TWS true wireless earphones - under $50
FOUR STARS - With sport-wings and a clear and engaging sound that puts through loads of detail while working out, the Mpow M30 is a great pair of wireless earbuds under $50.
Specs of the Mpow M30:
Bluetooth 5.0
IPX7 waterproof (heavy rain and sweat resistant)
5 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 6 sizes of ear tips and USB-C cable
$40 on AliExpress or Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon Stores
Specs of the Mpow M30 Plus:
Bluetooth 5.0
IPX7 waterproof (heavy rain and sweat resistant)
5 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 20 times
Comes with 6 sizes of ear tips and USB-C cable
$50 on Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon Stores
Below this Mpow M30 review/ Mpow M30 Plus review, you will find comparisons of the Mpow M30 vs Mpow X3, Bomaker Sifi II, Fiil T1X, Edifier X3, SoundPEATS TrueDot, QCY T9S and Samsung Galaxy Buds.
Update January 22, 2021: I'm receiving lots of mails from readers saying their M30 is defective by arrival or after a short while, with one of the earbuds not responding at all. That's why I'm changing the overall score from 5 to 4 stars. Check for alternatives here.
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Design, comfort and battery life
The Mpow M30 comes in two variations, with a single difference between the two models. The Mpow M30 Plus is the same earphone with a bigger, much heavier charging case that can also act as a power bank, capable of recharging the earpieces up to 20 (!) times and able to recharge your smartphone as well.
The tested regular Mpow M30 has a more pocketable, lightweight charging case, capable of recharging the earpieces four times. You can renew both cases via USB-C. A single LED-light on the front shows the battery status of the regular M30 case. You can move its lid a bit, but it feels sturdy enough.
The shape of the earpieces is the highlight here, however. The M30 comes with three sizes of rubber sport wings you can pull around them. The wings may not look very premium, but they have a stunning balance between sturdiness and flexibility. They go behind your ear flaps without hassle and cause a very steady fit, yet you barely feel them.
Along with the round inner-ear part, the Mpow M30 earpieces are very comfortable and extremely suitable for working out. Just as tight, but way lighter than most other earphones with sport-wings inside the ears. You can wear these for hours without problems - further helped by the solid 5 hours battery life.
Connectivity and controls
You control the Mpow M30 with the touch panels on the sides. The touch sensitivity is well-adjusted: you only control them by touching the actual side, not around it. It's hard to activate the wrong function on these.
The control scheme is convenient. Tap either of the buds once to play or pause the music. Tap the right bud twice to skip a song, double-tap the left earpiece to return a track. With three taps on either of the sides, you activate the voice assistant on your phone.
You can change the volume on the earpieces too: hold the right earpiece for as long as you'd like to increase the loudness, and hold the left one to decrease the volume. This is trickier when working out though. With sweaty fingers or water splashing on the sides, the Mpow sometimes holds the action you activated, maxing out the volume while you only wanted to increase it a bit.
Connectivity on the Mpow M30 is great. The Bluetooth 5.0 connection holds up to ten meters. You can also instantly switch between listening to one and two earpieces - so it's possible to charge an earpiece while listening to the other.
That is - if it works. In January 2021, I'm receiving mails and comments from readers stating their M30 is dead on arrival or after a short while of using, with one earbud not connecting at all anymore. That's why I'm changing the score on this part from 4 to 2 stars, and the overal score from 5 to 4 stars.
Calling and watching movies with Mpow M30
Unfortunately, calling isn't a strong suit of the Mpow M30. Your voice can sound clear, but this isn't always the case. It seems that the M30 tries to place your voice above all kinds of background noise, but it's a hit-and-miss experience.
Sometimes, background noises like traffic and nearby people are reduced nicely and replaced by a slight crackle on the line - but other times, a passing vehicle can completely overrule your voice. Your voice can change in volume as well. You can take a call with the M30, but it won't always be a pleasant experience.
Watching videos with the Mpow M30 is flawless on Android and most video apps on iPhone as well. However, when you have an iPhone and love to watch YouTube videos, the Mpow M30 won't be your best bet. On this app, the sound has minimal latency. There's also a noticeable delay when playing games, which is the case on almost all wireless earphones.
Also read: The best true wireless earphones under $50
Sound quality of Mpow M30: treble energy
Energetic yet smooth, treble-focused yet balanced - the Mpow M30 delivers an all-round enjoyable sound.
For a few years now, Mpow has been chasing an uplifting V-shape sound, meaning a sound signature with heavily boosted bass and forward vocals. An ideal profile for modern genres such as hip-hop, dance, and pop requiring a hard bass. The recently released Mpow X3 is an outstanding example of this.
The Mpow M30 follows this line, but doet it a bit differently. It has a more crisp sound character, giving more body to the upper-mids. The Mpow M30 can go really loud, and especially when reaching above-average volumes, vocals enjoy a forward position and have great clarity and a solid level of detail. If you're used to overly bassy earphones, you may need to adjust to the upper-midrange crispness.
The emphasis on treble comes at the expense of representation of typical mid-instruments like guitars and piano. They sound somewhat softer than on more balanced earphones, as if they're a bit overwhelmed by the power coming of vocalists and other upper-mids. The M30 compensates for it by giving the sound more space. Music has a very airy feel, and within the above-average soundstage, there's clear left-right separation and decent (if a bit floaty) instrument placement.
