The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone is a mediocre mono Bluetooth headset for phone calls. Its in-ear design isn't the most comfortable during longer sessions, and its 3.3-hour battery life is much less than the 6-hours advertised by Mpow. While the sound profile is very bass-heavy, it's decent for phone calls as most voices are detailed and clear, though some sibilants (S and T sounds) might be piercing and harsh. While its integrated microphone can't separate your voice from background noises nearly as well as a boom mic, its recording quality is surprisingly decent, and your voice sounds natural and clear. Unfortunately, it uses a proprietary charging cable, which can be a pain if you lose or break it, though it comes with two included, which is nice.
Our Verdict
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone is mediocre for mixed usage. Since it only comes with a single earbud, it's a mono headset designed for phone calls rather than listening to music. That said, the bass-heavy sound profile is well-suited to most popular genres and has a slightly excited sound that shouldn't be too muddy or cluttered. Unfortunately, the 3.3-hour battery life is disappointing and likely won't last through an entire workday if your job involves making calls. Due to not having a boom mic, your voice gets drowned out easily by background noise during phone calls, though on the bright side, your voice sounds quite clear and natural.
- Decent microphone recording quality.
- Leaks almost no audio, even at high volumes.
- Easy-to-use controls.
- Disappointing battery performance.
- Microphone has sub-par noise handling.
- Proprietary charging cradle.
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone is a mono Bluetooth headset and isn't recommended for neutral sound listening. Its sound profile is very bass-heavy and not very accurate, and its closed-back, in-ear design gives it a very closed soundstage. Overall, this headset is designed for phone calls and isn't the best choice for an accurate music-listening experience.
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone is only alright for commuting or travel. Its 3.3-hour battery life is short and likely won't last most flights or travel days. It may be okay for commuting, though its mono headset design makes it more designed for taking phone calls rather than listening to music.
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone can be a good choice for using while working out if you want to stay aware of your surroundings. Its bass-heavy sound profile helps to keep you pumped up at the gym, and it feels stable in the ear. The earbud blocks very little background noise while also leaving one ear fully open, so it's a good choice if you run outside where you need to be able to fully hear your surroundings.
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone is only passable for listening to music at the office. Its in-ear fit may not be the most comfortable for everyone during long periods, and its 3.3-hour battery likely won't last an entire workday, even with breaks. Due to its mono, single-earbud design, it's meant for phone calls rather than music, unless you like listening to music with one ear to stay aware of your surroundings. On the bright side, it leaks very little audio, so your coworkers won't hear what you're listening to, even at higher volumes.
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone isn't for wireless gaming. This Bluetooth-only headset isn't compatible with Xbox One or PS4, though it should connect to any Bluetooth-enabled PC. While its recording quality is quite decent, its latency is likely too high for most gamers.
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone is a Bluetooth-only headset that you can't use for wired gaming.
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone is a mediocre mono Bluetooth headset for phone calls. The microphone's recording quality is quite decent, and your voice sounds clear and natural, though it does a poor job of separating it from background noises. Its sound profile is well-balanced in the frequencies mainly responsible for most voices, so speech sounds very clear and detailed, though music sounds quite bass-heavy and muddy. Unfortunately, the 3.3-hour battery life is disappointing and likely won't last a full workday if your job entails making phone calls.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 16, 2022: We've renamed these headphones from Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone Bluetooth Headset to Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone across the site.
- Updated May 22, 2020: Review published.
- Updated May 19, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated May 13, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone, though there are several other models available that appear to be very similar, including the Mpow EM1 and the Mpow EM16.
If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone is a mono Bluetooth headset with a bass-heavy sound profile and a decent microphone recording quality. Unfortunately, its 3.3-hour battery life isn't nearly as good as other options like the Jabra Steel Bluetooth Headset or the Plantronics Voyager 5200 Bluetooth Headset. Its microphone also doesn't handle background noise as well as a headset with a boom microphone.
Check out our recommendations for the best Bluetooth headsets for phone calls, or if you want something better-suited for gaming, the best wireless gaming headsets.
The Mixcder E9 Wireless and the Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone are for different uses. The Mixcder are wireless over-ear headphones for listening to music, while the Mpow is a mono Bluetooth headset for phone calls. The Mixcder also have a microphone built-in, which allows you to easily take phone calls, and their over-ear design is quite a bit more comfortable. Their battery lasts a lot longer, and they have ANC to give you peace on the bus or in the office. Overall, the Mixcder are a better choice if you're looking for a versatile pair of over-ears for regular use, but if you want something small and discrete just for phone calls, you might be happier with the Mpow.
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone and the Mpow H10 Wireless have very different designs and are for different uses. The EM12 is a mono Bluetooth headset that looks like a single earbud from a pair of truly wireless in-ears and is designed to use for phone calls. On the other hand, the H10 are wireless over-ear headphones primarily designed for listening to music. They also have a microphone built-in, which allows you to easily take phone calls. The headphones themselves are more comfortable, and they have ANC to give you peace while commuting or in the office. Overall, the H10 are a better choice if you're looking for a versatile pair of over-ears for all-day use, but the EM12 is a decent choice if you want a single earbud for phone calls.
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone is a better mono headset for phone calls than the Plantronics Voyager Legend Bluetooth Headset. The Mpow's microphone has a better recording quality, and the headset leaks much less audio. On the other hand, the Plantronics is more comfortable, has much better controls, a significantly longer battery, and a dedicated companion app with many customization options.
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone and the Plantronics Voyager 5200 Bluetooth Headset are mediocre mono headsets. The Plantronics is more comfortable, has much better controls, has a better-balanced sound profile for voices, and has much longer battery life. Its boom microphone also handles background noise significantly better than the integrated microphone on the Mpow, and Plantronics has a dedicated companion app with a ton of customization options. On the other hand, the Mpow has a more casual look, and its microphone has a better recording quality.
Our How We Test Headphones article takes you behind the scenes in our lab. You'll learn how we choose and purchase products and dive into the details of our review philosophy, from testing and scoring to writing and editing.
You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
