We have covered several Mpow Windows Phone accessories over the years and one of their new Bluetooth headphones caught our eye the other day. The Mpow Magneto Bluetooth Sports Headphone incorporated tiny little magnets in the headphones to act as a switch sensor to play/pause music or answer/end phone calls.
While you do have an inline control bar, the magnetic switches replace your conventional buttons on the earbuds. We recently took the Mpow Magneto headphones out for a spin and found them to be a comfortable, quality set of headphones for the gym or anywhere else you need hands-free access to your Windows Phone or Windows 10 device.
The design of the Mpow Magneto at first glance resembles your typical Bluetooth sports headphones. You have a cable connecting the two earbuds and an inline control bar. The control bar houses your microphone and a series of buttons that include a multi-function and volume/playback buttons. However, if you look closely at the Magneto's earbuds, you will notice there are no buttons.
Instead of using conventional buttons, the Magneto uses a Honeywell switch sensor that is triggered by two magnets in earbuds. This magnetic switch allows you to play/pause the music on your device or answer/end phone calls by attaching and separating the earbuds. In essence, you can have the Magneto headphones on standby and easily activate them by separating the magnets.
When the magnetic heads are attached together, separate them to play the music or answer the call. When the magnetic heads are separated, attach them together to stop the music or hang up the phone. Granted if you are listening to music and receive a call you can answer the call through your Windows Phone screen or by tapping the multi-function button on the control bar.
The magnetic switch does offer a level of convenience when the Magneto is connected to your Windows Phone or Window 10 computer. When you come across a situation where you want to listen to an audio feed from your device (be it a video, music or gaming sound effects) just separate the earbuds and you are in business. No need to fumble with tiny little switches.
Along with the magnetic switches, here are some of the Magneto's other features:
- CVC 6.0 noise cancellation technology
- Bluetooth 4.1
- Battery ratings of up to 8 hours of talk/music time and up to 175 hours of standby time
- Apt-X technology for CD-like, high-quality sound performance
In the box, you will find the headphones, a set of different sized earbud nubs, an operator's manual and a micro-USB charging cable. The charging cable will attach to the right earbud to replenish the Magneto's batteries.
As far as calling features are concerned, the Magneto covers the basics such as answering/ending calls, redialing and voice dialing.
While the magnetic switch can come in handy, a lot of the headphones control is managed by the multi-function button. This button controls powering on/off the headphones, initiating pairing and as an alternate means of answering/ending calls or playing/pausing audio playback. Voice prompts are present to confirm your actions as well.
As far as connectivity is concerned, pairing was simple and painless with my Lumia 830. The connectivity range is about ten meters (which is standard these days) and you can pair the headphone to two Bluetooth devices at once.
Fit and feel is comfortable and with the magnetic switch, you can wear the headset during the day on standby and answering a call is as simple as separating the magnets and putting the earbuds in your ear. The functionality for daily wear is a lot like the LG Tone{.nofollow}, just without the collar. My only nit with Magneto's fit and feel is that the earbuds are a little on the bulky side. It's nothing detrimental but noticeable when you first start using the headphones.
Sound quality was good, probably a notch or two above the typical Bluetooth headset. The microphone did a commendable job of picking up my voice and filtering out background noise.
After using the Mpow Magneto over the past few days, I found it to be a solid hands-free solution for listening to music, videos or other audio sources from your Windows Phone and for hands-free calling. It's a little more discreet that having a Bluetooth earpiece sticking out your ear throughout the day and stays in place nicely while exercising. These days my workouts are limited to the basement treadmill and I didn't have the Magneto fall out of place once.
I also found that the magnetic switch comes in handy when the Magneto is paired with a Windows 10 computer. The switch makes it easy to go from standby to active when you need to listen to a video, music or enjoy the sounds of a video game without fumbling for a switch or cord to plug in.
If you are in search of a Bluetooth, hands-free solution for your Windows Phone or just a nice pair of wireless headphones for your Windows 10 device, the Mpow Magneto is an option worth considering. Priced at $34.99, the Magneto comes in two color schemes black and gray.