The Mpow M30 has a mid-bass slam with a lovely punch, and the darkest sub-bass tones can reach great depths. Try it on James Blake's Limit to Your Love - this sub-bass has enormous potential. The biggest difference between the M30 and other Mpow's, however, is the subtlety of the bass. Yes, it can strike hard and rumble fiercely, but it knows how to behave as well. Lower-mids is where the M30 finds its biggest difference with other Mpow-models. They are somewhat soft - making darker electronic tones and male vocals a bit thin.
Now, with such an emphasis on upper-mid crispness and airiness at the cost of lower-mids and more acoustic instruments, the Mpow M30 would rank 4.5 stars in the sound department.
But there's a special power in the M30 sound. The combination of spaciousness, controlled bass, and upper-mid-presence, turn out fantastic for working out. While you're sporting, the M30 shows a vibrant, more cleaned-up, complete sound than its competitors - more than the Mpow Flame Pro, Fiil T1X, and SoundPEATS TrueShift 2, where musical details start to drown during rapid movement. Here, all the vibrant parts of the music still shine when you're breaking a sweat.
With its great airiness, forward vocals and crisp sound, the Mpow M30 is a great sounding earphone for everyday use - and perhaps even the best wireless earphone for working out.
Selected comparisons
Mpow M30 vs Mpow X3
The Mpow X3 costs around $15 more than the Mpow M30, and only slightly more than the M30 Plus. For this price difference, the X3 throws in decent ANC active noise cancelling that silences a fair amount of noise from your surroundings, and video playback and call quality are also better. The M30 is more suitable for sporting, thanks to the sport-wings that grant a fantastic fit.
The M30 sounds more natural and balanced than the X3. The sub-bass dives deeper, and while mids and highs are well-extended, they still are a bit toned-down in comparison. The X3 has a stronger V-shape sound, with a more powerful and dominant mid-bass and even further elevated vocals. It delivers its music with more impact, while the M30 throws in more presence in the mid-tones, beneficial for acoustic and classic genres. The X3 has more energy; the M30 is a better allrounder.
Mpow M30 vs Samsung Galaxy Buds
The Mpow M30 has been called a cheaper Samsung Galaxy Buds once or twice, and it's easy to see why. The Mpow is tinier in your ears and more comfortable to wear, but the sound follows the same philosophy - vocals sound crisp and forward on both, perhaps too much for some. Male vocals have more nuance on the Galaxy Buds, but to achieve this detail, the 'Gbuds' over-emphasizes the mids and creates a bit of 'hiss' around them. The Mpow M30 doesn't - and spaciousness is also better. The biggest difference is the bass. While both behave well, the M30 shows more refinement and has plenty more punch when it needs to.
Mpow M30 vs Bomaker Sifi II
The same price point and great comfort: the Mpow M30 and Bomaker Sifi II are direct competitors. The Sifi II has a stronger, heavy-hitting bass that also is boomier than the M30's. The Mpow has more emphasis on the higher mid-tones, making music seem more balanced and open, whereas the Sifi II has a warmer, sometimes even darker sound. Left-right separation is better on the Sifi II, but the excellent mid-presence of the M30 gives it a slight edge in less electronic genres. The sport wings are a great addition.
Mpow M30 vs Fiil T1X
The Fiil T1X is the current class-leading wireless earphone under $100 on Scarbir.com, and also has sport-wings to make them great for sporting. It has more emphasis on the center-mids than the M30, and sounds fuller as a result. The T1X beats the Mpow in instrument tonality and placement, resulting in better texture on guitars, pianos, violins and drums. The M30 can't quite grasp it - but it has much more airiness in the sound, making the Mpow M30 easier to listen to and more engaging for modern genres like dance, pop and hip-hop.
Mpow M30 vs SoundPEATS TrueDot
The $25 SoundPEATS TrueDot has a warmer sound, with a thicker and more dominant bass and further elevated lower-mids. The Mpow M30 has clearer upper-mids and extends highs further, giving the music a more open and bright character, yet the TrueDot places instruments more precisely. The M3 is a smarter choice thanks to better battery life and its flexible sport-wings.
Mpow M30 vs Edifier X3
The excellent $25 Edifier X3 shows itself a worthy competitor to the Mpow M30, delivering better call quality and video playback, and up to 1,5 hours of extra battery life. It's extremely pocketable size is a plus as well. The M30 has sport-wings and USB-C charging to counter this. Sound wise, the X3 has a more punchy bass and comparable emphasis on the upper-mids and vocals. Acoustic instruments are more recessed than on the M30, however, making the X3 sound more bass-and-highs-centric. It has an opener sound than the M30, but the Mpow signature is more balanced, with better presence of most instruments and male vocals. The M30 sub-bass can also dive deeper.
Mpow M30 vs QCY T9S
Want cheaper wireless earphones with sport-wings to go inside your ears? At $25, the QCY T9S is just that. The wings of the Mpow are more flexible, and along with the tinier earpieces, the Mpow M30 is more comfortable. Battery life is around half an hour stronger. The QCY has a brighter sound; the Mpow has a more balanced presentation with more body in the lower-mids and more rounded highs.
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Verdict
With sport-wings and a clear and engaging sound that puts through loads of detail while working out, the Mpow M30 is a great pair of wireless earbuds under $50.
Four stars - Good
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I bought the Mpow M30 myself for testing and review purposes. My reviews are 100% independent and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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