There seems to be a never-ending influx of truly wireless earbuds from china these days. Having tested over 20 of them, I can say that the majority are pretty terrible. However, the latest batch is getting a lot better. There was one model that has been requested for review from our readers, and that is the MiFo O5. A sub $100 RRP true wireless earbud that is said to have some of the best battery life on the market.
What is the Mifo O5
The Mifo O5 is a set of wireless earbuds. These earphones allow you to connect via Bluetooth to your phone or another audio source without the need for cables and allow you maximum freedom of movement.
The earphones come with a charging case [which doubles as a carry case for storage when not in use], and they have a claimed playback time of around 7 hours and a further 100 hours of standby time from the case. I do find the way they are being touted as a 100hour earphone a bit annoying as this can be misleading to a lot of people new to this technology. The reality is, in our testing, they lasted 6-7 hours [depending on listening levels]. You will get 10+ charges from the case without having to charge the case itself.
Other than that the spec sheet is pretty nice. They have the latest Bluetooth 5.0 standard for a higher quality of connection and data transfer. Additionally, they have integrated some controls into the earbuds themselves, which means less reaching for your phone.
The absolute biggest gripe I have had with these types of truly wireless earbuds in the past is the sheer size of the units. Most of them were so bulky and cumbersome I found them to be frustrating to use in day-to-day life. Another annoyance tied to this was that they looked ridiculous from an aesthetic standpoint. Bulging out your head like an unsightly growth or tumor.
The Mifo O5, however, score big points when it comes to the styling because for a sub $100 earphone they look excellent and far more premium than I was expecting. The outer plate is a metal with the inner a soft tough plastic that is nicely contoured to be comfortable with a wide range of ear shapes.
Everything is well put together with good materials, and while they might be somewhat dull to look at they are very well made.
I found the Mifo O5 to be very comfortable as well. The teardrop housing finds its place in between my tragus and anti-tragus and locks securely in place. This meant that they worked very well when I was using them in the gym, and I had zero issues with them falling out. Insertion depth was around a medium, and they offer above-average noise isolation and are great for commuting.
Packaging and Accessories
The packaging on the Mifo O5 is quite lovely. Especially for the price. It’s the traditional cardboard and foam style. It has strong graphics and plenty of information about the earphones on the outside.
Inside everything is laid out neatly and presented nicely to the buyer.
The accessories are also very nice although I would like to see more varied options for the ear tips. You get some instruction manuals, a charging cable that plugs into the case [and is inexcusably micro USB and not USB-C], and the charging case.
The case is nicely made and a lot smaller than I had expected, given its large capacity for charging. It’s metal is outer with a plastic inner and goes very well with the earphones. The earphones twist into the ports at which time contact is made with the connectors, and your earphones will start charging without the need for you to press any buttons.
Operation and Functions
So as we mentioned the battery life on the Mifo is excellent with the included case, but they are very well-rounded and feature-rich elsewhere. To start with the units are water-resistant meaning that you won’t have to worry if you get caught out in the rain or are using them heavily in the gym.
The Mifo O5 also has built-in microphones for calling and four buttons with which to control music playback and calls. I found the unit very easy to use after a couple of times going over the included manuals. Most impressive was the speed at which the units pair and reconnect with my phone when taking them out of the case. Usually, by the time I had inserted them into my ears they were already connected.
Call quality was average. I could hear the callers just fine but they did report that I became somewhat quieter when I was using the Mifo in windy conditions.
The operation of the Mifo O5 is effortless. Connecting them to a phone takes just a few seconds. A long press of the right earphones main button the earphones go into pairing mode where you can connect to them via your phone or laptop controls panel.
Sound Quality
The sound quality of truly wireless earphones isn’t quite there yet, but it has indeed come a long way in the past two years. The Mifo does a decent job at recreating the music, but it does still sound drawn-out and lacking energy. The tuning is relatively flat, and there is not a lot of emphasis on the low end, which might be to some people’s preferences. If you like a lot of low-end grunts, then I would suggest you check out the Sabbat E12 for a similar price. That or spend a little bit extra to get the 1More True Wireless Earbuds for an all-around better sonic performance.
That said the sound on the Mifo is still quite good and when you consider the price and the number of features that this earphone has then it’s almost impossible to complain.
The bass is light and has adequate speed. I wouldn't say that they are suitable for bass-heavy music because ultimately, fans of such genres will always be left wanting more from them. However, if you are more likely to listen to classic rock, jazz, and other more bass-light genres, then the smoothness of the presentation will be a bonus.
The Mifo O5 does very little to offend in the midrange and despite lacking the clarity of similarly priced wired earphones they do perform well in the true wireless category. It’s a relatively flat sound with perhaps some warmth displayed in the lower midrange that adds weight to strings and male vocals.
The treble is very inoffensive and devoid of treble. It is also the area of the earphones which has the most detail, so it adds back some of the energy that gets lost through the low end.
All the above is written after testing the Mifo O5 with the stock configuration. However, the good news here is that they respond well to custom EQ settings. With these, you can increase the bass quite significantly as well as push forward the midrange to achieve a lot more energy and depth to your music. They sound good with EQ, so I highly recommend you play about with the settings.
Conclusion
It seems with the Mifo and Sabbat E12 we are starting to see an acceptable level of budget for truly wireless earphones finally. These things are by no means perfect, but they are a gigantic leap in performance over units of just a couple of years ago. The Mifo O5 performs well and is packed full of useful features, but perhaps the best thing about them is the way they fit. They are incredibly comfortable, and they look great in the ear and never feel like falling out.
Mifo has also shown that they are listening to consumers. The inclusion of waterproofing and an extra-large battery in the carry case are excellent design choices, and they have even been advancing the design with upgraded drivers. It seems the intention to keep improving on an already attractive design, and that certainly makes them a company to watch in the future.