature that enables them to filter out the low-pitched rumble of a bus engine or the chatter of other commuters to an impressive degree. Their seven-hour plus battery life should also be enough for long journeys, though they lack any sort of power-saving functions, like an auto-off timer.
The Mpow X5 are great for sports and fitness. They're sturdy, very compact, and do a good job of staying in place, despite their lack of stability fins. They also allow your ears to breathe, so they shouldn't sweat too much while wearing them. Their control scheme puts quite a few functions within easy reach, though it may take a bit of time to get used to.
The Mpow X5 are decent for office use. Their ANC feature helps filter out the chatter of nearby coworkers, and their excellent audio leakage performance means that you shouldn't annoy people nearby even when listening to content at a high volume. While their continuous battery life should easily get you through a day at work, their charging case doesn't supply that much extra charge compared to alternatives, and they lack any sort of features like an auto-off timer to conserve power when not in use.
The Mpow X5 aren't suitable for wireless gaming. They aren't compatible with gaming consoles and their Bluetooth latency on PC is likely to be too high for gaming.
The Mpow X5 are Bluetooth-only headphones and aren't compatible with any wired connections.
The Mpow X5 are alright for phone calls. Thanks to their ANC feature, they filter out quite a bit of background noise, so you can stay focused on what's being said in a call. Their integrated microphone also offers decent recording quality, so your voice should sound fairly clear. Unfortunately, their mic has poor noise handling capability, and people can have a hard time understanding you if you call from an even moderately loud or crowded environment.
The Mpow X5 Hybrid are only available in one color variant: 'Black', and you can see their label here.
If you come across a different variant, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
The Mpow X5 Hybrid are noise cancelling in-ear headphones. They have an effective ANC feature, a stable, comfortable fit, and are quite well-made. While their bass-heavy sound profile may please fans of genres like EDM or hip-hop, some users may find it muddy and overwhelming, and there are no sound customization features that can be used to adjust this. If you're looking for alternatives, take a look at our list of recommendations of the best budget wireless headphones, the best noise cancelling earbuds and in-ear headphones, and the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds.
The Mpow M30 Truly Wireless and Mpow X5 Truly Wireless are fairly evenly-matched, though one may suit you better than the other depending on your needs. The M30 deliver audio more consistently, have a more stable fit, leak less audio, and have a mic that deals with ambient noise more effectively. Conversely, the X5 have a superior control scheme, last longer on a single charge, and are fitted with an active noise cancellation feature that enables them to block out a lot more ambient audio.
The Mpow X3 Truly Wireless and Mpow X5 Truly Wireless each have their own advantages, so you may prefer one over the other depending on your needs. The X3 are smaller, with a more stable fit. They have a better-balanced sound profile, and superior overall microphone performance too. Meanwhile, the X5 have a more comprehensive control scheme, block out a far greater degree of ambient noise, leak less audio, and last longer on a single charge. Unlike the X3, they don't have a standby mode to conserve battery life.
The Mpow X5 Truly Wireless are slightly better for mixed usage than the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 Truly Wireless. The Mpow have a more comfortable fit, a better charging case, and a longer continuous battery life. However, the TaoTronics filter out more ambient noise, leak less audio, have lower Bluetooth latency on Android and iOS mobile devices, and are equipped with an auto-off timer to conserve battery life.
The Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless are better than the Mpow X5 Truly Wireless. The Apple AirPods are better built, have a much more neutral sound profile, have a superior ANC feature, and have a charging case that supplies roughly five additional charges compared to the Mpow's two. On the other hand, the Mpow last longer on a single charge, leak less audio, and offer superior mic recording quality.
The Mpow X5 Truly Wireless and TOZO NC9 Truly Wireless are very similarly-performing headphones, though one pair may suit you better than the other. The Mpow deliver audio more consistently, leak less audio, and have longer battery life. However, despite not having ANC like the Mpow, the TOZO do almost as good a job at blocking out ambient noise. They also take much less time to charge.
The Mpow X5 Truly Wireless are a better option for most use cases than the Mpow X6 Truly Wireless. The X5 have a better-balanced sound profile that some users will prefer, block out a lot more ambient noise, offer superior microphone recording quality, and supply roughly twice the runtime on a single charge, though their case only stores roughly two additional charges to the X6's four. The X6 also take less time to recharge and have a mic that isolates speech from background noise slightly more effectively.
The Mpow X5 Truly Wireless and the TOZO NC7 Truly Wireless are similarly performing headphones, so depending on your listening habits, you may prefer one over the other. The Mpow are more comfortable, and they have a slightly better noise isolation performance. However, the TOZO have a more balanced sound profile, especially in the bass range, and their continuous battery life is a bit longer.
The Mpow X5 are conventional-looking truly wireless in-ears. They look fairly similar to the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 94 Truly Wireless, with a compact, low-profile design made of all-black plastic that shouldn't stand out in any environment.
These are comfortable headphones. They don't exert too much pressure inside your ear canal and don't have an especially deep, intrusive fit. Since their control scheme is touch-sensitive, you can make inputs without forcing them deeper into your ears. Unfortunately, they don't offer as many sizing options for the ear tips compared to alternatives like the Mpow M30 Truly Wireless.
