Explore the awesome Mpow H10 Wireless Bluetooth headphones! They boast fantastic features such as noise cancellation, a 30-hour battery life, and a foldable design. Plus, they’re priced at only around £50 or $65!
I’ve recently examined other budget headphones like the slightly cheaper Mpow H5s and the more expensive Taotronics BH-046s. Let’s compare how the H10s measure up against them!
Overview
Upon opening the box, you’ll find a soft pouch, a micro-USB cable, a 3.5mm audio cable, and a brief manual. Inside the unassuming box, the headphones are nestled in a soft bag alongside a micro-USB charging cable and a 3.5mm audio cable. Remember to check out the short user manual, though there’s no airline adapter included.
Foldable design
The headphones can be folded up, making them relatively compact for over-ear headphones. With a weight of 243g, their dimensions are 170mm by 130mm by 80mm when folded and stretch to 200mm when opened. They are slightly larger than the H5s but smaller, especially when folded, compared to the non-folding Taotronics.
They fit well into the soft pouch when folded, but I prefer the hard case with the Taotronics.
Gunmetal semi-gloss finish
The ear cups sport a sleek gunmetal appearance with clear Mpow branding. While not as glossy as the H5s, the smooth plastic does attract fingerprints. The overall build quality is decent. The plastic used for the ear cups and headband feels inexpensive, and when you unfold the ear cups, there’s a loud click that makes you think you broke something, even though you didn’t.
The large headband has a graduated scale.
You can tweak the headband by clicking it, and there’s a scale on the outer metal part to indicate the adjustments. However, right out of the box, they’re significant, and even without making any adjustments, they feel too loose on my head. They’re even too big for my teenager’s head!
Comfortable synthetic pads
The faux leather ear pads are comfortable and slightly softer than the H5s, but you can only swap them out. The ear cups can rotate over 90 degrees, so even when they’re not folded, you can lay them flat for storage. The build quality is superior to the H5s but not as good as the Taotronics BH-046s. I wouldn’t be too hard on them, but they should do fine for everyday use. I’ll let you know in the YouTube comments how they hold up after a few months.
ANC switch – can be used with headphones off
The Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) switch is located on the left ear cup, and it lights up green when activated. What’s neat is that you can use ANC even when the headphones aren’t turned on. There’s also a 3.5mm port in case you want to use the headphones with a wired connection, perhaps because the battery is out or you need to connect to a device without Bluetooth. Bluetooth turns off when plugged into the 3.5mm port, but you can still turn on ANC.
Playback controls and charging port on the right earcup
Situated on the right ear cup, you’ll spot the power and Bluetooth buttons, the volume controls and a micro-USB port. It’s disappointing that they don’t have the more robust USB-C charging port, and there’s no fast charging feature – it requires around 2-3 hours for a full charge, with the 500mAh battery charging at approximately 0.2A. During charging, the status light turns red, and Bluetooth turns off, but you can still utilize a wired connection.
Initial Bluetooth pairing
The H10s can link up with two devices simultaneously. Press the power button for three seconds to power them on or off – you’ll hear a sound confirming the action. When you turn them on, the LED will flash blue and red, indicating they’re ready to pair. Head to your Bluetooth settings and select Mpow H10 for the connection. You’ll hear a sound, and the LED will blink blue every few seconds to show the link is active.
If you wish to connect to another device, power off, then press and hold the power button for 5 seconds to initiate the pairing process again.
What’s neat is you can stay connected to two devices simultaneously. If you pause on one device, you can resume playback on the other without repeatedly dealing with Bluetooth settings.
To clear all paired devices, press and hold the volume up and down buttons together for a few seconds to reset everything.
To reset the headphones and erase all paired devices, press and hold the volume up and down buttons when the headphones are powered on until you hear two beeps and the LED starts flashing purple.
Despite the headband being a bit loose, they remain comfortable to wear. The soft cushions and a moderately snug fit contribute to their overall comfort. They’re lightweight, making them a potential gym or run choice. However, they lack an IPX rating, and the fit isn’t highly secure so they might shift slightly during use.
The controls are relatively straightforward, using only the right and left thumbs.
The majority of the headphone controls are on the right ear cup. If you hold the volume up and down, it changes to the next and previous tracks. A single power button presses or pauses your music and answers calls. Double-pressing ends a call and holding the power button for two seconds activates your voice assistant. Just be cautious and have the control briefly, or you might accidentally turn off the headphones!!
The controls are well-positioned, so you’ll quickly get the hang of them. Unlike the TaoTronics, you only need to use your left and right thumbs to control playback and switch ANC on and off, which feels natural.
Performance and audio quality
The Bluetooth 4.1 on the H10s can be unstable, especially in busy places with much wireless activity. Like the H5s, these headphones only support Bluetooth 4.1, which is a bit older than the 5.0 in many newer devices. This means the connection could be more reliable, particularly in crowded places like my office, where numerous wireless devices share the same space.
Dropouts happened quite often there, but the connection was generally stable in a quieter environment. The range could have been more impressive, reaching the next room in my 1950s brick-built house.
