TWS true wireless earphones - under $100
4.5 STARS - Sports lovers, rejoice. The Mpow Flame Pro are excellent TWS wireless earbuds for sports, with nearly 8 hours battery life and volume controls on the earpieces.
Specs of the Mpow Flame Pro:
Bluetooth 5.0 with AptX and AAC codec
8 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 3 sets of ear tips and USB-C cable
$70 on AliExpress, $60-$100 on Amazon/ Amazon Europe - check prices
Below this honest Mpow Flame Pro review, you will find comparisons of the Mpow Flame Pro vs Mpow Flame Lite, QCY T6, SoundPEATS TrueShift 2, Fiil T1X and TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79.
Design, comfort and battery life
The hugely successful, original Mpow Flame was clearly 'inspired' by the Beats By Dre PowerBeats Bluetooth earphones with a neckband between the two earpieces. Now that Beats has gone completely wireless with their PowerBeats Pro, Mpow applies the same trick to the Mpow Flame Pro.
The result is a pair of wireless earphones completely designed for sports. A big rubber ear ring goes around and behind your ears and is connected to a straight part that comes in place diagonally on your ears. The only part that goes inside your ears is a small round module with the rubber ear tip attached to it. There's a lot of earphones going on around your ears, but the Mpow Flame Pro still feels comfortable, as it stays tight in and around your ears, even after hours of sporting or working out. Unfortunately, it does pick up a fair amount of wind noise when running against the wind.
To store the large earpieces, the Mpow Flame Pro has a large charging case, about the width and half the height of an iPhone X. On top of it, it's about five centimeters in height - comparable with the brand new QCY T6.
Happily, the battery performance of the Mpow is better than QCY's competitor. The earpieces offer up to an excellent 8 hours of playtime per charge, and the USB-C powered charging case can recharge the earpieces four times before needing power itself. Four LED lights on the front of the case, indicate the current charging status.
Mpow doesn't claim an official IP-waterproof rating, but in tests, it easily survives running in rain and building up a sweat for nearly an hour. The 8 hours-battery life makes the Flame Pro suitable for all kinds of endurance sports as well.
Connectivity and controls
The Mpow Flame Pro has excellent controls, as it uses both touch and actual controls. You can pause and play the music by touching the shallow part of the earpieces, which you can feel easily even when in the middle of a workout. On top of both earpieces, you can increase or decrease the volume with actual buttons - and by a long press of those buttons, you advance or return a track.
Both earpieces have the same controls and for a good reason, too: it's easy to switch between listening to one and two earpieces. The Flame Pro also automatically pauses when you remove an earpiece from your ears - and starts playing again when you put it back.
Other connectivity aspects of the Mpow Flame Pro are great as well. The earbuds connect and pair fast when you take them out of the case, and the Bluetooth 5.0 signal keeps reliable up to ten meters - even with thin walls in between.
Calling and watching movies with Flame Pro
You may not expect it from a sports TWS, but the Mpow Flame Pro offers outstanding call quality. Your voice comes through clear and louder than other voices or sound effects from your surroundings.
Even outside, call quality is brilliant. Engines, accelerating vehicles, a breeze of wind, and background conversations are moved to the background with great success. Taking a phone call or video call with these is a joy.
The Mpow Flame Pro performs excellent for watching videos as well. Audio and video are in complete sync on both Android and iPhone, including the always-challenging YouTube-app on the latter.
As almost always, there is a slight delay in sound effects when playing games. But the fact the Flame Pro handles both calls and video so well, makes it an attractive earphone for everyday use - and not just for sports.
—> Also read: The best TWS for sports under $50
Sound quality of Mpow Flame Pro: suitable
The Mpow Flame Pro delivers the sound you'd expect from a sports TWS, and perhaps other Mpow models as well: bassy and warm. This description of the sound quality should start with two sidenotes.
1: There's a slight white noise on/ off effect when you play or pause music. It won't bother most people, but some Scarbir.com readers are annoyed by the effect - so here you go. :-)
2: The Mpow Flame Pro picks up a lot of wind noise when you're running or cycling in the wind. It doesn't quite overpower the music, but it's way more audible than on models like the Fiil T1X and SoundPEATS TrueShift 2 (comparisons follow), which have the sports wings inside your ears.
