The Mpow H10 Wireless are fair noise cancelling over-ear headphones that are versatile for everyday casual use. They offer a solid value thanks to their decent sound quality and amazing battery life. Their ANC feature is also suitable for commuting and to use at the office. However, they feel flimsy due to their plastic build, and like most over-ears, they won’t be the best option for sports because of their bulky design. On the upside, they have a comfortable fit, but it might not be ideal for people with small heads since the headband is quite large.
Our Verdict
The Mpow H10 are fair for mixed usage. They have a decent sound quality and ANC feature, making suitable for commuting and to use at the office. The padding is comfortable, and the headphones are lightweight enough to wear for hours. However, their bulky over-ear design won’t be ideal for sports as they trap heat inside the ear cups and make you sweat more than usual. They might not be ideal for watching TV since the Bluetooth latency might be too high for some, but it's lower than most Bluetooth headphones. However, it will still be too high for gaming, and their microphone isn’t great for online gaming.
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Comfortable fit.
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Decent sound quality.
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Great battery life.
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Leaky at high volumes.
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Cheap plastic build quality.
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A bit too large for smaller heads.
The Mpow H10 are alright for neutral sound. Their bass is virtually flawless, but their mid-range is recessed, and some may feel like they sound sibilant as well. This results in vocals and leads being pushed back to the back of the mix, and S and T sounds might be a bit piercing for some. However, these headphones still sound good and will be versatile for a wide variety of music genres but won’t be ideal for vocal-centric music.
The Mpow H10 are good for commuting. These ANC headphones block a decent amount of lower-frequency noises like engine rumbles. They're also comfortable for long rides, and their battery life will be more than enough for most commutes and flights. However, they're cheaply made and don’t come with a case when you’re on the go, so you might have to be a bit more careful not to break them if you are often on the move.
The Mpow H10 are okay for sports. They're fairly tight on the head and trap a decent amount of heat under the ear cups, which might make you sweat more than usual. They're also bulky and not the easiest headphones to carry around. On the upside, their control scheme is easy to use, and they have a great wireless range, which means you’ll be able to set your phone down during some workouts.
The Mpow H10 are decent to use at the office. They isolate a good amount of ambient chatter, but they leak quite a lot at higher volumes, so be sure to monitor your music not to disturb surrounding colleagues. On the upside, their 23-hour battery life will be more than enough for a normal workday. Unfortunately, they can’t connect to multiple devices simultaneously, which would have been convenient.
The Mpow H10 are disappointing at best for gaming. Their latency is too high for gaming, and delay will be noticeable in most games. Also, their integrated microphone performance is nowhere near the great boom microphones some gaming headsets have. Also, they aren’t very customizable, but they're still fairly comfortable and have decent sound quality.
- 6.9 Mixed Usage
- 6.8 Neutral Sound
- 7.5 Commute/Travel
- 6.9 Sports/Fitness
- 7.0 Office
- 5.3 Wireless Gaming
- 6.9 Wired Gaming
- 6.3 Phone Calls
- Updated Feb 07, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Apr 03, 2019: Review published.
- Updated Apr 01, 2019: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Apr 01, 2019: Early access published.
- Updated Mar 30, 2019: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Mar 18, 2019: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Mpow H10 are versatile headphones and stand out by the value they give for their affordable price. They deliver decent sound and isolate against a good amount of ambient noise. Unfortunately, they feel fairly plasticky and get quite leaky at high volumes.
We suggest looking at our best budget noise cancelling headphones, or at our suggestions for best noise cancelling headphones under $200 for some better-built options. See also our article on the best headphone brands.
The Mpow H10 Wireless and the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless are both decent wireless ANC headphones. The Anker feel slightly better built and stable on the head and have a more bass-heavy sound profile. However, the Mpow are still slightly thumpy but better balanced overall. The ANC performance of the Mpow is quite a bit better, especially for blocking out engine sounds, but the battery on the Anker will last almost 10 hours longer.
The Mpow H10 Wireless are better headphones than the Cowin E7 Wireless. They are more comfortable to wear for long periods of time and the padding is very soft compared to the rigid one on the Cowin. The Cowin also have mediocre sound quality with heavy bass and treble that lacks a lot of detail. The Mpow also isolate more ambient noise and will be better suited for commuting. The only thing that the Cowin have over the Mpow is that their battery life is slightly longer, but it takes more time to charge. However, this doesn’t overcome the massive difference in sound quality.
The Mpow H10 Wireless are better versatile headphones than the similar Mpow H5 Wireless model. The overall design of the H10 is better and more comfortable, and their ANC feature blocks more ambient noise than the H5. While both headphones feel fairly plasticky, the overall feel of the H5 is slightly better and they don’t make a breaking sound when folding them. Sound-wise, the H10 are slightly more balanced, especially in the bass range. They also have a way better battery life, but you can connect the H5 to two devices, which you can’t do with the H10.
