Mobvoi Earbuds ANC review: Low-key good
Truly wireless headphones are everywhere nowadays, but finding an affordable pair with all the bells and whistles is no easy feat for Android folks. The iPhone faithful can always just pick up some AirPods and pay the Apple tax. Fortunately, Mobvoi has released an extremely affordable alternative that feels like the real thing, and they’re only missing some of the more advanced functionality. At only $60, you really can’t beat the Mobvoi Earbuds ANC on price, particularly if you want active noise-canceling included. Unfortunately, some of its more glaring shortcomings make the low price that much more understandable.
Mobvoi Earbuds ANC
This pair of budget earbuds is missing a few features, but they’re more than worth the attractive price tag.
Design, hardware, what’s in the box
My first impression is that the Mobvoi Earbuds ANC feel a lot like AirPods. The tail of the earbud is a flat touchpad, which makes quick commands easier, and it extends down farther than AirPods, which is virtually unnoticeable from a comfort standpoint. But otherwise, they’re a dead ringer for AirPods. They feel comfortable in the ear, and they stay put even during pretty rigorous headbanging (a necessary test, I assure you).
The earbuds are very light at only five grams per bud, which is to be expected from an entirely plastic device like this one. They do protrude pretty far out from the ear, but you aren’t going to accidentally knock them out of your head if you’re an avid gesticulator. Any commands are via touch, so there are no buttons on the earbud at all, which gives them a sleek, stylish look.
Unfortunately, the slick design means there’s no room for volume controls. The earbuds make it easy to adjust the volume by voice, but the absence of touch controls to adjust volume is a significant drawback in the eyes of this reviewer.
I do really like the case, particularly compared to the AirPods case. It’s a bit slimmer than Apple’s case – which I prefer as someone who often slips the charging case into a pocket. It feels nice and light in your hand too, which again is attributed to the cheaper, plastic design. Still, it feels sturdy enough to endure a fall, which is absolutely a necessity for a product that will be rattling around in your bag or pocket.
As is the case with most products released in the last few years that aren’t from Apple, the Mobvoi Earbuds ANC case is equipped with a USB-C charging port, so you’ll be all set to charge it with one of your existing chargers.
The Mobvoi Earbuds do come with a USB-C charging cable, although no such luck on an actual charging plug. You’ll also find a quick guide, an in-depth manual, and two sets of interchangeable tips for added comfort in the box.
Sound quality, features, and battery life
When it comes to audio quality, the Mobvoi Earbuds are impressive for the price, providing a balanced sound that isn’t too heavy on the bass. Unfortunately, these earbuds don’t come with an accompanying app, so you’re kind of stuck with what you get. You won’t be able to customize the equalizer or touch controls. Fortunately, everyday users should be more than happy with the balanced sound quality right out of the box, and audiophiles aren’t going to bother with $60 earbuds.
As you may hopefully guess from the name, the main feature of the Mobvoi Earbuds is the active noise-canceling (ANC). At this price point, just having ANC is quite impressive, and the actual feature is good enough to slightly improve your listening experience. Still, the ANC is far from perfect, falling far short of complete silence. The ANC will definitely muffle the sound of slow car traffic, but trucks and buses are definitely still audible, which makes me think it wouldn’t cut it on an airplane. You shouldn’t really expect that on $60 earbuds though, so it’s far from a dealbreaker.
Another feature that eclipses the price is the pass-through audio mode that accompanies many ANC-enabled devices. It’s also not perfect, featuring some poppy audio in certain situations, but it’s good enough to have a quick chat before you get back to your music. In longer conversations though, you’re probably better just taking them off. Fortunately, these modes are very easy to cycle through by holding down the touch control on either earbud.
The built-in voice controls are surprisingly advanced for a cheap pair of earbuds like these. As previously mentioned, the Mobvoi Earbuds do not have touch control for volume, but instead allow users to simply say “volume up” or “volume down” at any time to adjust the sound without calling up a virtual assistant. In practice, this is a bit of a hassle, but I was impressed at the responsiveness of the earbuds to the commands.
There is one aspect of the Mobvoi Earbuds that ruffles my feathers, and I feel like I’m probably not alone: You have to say “Hey Tico '' to access your connected smartphone’s virtual assistant, rather than “Hey Google” or “Hey Siri.” It worked fine the few times I tested it out, but the idea of learning another name to access a virtual assistant is just too much for this reviewer to bear.
With two full charges in the case, Mobvoi claims you’ll get up to 21 hours of listening time. That’s seven hours in the buds and 14 hours in the case. Based on my time with the device, that sounds about right, so no complaints here.
Should you buy them?
If you’re on a strict budget, absolutely! For the price, these earbuds offer a lot when it comes to features, sound quality, and even battery life. Particularly if you’ve been interested in an affordable AirPod alternative, the Mobvoi Earbuds are more than worth the modest price tag.
There are some notable drawbacks, though, like the lack of touch volume controls, the missing mobile app to adjust the EQ, and the weird virtual assistant access. Make sure these won’t completely ruin your listening experience before you commit to this budget product.
Buy it if…
You’re on a tight, strict budget
You need active noise-canceling
Don’t buy it if…
You aren’t comfortable with voice controls
You want to adjust EQ
Carriers get the upper hand
Google’s made several improvements over the years
More visual changes
Samsung’s making a bold move
Project Moohan? More like Project Moolah
It’s never been cheaper
