Why someone would like to buy a single earbud? Well if you want to listen to the music but still being aware of the surroundings in situations like discretely listen to music at work, then using single bud makes sense. I mean minimal investments and maximum gain 🙂 Many companies are in market selling them as cheap as $10 to $20 completely wireless! So lets look at the latest introduced Mpow EM1 and compare it with the old high selling GoNovate Bluetooth Earbuds. Read in this post tussle of Mpow EM1 vs GoNovate G8 Bluetooth Earbuds.
Generally the sound quality in such single earbuds to be expected as much as you can get from such a tiny device with few hours of battery backup.
Also due to the tiny size they come with magnetic USB charger on which they clasp themselves to get recharged.
They are comfortable to wear due to extra light weight and soft silicon earbud tips.
Finally they are compatible with iOS or Android devices.
Only one hitch is that these are not so great in terms of call audio quality, but I think that’s okay considering that main purpose would be to listen to the music on work or while you walk.
So first thing first
Why I selected these two tiny cheap earbuds for comparison?
Mpow EM1 is the latest launch from Mpow and have got popular in short period of time after introduction in market.
And GoNovate already have series of tiny earbuds in market since long time, all are popular among users. Here is a reason why I have selected GoNovate G8 earbuds in this review as against all available models named G8, G9 and G10 – Read complete review
First let’s have a look at technical specs to find out what is really different in these two earbuds? and then goto see performance differences in actual to decide which one is good for me.
Mpow EM1 vs GoNovate G8 Bluetooth Earbuds Specs comparison
Cheap Bluetooth Earbuds | Mpow EM1 | GoNovate G8 specs |
Deals & Offers | EM1 Best Buy | G8 Best Buy |
Colour options | Black, Nude | Black, Gray, Khaki |
Microphone | Yes, Easy to receive calls on the go | |
Bluetooth Version | Bluetooth 4.1 | |
Bluetooth Profile | A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP | |
Effective Range | 33 feet (10 meters) | |
Pairing | Supports Multipoint Technology, connect 2 smartphones and answer calls from either one | |
Working Time | 5-6H of audio playtime (30-40% volume) | |
Charging method | Easy Magnetic Charging | |
2 Chargers provided | ||
Voice Prompts | Available in English | |
Battery | Li Ion battery | 55±5 maH Lithium-ion battery |
Charging Time | 1 Hour | 1.5 hours |
Dimensions | 0.83 x 0.71 x 0.62 Inch | |
Weight | 0.1oz (3 g) | 4.5 g |
Manufacturer | Mpow | GoNovate |
Warranty | 45 days money back & 18-month worry-free guarantee | ?? |
 Contact Email ID | support@xmpow.com | support@gonovate.com |
What’s In The Box | Bluetooth Headset×1 | 1x GoNovate G8 Bluetooth earphone (1 earbud, NOT A PAIR) |
Magnetic USB Charging DockĂ—2 | 2x Magnetic USB Chargers | |
Different Sizes Ear TipsĂ—3 | 1x Eartip (S/M/L) | |
Well-designed Carrying CaseĂ—1 | 1x Carrying case | |
User ManualĂ—1 | 1x User Manual | |
Bluetooth Earbuds | Mpow EM1 | GoNovate G8 |
The specifications comparison of these two single earbuds shows no difference at all .. .all things are same including the accessories provided with them, then it becomes evident that I look for the user reviews and ratings as well as the problems reported …
Lets see ..
Price
As on March 2019, Mpow EM1 shows price of around $14 and the GoNovate G8 earbuds are sold at premium price of $20.
So in terms of price battle as on March 2019, Mpow EM1 is clear winner.
Note – I request you to check latest prices while you intend to place the order, you can do it using below links quickly
Mpow EM1 Best Buy | GoNovate G8 Best Buy |
Mpow EM1 – Customer voice
Good points
- Good for listening Music
- Good fitting to ear
- Battery life near to what is claimed by Mpow means 6 hours
- Magnetic charging is great
- Charging time is around 45 mins to 1 hours as claimed by the manufacturer
- Good Bluetooth range – works till 30 feet in clear line of sight
- Good customer service
Improvement points
- Call quality is not so good (I have already cleared in the beginning that these tiny buds are not meant for voice calls)
- Audio books or podcasts voice unclear
- The button is a little awkwardly placed low
- No volume control.
GoNovate G8 – Customer voice
Good points
- Good snug fit, comfortable to wear for long time
- Good for music
- Good for listening to audio books
- Most of the customers got Battery life as claimed by GoNovate
- Charging time is below 1 hour
- Good Bluetooth range without any signal drop (till 30 feet)
- Can be paired with two devices at the same time
- Good customer support
Improvement points
- Low battery voice signal keeps repeating for last 20 minutes, which practically makes the remaining battery useless! I think here they should make it flash only once at last 20 minutes at low frequency, maybe once each 5 minutes
Mpow EM1 vs GoNovate G8 Bluetooth Earbuds
Sound Quality
Both earbuds offer reasonable quality of music output.
Both earbuds are equally bad for making calls! User on the other end of call will not be able to makeout what you are talking about, so if you are thinking earbud specially for the calls, then simply forget about it
Finally listening to the audio books, GoNovate gets more user appreciation than Mpow in this area, i.e. Audio books voice clarity.
Music Playtime
Both earbuds work around 5-6 hours of music playtime which is more than suffice for a days job.
Considering the tiny size batteries packaged inside, this time is really appreciable.
Easy Magnetic Charging
Both earbuds provided with two magnetic chargers, which means one you can keep at home and the other at workplace, so no time you will run out of charge.
The chargers are compact enough to carry in backpack.
Only hitch is you can’t plug them directly to the mobile phone micro USB chargers, so carrying specific charger is a must.
Great Customer service
I went through latest customer reviews as well as old once, and found that both Mpow and GoNovate are considerably appreciated by users in terms of quick customer support.
Bottom line
Both Mpow EM1 as well as GoNovate G8 Bluetooth earbuds are great choices below $20 mark price.
You may like to check the lowest prices and offers at the time of purchase since both are almost at par in terms of performance and features.
What make them different is the look and feel.
See the picture in this post which shows warning both earbuds, where Mpow EM1 looks slightly bigger than GoNovate G8. In which G8 being flat on one side looks slightly smaller than the EM1 model which is slightly spherical in shape.
On the other hand Mpow earbuds looks better finish and quality feel.
Finally I feel the choice will be more governed by the price in this case.
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