TWS true wireless earphones - under $50
4.5 STARS - With its comfortable over-ear wings, 5 hours playtime per charge, and energizing sound tuned for sports, the Mpow Flame Lite are great wireless sport earbuds for a sweet sub-$50 price.
Specs of the Mpow Flame Lite:
Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC codec
IPX7 waterproof (heavy rain and sweat resistant)
5 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 3 sizes of ear tips and USB-C cable
$40 on AliExpress or Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon stores
Below this Mpow Flame Lite review, you will find comparisons of the Mpow Flame Lite vs Mpow Flame Pro, Mpow M30, QCY T6 and Dacom Athlete TWS G05.
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Design, comfort and battery life
The Mpow Flame Lite true wireless earbuds have an over-the-ear shape made famous by the Powerbeats, and before implemented by the more expensive Mpow Flame Pro. That one has physical buttons, this one has touch panels - but the idea is still much the same: wireless earbuds are made for sports.
The Mpow Flame Lite has a 2,5 centimeters long side panel with the touch sensor at the back end and a rubber bow that goes over your ears. The part that goes in your ears is only a tiny round knob. It's small enough to reside to disappear in-ear.
The over-the-ear rubber has a nice mixture of sturdiness and flexibility. When you put the buds in your ears and move the side panel up diagonally, the Flame Lite grants a comfortable yet tight enough fit for hours, including for workouts and runs. The over-the-ear rubbers can be annoying when you're also wearing glasses, however. If that is the case, it's better to look at the Mpow M30 instead.
The Flame Lite earpieces offer up to 5 hours playtime on a single charge, dependent on your volume. They also boast an IPX7-waterproof rating, which should make them outlive heavy rain showers.
The charging case is a bit clunky and mostly BIG. Unfortunately, that's always the case on earbuds with over-the-ear sport-wings, and the Flame Lite isn't an exception. Specs are good, though. It can recharge the earpieces up to five times fully before needing new power via USB-C itself. A full charge of the case takes two hours, so think of charging before taking these out for your workout, run, or sporting session.
Connectivity and controls
One of the standout points of the Flame Pro is their physical buttons on the top of the earpieces, that let you control both the volume and changing of tracks on both earbuds. It works like a charm and is a feature many affordable wireless sports earphones lack.
The Flame Lite ditches the actual buttons and replaces them for touch panels on the back end of the sides.
With a single tap on either of the sides, you play or pause the music. Touch and hold the right side to increase volume, touch and hold the left panel to decrease it. By double-tapping the right earpiece, you advance a track, and you can return a song by double-tapping the left earbud. Finally, you activate the voice assistant on your smartphone by three taps on either side.
You can also manually shut the earpieces off, which is great if you don't have the big case lying around in the middle of your run or tour. Simply hold a side for five seconds to turn an earpiece off - and hold two seconds to power them on again.
While the scheme is straightforward, it can sometimes be hard to control the Flame Lite when you're breaking a sweat. Sweaty fingers make it difficult to operate the touch panels, making you automatically pause the music or skip a song instead of changing the volume. It can even occur that changing the volume control 'holds' on the earpieces, while you've left the touch panel already. In theory, it's possible that changing the volume leads to shutting the earpieces off. That's why the actual buttons on the more expensive Flame Pro come preferred.
Connectivity on the Flame Lite is stellar. The Bluetooth 5.0 connection is stable up to ten meters with thin walls in between, and when running or cycling with the smartphone in your pocket. You can also charge one earpiece while listening to the other, then pick the charged earpiece up again and continue looking in stereo mode. The earpieces shut themselves off if you put both in the case (and of course, jump to life when you take them out again later).
Calling and watching movies with Flame Lite
In phone calls and video calls, the Flame Lite makes you sound like you're talking into a cushion. Your voice is audible but sounds dull to the other end of the line. Wind noises also come through loud, yet other noises like traffic passing nearby and other voices are suppressed well.
While it doesn't deliver the clearest sound quality, it's doable to take a phone call with these. Still - this is a slight letdown, since the more expensive Flame Pro has a surprisingly clear call quality, both indoors and outside.
Watching videos with the Flame Lite is convenient. There's flawless synchronization between audio and video on both Android and iPhone on most video-apps. The only exception is the YouTube-app on iPhone, where it just misses lipsync.
There is some delay in sound effects when playing games, as is the case on almost all wireless earphones.
Also read: The best true wireless earphones under $50
Sound quality of Mpow Flame Lite: for sports
Mpow is known for its energizing sound, and the sub-$50 Mpow Flame Lite is no exception. This one will keep you entertained and motivated during your workouts.
The Flame Lite has a steady mid-bass slam with plenty of power, and its sub-bass (the deepest bass tones you can feel as much as hear) can provide a nice rumble in your ears. Both parts of the bass don't drag on too long, and they don't overwhelm other parts of the music.
The bass is balanced so that it's both suitable for sports and daily listening. It has enough punch to lift you in modern genres like pop, dance, electronic, and hip-hop, but the bass doesn't overstay its welcome in more easy-going or acoustic music.
