Most complaints about cheap true wireless earbuds fall into a short list: they fall out during exercise, the microphone sounds terrible on calls, or the seal is so loose that outside noise drowns out the music. The Mpow M9 (model BH413A) is aimed squarely at fixing the call-quality problem with a four-microphone array, so I focused my testing there, alongside the usual fit and battery checks, and split my notes into the common complaints versus what the M9 actually does about each one.
Complaint: Cheap Earbuds Sound Terrible on Calls
The Fix: The M9 packs two microphones per earbud, four total, specifically to isolate voice from background noise during calls and video conferences. In practice, this made a real difference on a video call from a room with a running dishwasher in the background — the other person on the call didn’t mention any background hum, which is not something I could say confidently about most sub-thirty-dollar earbuds I’ve tested.
- Four total microphones (two per earbud) working together for noise reduction on calls
- Bluetooth 5.0 connection for a stable link during calls and streaming
- Touch-based call answer/end controls on each earbud
Complaint: Loose Fit During Exercise
The Fix: The M9 ships with three ear tip sizes (S, M, L), and finding the right one made a noticeable difference in stability during light jogging and household chores. They’re rated IPX7, meaning resistance to sweat and rain rather than full submersion, which covers the realistic range of situations most buyers actually put earbuds through.
Complaint: Battery Doesn’t Last a Full Day
The Fix: Rated at up to 6 hours per charge with roughly 200 hours of standby, and an additional 34 hours available from the USB-C charging case, the M9’s numbers land solidly mid-pack for the category. Real-world use trimmed that to around 5 hours per charge at moderate volume, which still comfortably covers a workday of intermittent listening between case top-ups.
Complaint: Muddy, Bass-Heavy Sound
The Fix: The M9 leans into a V-shaped sound signature — boosted bass and treble with a slightly recessed midrange — which some listeners will find more “fun” than accurate. It’s a deliberate tuning choice rather than a flaw, and works well for pop, electronic, and hip-hop, less so for acoustic or vocal-heavy genres where a flatter response would serve better.
Setting Up and Pairing the M9
- Open the charging case near your phone with Bluetooth enabled
- Select “Mpow M9” from the available devices list
- Once paired, both earbuds should connect automatically each time they’re removed from the case going forward
- If only one earbud connects, place both back in the case for a few seconds, then remove them together to force a fresh stereo pairing
For firmware notes and the full spec sheet, Mpow’s official M9 listing covers the current production version, since minor hardware revisions have shipped under the same model name over time.
Complaint: No Way to Use Just One Earbud
The Fix: Both earbuds in the M9 function independently, so a single earbud can be worn for calls or casual listening while the other stays charging in the case. This is a small feature but a genuinely useful one for long work-from-home days spent partly on calls and partly away from the desk.
Complaint: Cheap Charging Cases Feel Flimsy
The Fix: The M9’s USB-C charging case has a solid hinge and a satisfying magnetic snap when closing, which sounds like a minor detail until you’ve dealt with a case that pops open loose in a bag and drains the earbuds inside. It’s a small thing, but it’s exactly the kind of small thing that separates earbuds that survive a year of daily use from ones that don’t.
A Real-World Test That Convinced Me
The moment that sold me on the microphone setup was a work call taken while my upstairs neighbor was running a vacuum cleaner. Normally that’s the kind of background noise that makes a call unusable on cheap earbuds, forcing an apology and a callback later. With the M9, the person on the other end asked if I was working from a quiet office, which told me the noise-isolating microphones were doing real work rather than just being a spec sheet claim.
Where the M9 Falls Short
No active noise cancellation is included at this price point, which is expected but worth noting if ANC is a priority — Mpow’s X3 line covers that need instead. There’s also no companion app for customizing the touch gesture mapping or EQ curve, so what ships in the box is what you’re working with long-term. For most casual buyers this won’t matter, but it’s worth knowing upfront rather than discovering it after purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the M9 earbuds good for phone calls specifically?
Yes, this is their strongest feature — the four-microphone setup is noticeably better at isolating voice from background noise than most earbuds in this price range.
How waterproof are they really?
IPX7 rated, meaning they handle sweat, rain, and brief splashes, but they are not designed for swimming or full submersion.
Do they support wireless charging?
Charging is via USB-C cable; check the specific case model, as wireless charging support has varied across production runs of this model.
What’s the effective range before the connection drops?
Typical Bluetooth 5.0 range applies, generally solid through a couple of rooms in a home, though walls and interference will reduce that in practice.
Final Verdict After Three Weeks
Three weeks in, the pair I’ve been testing shows no signs of the connection drops or charging quirks that sometimes surface in cheap earbuds after the initial honeymoon period. That durability, combined with the microphone performance, is what pushes the M9 from “fine for the price” into genuinely recommendable territory for anyone whose earbuds double as a work-from-home tool.
Conclusion
If your biggest frustration with budget true wireless earbuds has been sounding bad on calls, the Mpow M9’s four-microphone setup is the standout reason to consider it over similarly priced alternatives. Everything else — battery, fit, sound — lands in solidly average territory for the category, which is a fair trade for earbuds built around fixing one specific, common annoyance.
Ryan covers consumer tech and driver support topics full-time and pays particular attention to call and microphone quality when testing audio accessories, since it’s the feature most reviews skip over.