These in-ears have a good control scheme. It's highly responsive and easy to use once you get used to its reliance on multi-touch inputs. Tapping the right earbud once increases volume, tapping it three times skips forward, and a two-second hold activates your phone's voice assistant. You can decrease media volume by tapping the left earbud once, while a triple-tap skips your track backward, and a two-second hold cycles through the ANC on/talk-through/ANC off settings. A double-tap on either bud pauses and plays media. The reliance on single taps for volume adjustment is a little frustrating, since changing the volume at multiple increments could be interpreted as a double or triple tap. There are voice prompts for ANC and talk-through activation, power on and off, and Bluetooth pairing. Unfortunately, you can't put the headphones into pairing mode unless you disconnect them from the last device they were connected to.
The Mpow X5 Hybrid's charging case is good. It's slightly smaller than that of the Mpow M30 Truly Wireless and feels slightly sturdier overall, though its lid still feels somewhat flimsy. The case features four lights that indicate its remaining battery life.
The Mpow X5 are well-built. They feel quite sturdy overall, with a fairly dense plastic construction that should survive some drops and bumps. The buds are rated IPX5 for water resistance, though we don't currently test for that. There aren't too many obvious weak points, though the silicone buds do feel as though they could tear easily.
The Mpow X5 have a somewhat boomy sound profile. This should suit fans of EDM and hip-hop who prefer a little more thump and rumble, but may be overwhelming and muddy to some listeners. Conversely, if you want even more thump and rumble, consider the Mpow X6 Truly Wireless, which have a heavily overemphasized low-bass response. Unfortunately, there aren't any sound customization features, like audio presets or a graphic EQ, to adjust this.
The frequency response consistency is superb. Once you achieve a proper seal with the included ear tips, audio should be delivered consistently every time you use them.
These in-ears have okay bass accuracy. The overemphasis in the mid through high-bass range can provide extra punch and boominess to EDM and hip-hop music but may muddy other mixes.
The Mpow X5 have good mid accuracy. The overemphasis from the high-bass range carries over into the low-mids, which can clutter lead instruments and vocals. Otherwise, the rest of the range is fairly well-balanced, though a slight dip in the mid-mids can slightly nudge vocals and lead instruments toward the back of the mix.
The Mpow X5 have decent treble accuracy. A bump in the low-treble range can give a slightly harsh quality to vocals and lead instruments while a minor dip in the mid-treble can dull sibilants and make them sound slightly lispy.
The peaks and dips performance is satisfactory. A bump from the high-bass to low-mid range can give a muddy quality to some mixes and clutter vocals and lead instruments, while a dip in the mid-mids can push them toward the back of the mix. A spike in the low-treble can make some vocals and lead instruments sound harsh while a minor dip in the mid-treble can give a lispy quality to some sibilants.
The stereo imaging performance is superb. Their weighted group delay falls beneath the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble. The L/R drivers are also well-matched in regards to amplitude, frequency, and phase response. This means that objects like voices and footsteps are accurately-placed within the stereo image, generating a more immersive listening experience. However, these results are only valid for our test unit, and yours may perform differently.
Since these are closed-back in-ears, the Mpow X5 have a terrible passive soundstage. It's very small, and since they bypass any sort of interaction with the outer-ear, sound is perceived as coming from inside your head rather than all around you.
These headphones don't have any virtual soundstage features.
The weighted harmonic distortion performance is good. Distortion is kept to a fairly low level at moderate and high listening volumes, so audio reproduction is fairly clean and pure.
These are the settings used to test the Mpow X5. Our results are only valid in this configuration.
The Mpow X5's noise isolation performance is great. Turning on the ANC feature allows them to block out an impressive amount of ambient noise across the frequency spectrum, from the low rumble of bus and plane engines to the high-pitched hum of a nearby AC unit, not to mention the chatter of people nearby.
These in-ears have excellent audio leakage performance. Even when listening to content at high volumes, people nearby shouldn't be annoyed by escaping audio.
The Mpow X5 have an integrated microphone.
The microphone's recording quality is decent. Your voice should sound natural and fairly clear, but also a little thin.
The integrated mic's noise handling capability is poor. People may have a hard time understanding you if you make a call from an even moderately noisy environment, like a subway station or a busy street.
The Mpow X5 have acceptable battery performance. They provide over seven hours of continuous playback time with ANC enabled, which should be more than sufficient for a day at work. Unfortunately, their charging case supplies roughly two extra charges, so their total battery life is far less than the near 100 hours offered by the Anker Soundcore Life Dot 2 Truly Wireless. You can listen to one bud while the other charges in its case, but there are no power-saving measures like an auto-off timer.
These headphones don't have a companion app.
The Mpow X5 have satisfactory Bluetooth connectivity. They support Bluetooth 5.0 but not NFC or multi-device pairing, so you can't stream music off of your phone while remaining connected to your computer. Their latency on PC is quite high, but they perform slightly better on mobile iOS and Android devices, though you still may notice a bit of audio latency while streaming movies or videos. It's worth noting that apps and devices compensate for latency differently, so your experience may vary.
These in-ears are Bluetooth-only.