The Mpow H10 Wireless are better headphones than the Skullcandy Hesh 3. The Mpow have a decent ANC feature while the Hesh 3 only passively isolates noise, which makes the Mpows better suited for the office and commuting. Sound-wise, the Skullcandy headphones are really bass-heavy, so EDM and dubstep fans might prefer their sound profile. However, the Mpow are slightly more comfortable, and their Bluetooth latency might be low enough for people not to notice a delay. On the other hand, the Skullcandy takes half the charging time of the Mpow and provides you with about 20 hours of battery life, which is great.
The Mpow H10 Wireless and the Anker SoundCore Space NC Wireless are similarly performing headphones, and you may prefer either one. While both headphones have a comfortable fit, the Anker are better built and can isolate you from more ambient noise. The Mpow have a somewhat more neutral sound profile, although it's still very excited, and they have longer continuous battery life.
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 are better headphones than the Mpow H10 Wireless in almost every way. The Bose are more comfortable, have a better-balanced sound profile, and are more durable build than the Mpow. Their ANC is outstanding, and they can connect to two devices simultaneously, which the Mpow can’t do. On the other hand, you get slightly more battery life out of the Mpow, and you can use them while charging. The Mpow offer great value, but their overall performance isn’t quite on par with the Bose.
The Mpow H10 Wireless are slightly better headphones than the Anker SoundCore Life 2 Wireless thanks to their better performance against ambient noise. The Mpow are better suited for commuting and to use at the office, which makes them slightly more comfortable. On the other hand, the Anker's sound signature is more suited for fans of bass, and you can also boost it with the bass effect command. The Anker also leak less than the Mpow and have an in-line mic.
The Mpow H10 Wireless are better headphones than the TaoTronics SoundSurge 60 Wireless. Their ANC features are practically identical, but our Mpow didn’t show any mismatch in their drivers, resulting in a better overall sound than the TaoTronics. They also have very good battery life on top of a standby mode, which the TaoTronics are lacking. They have low latency for Bluetooth headphones, too. However, the TaoTronics are better-built and leak noticeably less than the Mpow.
The Mixcder E9 Wireless is a slightly better sounding option than the Mpow H10 Wireless and is also better built. The Mixcder feel better made than the cracking Mpow and the controls are easier to use. On the other hand, the Mpow have a slightly better ANC performance and they offer a bit more battery life.
The Mpow EM12 Wireless Earphone and the Mpow H10 Wireless have very different designs and are for different uses. The EM12 is a mono Bluetooth headset that looks like a single earbud from a pair of truly wireless in-ears and is designed to use for phone calls. On the other hand, the H10 are wireless over-ear headphones primarily designed for listening to music. They also have a microphone built-in, which allows you to easily take phone calls. The headphones themselves are more comfortable, and they have ANC to give you peace while commuting or in the office. Overall, the H10 are a better choice if you're looking for a versatile pair of over-ears for all-day use, but the EM12 is a decent choice if you want a single earbud for phone calls.
The TREBLAB Z2 Wireless and the Mpow H10 Wireless are similarly performing headphones. The Mpow are more comfortable, last longer off a single charge, and have a better microphone. Their ANC feature is also significantly better and blocks out much more background noise. On the other hand, the TREBLAB have a much better-balanced sound profile, support multi-device pairing and aptX-LL, and come with an analog cable with an in-line microphone.
The Wyze Noise-Cancelling Headphones Wireless are slightly better headphones than the Mpow H10 Wireless. The Wyze are better built, have a more neutral sound profile, which some users may prefer, and have a companion app with a graphic EQ and presets. However, the Mpow's ANC can isolate more noise.
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Test Results
The Mpow H10 have a pretty generic look and don’t have a design that particularly stands out. The headphones look plasticky but don’t have the same glossy finish as the Mpow H5 Wireless. The cups are dense with good padding. The headband is also decently padded, but unfortunately, they only come in one color scheme.
The Mpow H10 are comfortable headphones that you can wear for long periods but won’t be ideal for people with small heads. The headband is fairly large, and some people will feel the headphones fall on their head, making the ears touch the top of the cups. On the upside, the padding is very plushy and soft, which is very comfortable. The headband is also well-padded and distributes the weight of the headphones well. Some may feel like they're a bit tight on the head.
The Mpow H10 have a decent physical control scheme. You get access to common functionalities like call/music management, volume control, and track skipping. You can also enable/disable their ANC with a physical switch on the left ear cup. The buttons are fairly clicky and easy to use, but you don’t have a way of differentiating the buttons as they have the same shape. You might need to take a second to feel the other buttons to know which one you are pressing.
Like most over-ear headphones, the Mpow H10 trap a fair amount of heat under the ear cups, and most will feel a noticeable difference in temperature while wearing them for a while. They won’t be ideal for sports as you might sweat more than usual.
These over-ear headphones are fairly bulky and won’t be very portable. On the upside, you can fold them into a more compact format, making them a bit easier to travel with. Also, the cups swivel to lay flat, which makes it easier to carry them around your neck and to slide in a bag. They don’t come with a hard case to protect them.
These headphones come with a soft pouch that protects the headphones against scratches and very minor water exposure. The pouch won’t protect the headphones against physical damage from falls, but it doesn’t add bulk to their design.
