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.
Our Verdict
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.
- Consistent audio delivery.
- Low amounts of audio distortion.
- Lack of sound customization features.
- Closed-off soundstage.
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.
- Strudy construction.
- Comfortable, stable fit.
- Comprehensive control scheme.
- Impressive overall noise isolation capability.
- No power-saving features.
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.
- Strudy construction.
- Comfortable, stable fit.
- Comprehensive control scheme.
- Closed-off soundstage.
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.
- Impressive overall noise isolation capability.
- Low audio leakage.
- No power-saving features.
- No multi-device pairing capability.
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.
- Impressive overall noise isolation capability.
- Decent microphone recording quality.
- Poor microphone noise handling capability.
- No multi-device pairing capability.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 18, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 04, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jan 29, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Jan 25, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
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.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
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 the 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 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.
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You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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