That said, the Mpow Flame Pro's musical qualities are sufficient, especially for a sports TWS.
The Flame Pro gives elevates the lower frequencies, giving much body to bass-guitars, drums, darker electronic tones, and the bass. The mid-bass delivers a pleasant, somewhat laidback slam. The darkest bass-tones are a bit of a problem, though. The sub-bass can dive deep and rumble in your ears, but it's sloppy. Bass-heavy pieces can lose their detail in the lows, and tracks can sound too congested, a bit blown-up even.
Because of the emphasis on all lower tones, male vocals often don't sound louder than the rest of the music. Typical mid-instruments like guitars, lighter drums, and the piano, just about gain enough room to breathe. Above that, Mpow definitely restricted the higher tones. Female vocals and higher-pitched male vocals can sound a bit off-tone, while cymbals and the highest voices can still come with an emphasized sss-sound: sibilance. Don't expect profound highs on this one - this is one smooth operator.
It may read like the Mpow Flame Pro sounds bad, but that isn't really the case. Mpow chose for a sound signature ideal for working out and sports, and for that purpose, it succeeds. While you're in the middle of a sweat, musical detail fades out of itself, so it isn't a problem that the Mpow doesn't deliver the finest nuances in the highs, or a big soundstage with excellent instrument placement. When working out, it's the energizing character of the music that counts - and the Mpow Flame Pro delivers just that, covered in warmth and smoothness.
Mpow Flame Pro comparisons
Mpow Flame Pro vs Mpow Flame Lite
Mpow Flame Pro (left) and Flame Lite (right)
The Mpow Flame Pro may be up to twice the price of the Mpow Flame Lite, but the difference may be worth it. 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 Pro vs QCY T6
The QCY T6 costs 25 dollars - only 1/3rd of the price of the Mpow Flame Pro. It's another good wireless earphone for sports and everyday use. The T6 even throws in an app that lets you change the controls. However, controls are more convenient on the Flame Pro, and battery life is 2 hours stronger than QCY's 6 hours. The QCY offers a slightly more comfortable and lighter fit, but the Mpow has a more sports-focused sound, with stronger bass presence and emphasized warm tones.
Mpow Flame Pro vs Fiil T1X
You may not need the big rubber earrings of the Flame Pro if you just run or cycle with your wireless earbuds. A comparison with the comparably priced, tiny sport-winged Fiil T1X is thus inevitable. The T1X may offer 2 hours of battery less per charge, and its call quality may only be decent instead of great - but it strikes back with a more detailed sound, more textured bass, and more lively and vibrant mids. The Flame Pro sounds quite good; the Fiil T1X is one of the best sounding TWS under $100 - it's your choice.
Mpow Flame Pro vs SoundPEATS TrueShift 2
The SoundPEATS TrueShift 2 is another Flame Pro-competitor with its sport-wings directly attached to the earpieces, instead of around your ears. The TrueShift 2 earpieces fill up your ears, making for a tight fit that is also comfortable for longer sports sessions. Battery life is great with 6 hours - but that's still 2 hours less than the Mpow. It grabs less wind when running. The TrueShift 2 has a more opened-up sound, with more presence of upper-mids and vocals. The Mpow has a bigger bass and a darker, warmer sound - while SoundPEATS offers more presence and detail higher-up.
Mpow Flame Pro vs TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79
Another popular sports TWS with ear rings that go inside your ears is the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79. Its earpieces fill your ears more than the more comfortable Mpow, and battery life is noticeably weaker. The TaoTronics does sound more straightforward, however, with a more cleaned-up bass and clearer mids and highs. Controls and call quality are more convenient on the Flame Pro, however.
Verdict
With a sound made for sports, 8 hours of battery life, and excellent call quality and video playback as added bonuses, the Mpow Flame Pro is a great TWS for sports and even everyday use - as long as you don't mind a large charging case.
4.5 stars - great
Buy Mpow Flame Pro/ check current price:
Buy Mpow Flame Pro on Amazon Europe (Germany)
Unlike some supported and commercial YouTubers, I bought the Mpow Flame Pro myself for testing and review purposes. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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