Like other recent Mpow wireless earphones like the Mpow X3 and Mpow M30, the Flame Lite emphasizes the highest frequencies. While controlled on lower to average volumes, upper-mid tones come alive on higher volumes. Female vocals and higher-pitched male vocals then take a prominent role in the music - along with the lightest electronic tones, violins, and cymbals, upper-mids sound louder than most other parts of the music.
Because of this, you will still hear vocals and other details clearly when you're in the middle of a run or workout. But because the highs are so well-extended, they can also sound tinny or even harsh when you're not working out and you have all the room in the world to concentrate on the music. It's a problem that can also occur on the M30 and X3. Not so much on the Flame Pro, which has more toned-down higher notes.
In between the bass and the upper-mids, the Mpow Flame Lite has an average presence on the lower-mids (like darker electronic tones and drums), while mid-tones like guitars and piano play can sound a bit recessed. Detail retrieval is mediocre: the sound has some air and good left-right separation, but that's about it.
Along with the occasional tinny and harsh sound, the Flame Lite is great for sports, but less so for active listening.
Mpow Flame Lite comparisons
Mpow Flame Lite vs Mpow Flame Pro
The Mpow Flame Pro may be up to twice the price of the Mpow Flame Lite, but it's worth looking into. The Pro offers up to 3 hours longer battery life, making it more suitable for marathons... or workdays. The physical buttons are plusses of the Pro too. It's easier to change volume on the Pro, which can be challenging on the Lite because it sometimes doesn't register your touch input of you have sweaty fingers. For daily use, the clearer call quality of the Flame Pro also is a bonus - and video synchronization is flawless on iPhone too, while the Lite has a minimal delay on YouTube.
Mpow doesn't communicate an official IPX-waterproof rating for the Flame Pro, as opposed to the IPX7 rating for the Flame Lite. That said, in personal running tests, they both withstood medium rain and heavy sweat.
Soundwise, the Flame Pro delivers a warmer sound, with less outspoken upper-mids and highs. There's enough attention to vocals and higher-pitched instruments, but they never become harsh like they can on the Flame Lite. The Flame Lite does sound brighter, but it also has more pronounced sub-bass and a fatter mid-bass slam. Put simply: the Mpow Flame Lite gives you the most energy and details during your workouts, while the Mpow Flame Pro is still uplifting, but sounds more pleasant for everyday listening too.
Both the Mpow Flame Lite and Flame Pro are excellent wireless earbuds for running, working out and other sports. It's up to you if you want to pay the higher price for better controls, calls, and a smoother sound for everyday-listening.
Mpow Flame Lite vs Mpow M30
The Mpow M30 is another pair of sports-oriented wireless earbuds from the same brand, for around the same price. The M30 has sport-wings that go in your ears, and offer a tight and comfortable fit. Its touch panels can have the same issue as on the Flame Lite: with sweaty fingers, your control actions can 'hang.' It can result in changing the volume way more than you intended.
The Mpow M30 extends highs further than the Flame Lite, making the sound bright, and perhaps too bright for some. By doing so, its vocals come with more power and nuances, and overall the M30 has an airier, more detailed sound than the Flame Lite. That one has more power in the lower frequencies, with a stronger mid-bass and sub-bass. Both will absolutely energize you during workouts and runs, but overall, the M30 has better tonal balance and musical detail.
Battery life and call quality of the Mpow Flame Lite and Mpow M30 are comparable, controls are, and comfort for sports is - the choice is up to you.
Mpow Flame Lite vs QCY T6
China's biggest wireless earphone player also has a new sports model with over-the-ear wings. The QCY T6, however, doesn't deliver the typical bassy sports sounds. It's hard to get anything from the T6 bass really, and only a specific fit and very bass-boosted song will get you a nice slapping bass and sub-bass rumbles. The T6 sounds brighter, less balanced, and less engaging. The Mpow Flame Lite is a more pleasant listen during sports and everyday activities and has more controls and battery life. It's worth spending $20 more to upgrade from the QCY T6 to the Mpow Flame Lite.
Mpow Flame Lite vs Dacom Athlete TWS
While not reviewed on Scarbir.com, the $25 Dacom G05 may be the Flame Lite biggest budget threat. The Dacom G05 has a fuller, warmer and smoother sound, with more rounded upper-mids and highs, not entering harsh territories anytime soon. Its bass isn't as punchy as the Flame Lite's, but still delivers plenty of power to make music sound uplifting. It's made from softer materials than the Flame Lite and so it's slightly more comfortable. Battery life is comparable, but there are no volume controls on the Dacom, and touch-sensitivity and connection strength aren't as good as on the Mpow Flame Lite too.
—> See all TWS reviews and ratings here <—
Verdict
With its comfortable over-ear wings, 5 hours playtime per charge, and energizing sound tuned for sports, the Mpow Flame Lite are great wireless sport earbuds.
4.5 stars - Great
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