Mpow Freego Bluetooth 4.0 Headset Review

Hey there.  You guys know by now that I love wireless technology.  The more I can free up my hands, the better.  It’s not only that, things just look better when you don’t have wires going all over the place.  This is why I love practically anything that runs on Bluetooth or its own wireless receiver.  So when our good friends at Mpow offered the Dragonblogger team the chance to try out the Mpow Freego Bluetooth 4.0 Headset, I jumped at the opportunity.   So before I get into my experience, let’s talk specifications and first impressions.

SPECS

• Bluetooth 4.0 compatible
• Talk Time: 5 hours
• Standby Time: 100 hours
• High capacity rechargeable lithium polymer battery.
• Voice Prompts
• Multimedia Playback
• Pair up to 2 Bluetooth Enabled Devices
• Echo Cancellation Microphone
• Clear Voice Capture Tech

CONTENTS

• 1 Mpow Bluetooth 4.0 Headset
• 3 Soft Interchangeable Earpieces
• 1 Micro USB Cable
• 1 Carrying Case/Bag
• Instruction Booklet

First impressions were fairly positive.  The design of the headset is standard and what you would expect from a Bluetooth device that spends hours in your ear.  The receiver goes in your ear and the rest of it loops behind your ear to keep it in place.  The soft rubbery surface is a nice touch.  It doesn’t irritate the skin and is comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.  Many other Bluetooth headsets that I tried were made of plastic and got uncomfortable after extended use so I’m glad that Mpow tweaked their design with comfort in mind.  Also, the headset comes with 3 soft ear pieces that go on the receiver.  Each one is a different size so you can change the ear piece to make sure that the one you use fits snugly in your ear.  And lastly, you get a pretty awesome headset carrying bag.  Feels leathery and is very stylish.  And as an added bonus, the bag’s opening stays shut by what I’m assuming are hidden magnets in the bag.  Nice touch, Mpow.

Now, on to my experience.  Before putting on the headset, I changed the earpiece to the one that fit my ear the best.  I love that they give you this option.  Not all ears are the same and being able to adjust for max comfort is great.  As for ear placement, no issues there.  The earpiece goes in your ear and you loop the rest of it around your ear.  Want to move the earpiece from left to right ear or vice versa?  No problem!  You can swivel the headset earpiece 180 degrees so that you can easily switch from ear to ear effortlessly.  Awesome!

The buttons on the Mpow Freego Bluetooth 4.0 Headset may take some time to get used to.  To turn it on, you hold the power button until the small (and I do mean small) indicator light turns green.  Oddly enough… the power button has a phone symbol on it and you wouldn’t know that was the power button until you read the instructions.  Once on, the device will look for Bluetooth devices to pair with.  Enable Bluetooth on your mobile device and connect with the headset by clicking on Mpow under available devices.  If for whatever reason it is not showing up available, you can hold the power button for about 5 or 6 seconds and the indicator light will alternate between red and green.  This means that the headset is in pair mode and is making itself available to detect on mobile devices.  Once you’ve paired up with a device, the headset will automatically connect when it is on and Bluetooth is enabled on the device.  And just in case you’re not sure whether you’re connected or not, the voice prompt in the headset will advise you.  Yup, this thing has voice prompts.  If you turn on, off, or connect your device while wearing the headset, you will hear a voice prompt telling you your action.  “You are now connected”, “Power on.”, are just some of the phrases.  The headset also has 2 volume buttons that also work as a skip forward and skip backward buttons.  Single click to the + to turn volume up and – for turn it down.  If you press and hold the +, it acts a skip forward and the doing the with the – button skips backward.  Honestly, I don’t use the skip forward or backward functions.  I found it easier to just use my phone for that.  lol

As for the quality of sound, not too bad.  I wouldn’t say it’s exceptional, but I wouldn’t say that it’s bad either.  It’s solid.  I have been using it mostly to listen to music and it provides a crisp sound.  It’s not as rich as I would like but then again, it’s only a single speaker and there is only so much sound that can come out of it before it gets muddy.  Just know that you can clearly make out the instruments and the bass line is not lost in the sound.  It gets the job done and I’m pretty content with that.

I also tested out the sound quality in calls.  I’ll admit that I tend to listen to music more with Bluetooth headsets than use them for calls.  With that being said, I found the overall call quality to be fair.  I was able to listen to the caller very well but there were some obstacles getting the caller to hear me.  The microphone is set closer to my ear than my mouth so you do need to speak up in order to be heard.  Also, the microphone picks up a lot of the surrounding sound when making a call.  That may not be too much of an issue but if you’re walking outside while using this you will have trouble being heard since any trace of wind may end up drowning out your voice.  If you are using it in the car, this should not be a problem at all.  But again, if you are listening to music and not making calls with this Mpow Freego Bluetooth 4.0 Headset, you won’t have a problem at all using this while walking down the street.

So there you have it, the Mpow Freego Bluetooth 4.0 Headset is a solid piece of technology that will get the job done.  If using for calls, it’s better suited for in the car or in the office use since any outside noise may drown out your voice, but can be used practically anywhere if being used to listen to any other multimedia.  The only negative thing that I can say is that the device does not come with its own charger.  You get a USB cable, but not a charger.  It’s not a big deal for me, but may be a turn off to others.  You can pick up the Mpow Freego Bluetooth 4.0 Headset right now at Amazon for $27.99!  Not too shabby for a rock solid Bluetooth headset.

So what did you guys think of the Mpow Freego Bluetooth 4.0 Headset?  Questions?  Let’s hear it in the comments, friends!  Later!