Ever since Apple released its AirPods, the world has seen a massive change in trends and direction towards the tech industry. Almost every tech manufacturer has taken to the fact that the Airpod route is the way to go now. So, we have seen a massive influx in wireless earbud kind of products, similar to the AirPods flood the markets worldwide. Now the Apple AirPods have proven to be a very unique and sought after product not only due to the fantastic brand image and the quality they possess but even more so due to the fact that they have been difficult to replicate in the same way. Today we look at the Mpow X3 ANC earbuds, which have been made to satisfy the demand for earbuds but make it in an affordable range. We try to look at why this product exists and whether or not it can hold its own vs. some of the big boys in the earbud department.
Unboxing
The Mpow X3 ANC headphones come with a medium-sized box that has all the logos and advertisements of the product and the company printed on it. The packaging and the box itself holds nothing out of the ordinary and there are no real surprises, nothing extra or nothing worse than what you might have expected. You do get some extra earbud caps to ensure you have control over what kind of ear grip you get. This makes for good comfort for the user and allows for better use of the ANC feature.
The contents of the package are as follows:
The Mpow X3 ANC earbudsThe earbud caseA USB-Type C cableExtra earbud capsUser manual and warranty cards
Design and Build
Naturally one of the most important and main factors of a product such as this is their looks. The Mpow X3 earbuds feature one of the most common and identifiable shapes and form there is for this kind of product. You can actually say that they bear an uncanny resemblance to the Apple AirPods. This is kind of good and bad in simple ways. Good in basic ways such as the fact that they keep a shape that is familiar and successful. But, the similarity in their design makes them appear as a mock copy AirPod.
The Mpow X3 ANC earbuds come in only the black or stealth black color. This might also be seen as a negative as most people would like to have the option of choosing a color of their preference instead of the standard black color. The Mpow X3 earbuds feature a very compact design; compact in a way that there is no standout or flamboyant aesthetic feature in its design. No extra chrome or silver padding, except for on the logo which is on the side of the product. The earbuds themselves are made from good quality silicon and depending on the kind of earbud you use; you may find them extremely comfy. Having multiple kinds of earbud choices within the package makes for a much more user-friendly product. The product is especially suited for long hours of use or even use during workouts. Portability, lack of wires, and the very important waterproof rating of IPX7 make them ideal for such purposes.
The earbuds are made from ABS plastic, so as far as the build materials and quality goes there is nothing out of the ordinary. The product itself feels great but it still does not properly replicate the feel that some of the higher quality products of this kind. The product has some of the best sound and audio controls that we have seen. The audio controls are smart controls that are controlled via fingertips and they are placed on the side of the left and right earbud. Simply put, just tap the control once for volume, and twice tap for play/pause, and a triple tap for changing songs or tracks. An extended push on the control will activate the Google assistant. The right earbuds increase volume and return to songs.
Lastly, we also need to discuss the box/ case of the earbuds as well. The box is built with a similar kind of plastic as we normally see in most mid-range earbud products. In many ways, the box appears to feel very average in terms of its build quality. You just don’t feel like the box is very top quality, this does set it quite far from some of the higher ranking products. The box can be used to charge the earbuds twice, and the box itself can be charged via the USB Type-C cable. This is although very common in most cases, it still operates well enough. Overall, the Mpow X3 earbuds are a very good choice for people with not the highest requirement for quality or design. They do their job perfectly in many ways in terms of aesthetics but they offer nothing special or extremely outstanding.
Features
The Mpox X3 ANC earbuds boast some of the most coveted and important features that a product of this kind needs to have. People buy this product to not only keep in tune with the change in times but also to make better use of wireless earphone connectivity. Headphones are too big to allow for proper portability for most users, so wireless earbuds provide a much more realistic option in terms of practical use in everyday life. The only issue might be that their size allows them to be really taken care of so they don’t get misplaced. First things first, the Mpow X3 earbuds come with Active Noise Cancellation or ANC as it’s more commonly known. This means that they offer a fantastic ability to lessen or ignore background noise so you can enjoy better music and have more clear calls. The earbuds also are built with 4 mics in them, this allows for better capture of your sound for calls. You have Google assistant and Siri to be able to make use of some of those good assistant smart apps.
Bluetooth compatibility makes for much better wireless ability, so now you can enjoy your videos, audio, and even calls on the go with little to no lag behind the audio to video. The battery life is stated to be close to 7 hrs for calls without ANC on, and 5.5 hrs with ANC on. Battery life for music playback is much higher, at least on paper. Lastly, we have IPX7 level waterproofing which enables the earbuds to have very high resistance to water and sweat. Rough use or spillage will no longer affect the product in adverse ways as regularly. The earbuds also feature a two sound style. This is quite unique and it is not seen a lot in most sound devices. You can wear them loose for clearer sound and push them in deeper for more effective and deeper bass results. The features in this Mpow X3 earbuds contain all the features which are needed in wireless sound devices. You get everything you can wish for, for a much more efficient price but at the cost of some quality which the more premium products do have.
Performance & Microphones
The performance of the Mpox X3 ANC is very good, especially in the price range that it comes in. Having said that, the product does not really give the big boy products in the earbuds department a run for their money. You can say you get most of the best features at a much more affordable price, but with the trade-off of some quality. All of this is quite natural and expected. As far as the battery life and the battery time of the earbuds are concerned it appears to be of a substantial amount. The battery life takes a hit if you use the ANC feature, with the overall time being reduced quite a bit. The overall standard base battery time of this headphone is not one of the highest we have ever seen but it is good enough to get through your day for most cases.
Secondly, the ANC of these wireless earbuds was the main area of concern for most tech reviewers and purchasers. The most amazing part is that the ANC actually works quite well. We did not expect it to be as good as it was. Although this is also due to the fact that you get extra earbud choices to further make sure that the product fits your ear absolutely perfectly and does not leak any gap. However, the noise reduction rating of -28 dBa appears to be quite good. Practically speaking the earbuds noise cancellation even works if you’re not really using the product for any audio or music, you can wear them in travels or when you sleep to avoid any disturbances as far as this product can do it. The sound mitigation of this product is not the highest but it will do wonders in lessening the background noise for everyday life. In very noisy environments, you might find its noise cancellation not doing as much though. So keep a very level head regarding the expectation you can have about its ANC feature. We also loved the sound quality the product is able to give. The sound is very clear and the bass that the 10mm drivers are able to create is also very cool and satisfying. There are no real shortcomings or shortfalls of this earbud model as far as the sound quality itself goes. The 4 mic system allows for much better transfer of your voice when you are calling someone and combining that with the ANC feature makes for crisp calls. You can even say that in terms of sound quality and bass, the Mpox X3 ANC gives Airpods pro a proper run for their money.
Conclusion
All in all, the Mpow X3 ANC can easily be described as a very good choice for anyone who wants to have an alternative for some of the more expensive models. You get a very good product at a price you don’t have to reach too far down in your pocket to meet. The model has exceptional sound quality, fantastic deep bass effects combined with acceptable battery life. The model also comes with Noise cancellation but its ANC feature is probably not the best we have ever seen and it is average at best. The two sound styles also enables you to use the product in the way you want to.
The Mpow X3 earbuds are a solid choice for your earbud needs, they have all the required features and you cannot go too wrong when you select them. You might feel that these are not the best, as the Airpods pro still easily take that rank for themselves.
Philips TAPH805BK Hi-Res ANC Wireless Headphones ReviewMpow Flame 2 Sport Wireless Earphones ReviewMPOW M9 True Wireless Earbuds ReviewMpow T5/M5 TWS True Wireless Earbuds Review