Unfortunately, the Mpow H10 feel cheaper-made than the Mpow H5 Wireless. While the cups feel better designed, with slightly better plastic, the overall feel of the H10 is worse. The headband got downgraded and doesn’t feel as sturdy as the H5’s. Also, the hinges, when folding the headphones, make a very loud cracking noise, giving you the impression that you just broke the headphones every time you fold them. On the upside, they don’t have the fingerprint-prone glossy finish of the H5. For another better-built option, you can take a look at the TaoTronics TT-BH060 Wireless, but their sound quality is sub-par.
These headphones aren’t that stable and shouldn’t be used for physical activity and running. They wiggle around fairly easy and come off your ears. They're stable enough for you to tilt your head back on forward, but that’s about it. This shouldn’t be a problem for casual listening. On the upside, their wireless design eliminates the risk of a cable getting stuck on something and yanking the headphones off your head.
- Mpow H10 headphones
- 1/8" TRS audio cable
- Micro-USB charging cable
- Carrying pouch
- Manuals
The Mpow H10 have a good frequency response consistency. In the bass range, they seem to be using their ANC (active noise cancelling) to check for seal and ensuring proper bass delivery like the Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 and the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless. In the treble range (below 10KHz), the maximum amount of deviation is below 5dB, which is good, but the positioning of the headphones on the head can have a small effect on their perceived brightness.
The Mpow H10's bass performance is okay. It's overemphasized across the range, which results in extra, thump, rumble, and boom. However, it can sound muddy and overwhelming.
The Mpow H10's mid accuracy is great. The low-mid is overemphasized, so vocals and lead instruments can sound a bit cluttered and muddy while a dip in the mid-mid nudges them to the back of the mix. The high-mid is well-balanced though, ensuring the clarity and intensity of these sounds.
They have a sub-par treble performance. It's overemphasized across the range, resulting in bright and detailed vocals and lead instruments. However, a high peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like S and T sounds piercing and painful.
These headphones have excellent imaging. Their weighted group delay (GD) is 0.24, which is very good. The GD graph shows that their group delay is under the audibility threshold. This ensures a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. Also, the L/R drivers of our unit were very well-matched in frequency, amplitude, and phase response. It's important for accurate placement and localization of objects, like footsteps and instruments, in the stereo field. However, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.
The Mpow H10's soundstage is disappointing. They show a decent amount of PRTF accuracy and activation, which should translate into a relatively large soundstage. However, their PRTF Distance score is disappointing, suggesting a soundstage perceived to be located inside your head, as opposed to in front. Also, because of the closed-back design and ANC, they tend to sound less open than open-back headphones.
The Mpow H10 have a great isolation performance. With their ANC (active noise cancelling) enabled, these headphones achieved more than 18dB of isolation in the bass range, which is very good. This means they can cancel out the low rumbling noises like airplane and bus engines to a great degree. In the mid-range, important for blocking out speech, they isolate by 22dB, which is also good. In the treble range, occupied by sharp sounds like S and Ts and air conditioning systems, they achieved about 25dB of isolation, which is decent.
The leakage performance is sub-par. The significant portion of the leakage is spread between 300Hz and 3KHz, which is a relatively broad range. The overall level of the leakage is relatively loud, too. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away averages at 46dB SPL and peaks at 62dB SPL, which is noticeably above the noise floor of an average office.
The recording quality of the Mpow H10’s integrated microphone is mediocre. LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 233Hz, which means transmitted/recorded speech with this mic will sound noticeably thin. The HFE (high-frequency extension) of 3.1KHz indicates speech that lacks detail and is noticeably muffled. This will hurt the understandability of speech, but it should still be understandable in quiet environments.
The integrated mic's noise handling is mediocre. In our SpNR test, it achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of about 11dB. This makes this microphone suitable mostly for quiet environments, and not great for moderate and loud environments, as it will have difficulty separating ambient noise from actual speech.
The Mpow H10 have a great battery life that offers 23 hours of continuous playback with their ANC feature, which is more than enough for a workday, and it won’t need daily charging. They also don’t take that long to charge fully, which is great. They also have a standby mode to save some power. You can use them passively, even if the battery is completely dead, which is convenient, but you can't use the ANC if they're dead. Note that when powering the headphones off, you also have to switch the ANC off, or the battery will continue draining.
Mpow doesn’t have an app that offers customization options.
The Mpow H10 are Bluetooth-compatible headphones. Unfortunately, they don’t support NFC for quicker and easier pairing and can only connect to a single device at a time.
With 122ms of delay, they have less latency than most Bluetooth headphones, which is good. Some may still notice a small delay between audio and video while watching TV or any video content. On the upside, some devices and apps seem to offer some compensation, so you might not notice the delay as much. You can also use the headphones with the audio cable to get rid of the latency. If you want a pair of similarly-performing headphones that also support aptX-LL for an even lower latency connection, check out the TREBLAB Z2 Wireless.
You can use the included 1/8” TRS audio cable to use these headphones with any platform that has the appropriate audio jack. However, they only support audio, as they don’t have an in-line microphone.