I previously sat down and reviewed the Spigen Bluetooth earbuds and really enjoyed the experience. MPOW are a direct competitor in the space and wanted me to give the Cheetah Bluetooth earbuds a shot to see what I thought. Spoiler: they’re pretty great.
Specs
- Nano-coating for water and sweat resistance
- AptX support
- Bluetooth 4.1
- 8-hour battery life
- Microphone for making and receiving calls
Build
Honestly, I was really surprised how well the MPOW Cheetah has held up. When you first pick it up out of the box, you notice how light it is and normally that means flimsy, but not in this case. MPOW is quick to point out that it used a titanium wire inside the body to keep it pretty light but dependable.
The earbuds are connected by the wire and while not in use fold up into a pretzel design for easy storage. While this is great for keeping them compact, a definite advantage of Spigen’s earbuds, it has its negatives. When you unfold them and put them in your ears, there is definitely pulling, and it frankly hurt my ears. I did get used to it over time, but the feeling wasn’t ideal.
As mentioned earlier, the MPOW Cheetahs are water and sweat resistant, but that’s only if you keep the flap shut over the micro USB charging port. It stays closed pretty well by itself, but I have noticed once or twice when I grab these that it’s popped open. I don’t think it’s a huge deal, but make sure you check them at the beginning of your workout.
I’ve kept these in my bag, which is my purely anecdotal torture test, for a couple weeks now and I’ve had no issues with them. The ear tips are attached very securely to the headset and haven’t even so much as moved since I’ve been using them. MPOW does include two other sets of tips if the stock ones don’t fit correctly, so be sure to test out the different ear-tips before you use them for the first time.
Sound
What’s the point in buying Bluetooth earbuds if they sound like crap, right? Well luckily, these are pretty good.
Music that emphasizes the highs and mids are going to sound best on the Cheetah, but the bass can be a bit lacking. There isn’t quite the punch I’ve heard in some of the better-sounding Bluetooth earbuds on the market, but it’s not the worst I’ve ever heard. Being middle of the road in this category is fine in my opinion given that you’re only paying $30.
At higher volumes the mids and highs are pleasant without being over-emphasized. No bleeding ears or shattered windows here. If you listen to a lot of spoken word (audiobooks) or acoustic music, I think you’re going to love these. Bass heavy music like dubstep or rap is going to be lacking a bit.
Controls
The earbuds have a total of two buttons and one charging port. One of the buttons is a volume rocker and the other is a call/answer button that acts as both the pairing and power button. Holding down the call button for about 10 seconds from an off state puts the earbuds into pairing mode. Holding it for only three or four seconds just turns them on.
Conclusion
I really do enjoy these Bluetooth earbuds. There are some setbacks like the pulling issue, but maybe I just have a big head (my friends say I definitely do!) and it won’t be an issue for most. The sound is perfectly reasonable for $30. Could you find a diamond in the rough that has better sound? Yeah, maybe, but these are right on par with everything else out there.
Where the MPOW Cheetah shines, though, is the construction materials. The ability to have it curl up so there are no tangles and the strong materials used are a winner in my book. These things will last forever if you take care of them.
You can pick up the MPOW Cheetah on Amazon.
Giveaway
If you’d like a chance to win a pair of these great Bluetooth earbuds, entering is simple! Just copy this and tweet it out:
I’m entered to win a @mpowfans #Cheetah from @AndroidGuys! #AGGiveaway
We’ll choose two winners on Friday!