They lack support for the aptX codec, which is supposed to provide better audio quality over Bluetooth.
When watching stuff on YouTube, there’s a slight audio delay on iOS, but it’s almost nonexistent on Android. For Netflix, it’s good on both platforms.
The battery life is claimed to be a massive 30 hours with ANC off, but I mostly had ANC on and still got around 20 hours at 60-70% volume. Just be cautious not to leave the ANC switch on overnight, or it might drain the batteries!
The phone call quality was all right – check the video for a sound test.
The headphones feature a microphone with Clear Voice Capture or cVc technology for more explicit phone calls by cancelling out noise. The mic sounded quite clear in a quiet place and surprisingly decent, even with a noisy gym fan in the background. The call quality I experienced was also good.
Regarding noise cancellation, it was significantly better than the H5s but not as impressive as the Taotronics BH046s. Naturally, it only comes close to the top-tier Bose or Sony headphones, which are over five times more expensive. Expensive.
The noise cancellation was quite impressive, considering the headphones’ cost.
These headphones use a unique noise cancellation called hybrid noise cancellation. It employs microphones inside and outside the headphones to detect and cancel out noise, providing a more effective solution. You can activate the noise cancellation even when you’re not playing music.
Although there’s a faint hiss, it effectively reduces background noises, like the hum of computer fans or dehumidifiers. The performance improves when you play music, even at lower volumes, and the hiss becomes barely noticeable.
Even with the noise cancellation off, these headphones still do an excellent job of passively blocking out noise. However, they do leak sound quite a bit, so there may be better choices if you enjoy listening to music loudly in public places. The Taotronics headphones excel in reducing both noise and sound leakage.
The 40mm drivers in these headphones deliver impressive sound quality for their price—better than anticipated. It’s essential to keep the noise cancellation on; turning it off results in a somewhat flat sound. Check out the sound tests in the video at the top of the page to compare them with the H5s and TaoTronics BH046.
The bass, especially at higher volumes, sounds fantastic and doesn’t overpower the vocals. Surprisingly, I preferred their sound over the more expensive Taotronics BH046s. They offer clarity and volume, although the Taotronics has superior noise cancellation.
The high frequencies can become harsh at louder volumes, but keeping it below 80% resolves this issue. Compared to the H5s, the H10s are close, but the H10’s bass is better, and the noise cancellation is significantly improved.
There’s no dedicated app to control the headphones or adjust EQ settings, but many music apps on iOS and Android allow you to make adjustments if necessary.
Don’t forget to check out the sound test comparison in the video at the top of the page, comparing the H10s to the H5s and TaoTronics BH046, recorded using special 3D sound microphones. For the best experience, listen with headphones!
MPOW H10 Colorful Edition
Are you all about that Bold Red, feeling the Party Purple, or sparkling with Luminous Blue? We each have unique styles and journeys, but one thing’s certain – expressing ourselves through our appearance is the coolest! The MPOW H10 Recolorings offer seven incredibly cool colours, delivering excellent sound and epic active noise-cancelling vibes.
Vibrant Colors
Each H10 colour is like a fingerprint, representing a unique personality and highlighting the wearer’s individuality.
Who would’ve thought expressing yourself through a fashion accessory could be so cool and effortless?
You’re displaying excellent self-expression by putting on these specially crafted headphones while diving into your favourite tunes and media!
Bold Red is all about balancing hard work and play. Bold Reds thrive on spontaneity but also value organization and have a specific way of doing things. They’re assertive leaders who know how to get things done.
Citrine Yellow – Always cheerful, peaceful, and easy to please. Citrine Yellows prefers to keep things chill and maintain harmonious vibes with their friends.
Luminous Blue – Starry-eyed dreamers seeking ways to escape into their thoughts and express themselves through artistic and creative pursuits!
Party Purple: True to its name, Party Purples loves celebrating and having a blast. Life is one big party for them, and every moment is worth celebrating.
Cloudy Beige: Following their hearts, Cloudy Beiges prioritize being genuine to themselves.
Metallic Grey – Perfectionists and highly conscientious. Metallic Grey individuals go the extra mile, working meticulously to bring their vision to life.
Timeless Black – Reserved and purposeful. Timeless Blacks might seem complicated to approach, but it’s mainly because they’re always deep in thought, considering every angle to approach their ideas.
Conclusions
The Mpow H10 headphones bring fantastic sound, impressive battery life, and solid active noise cancellation – plus, they have a sleek look. I like their foldable design.
The headband is on the larger side, and they feel plasticky. However, my main concern was Bluetooth connectivity, which relies on the older 4.1 standard. This can be unreliable at times.
All in all, these are worth considering if you’re in the market for wireless headphones that deliver top-notch sound, comfort, and active noise cancellation without breaking the bank. If you’re willing to spend a bit more for better build quality and improved ANC, check out the Taotronic BH046s I recently reviewed – although I tend to lean a bit towards the H10s for their audio quality.
And if you’re on a tighter budget, the H5s I checked out earlier also sound good, but keep in mind their ANC is pretty basic, and I prefer the look of the H10s.
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