We’re in constant search for versatile devices that can elevate our personal and professional lives. The values we’re normally after are convenience, advanced technology, ergonomics, and aesthetics. With the powerful impact and benefits of listening to music, earbuds, headphones, and the like also become a worthwhile investment. Recently, Huawei introduced their Freebuds Pro 2 — putting the spotlight on style, high-end technology, superior sound quality, and seamless user experience that are set to boost various aspects of our lives.
Design and build
As a huge fan of minimalist devices, I absolutely dig the design and colorways that the Freebuds Pro 2 came in: Silver Frost, Silver Blue, and Ceramic White. The stem resembles piano keys with flat, rounded edges. What stood out among the bunch and what I luckily had the opportunity to try out was their new Silver Blue colorway. Its unique and striking iridescent design serves as a fashion statement.
If you’re inclined to work out or play sports while listening to music, you’ll be able to use its ergonomic design to your advantage. The snug yet comfortable fit will allow you to focus on your activities ranging from low to high intensities — no need to sweat about it dislodging 24/7.
You can, however, enjoy sweaty sessions at the gym and be geared up for the rainy season since it’s equipped with IP54 water splash resistance. At the same time, one can relish the comfort of its relatively lightweight design (6.1g). Three ear plug sizes are at your disposal. Other scenarios where the value of stable earbuds becomes prominent are when travelling or commuting so you have to choose the size that suits you best. Still undecided if it’s the right fit? The Huawei AI Life app has an ear tip fit test to help you choose.
Proudly co-engineered with French audio technology company, Devialet, you’ll find its logo seated on the mirror-like portion at the back of the matte-finish case. It’s a tad difficult to appreciate given that the reflective finish attracts fingerprints. The same is true with the glossy earbuds.
Gestures and controls
My biggest pet peeve is how sensitive some earbuds can be to gestures, leading to accidental play/pause and music or volume change by merely adjusting the earbud to my liking. Fortunately, Huawei took steps to address this. The only catch is that they may have gone a little overboard with it. It’s effortless to change the volume by swiping up and down the stem of the earbuds, but the pinch gesture was such a chore. Pinching once to play/pause music or answer/end calls was pretty straightforward. The arduous task is accurately doing the pinch gestures twice or thrice just to change the music. Nonetheless, I’m willing to bear this over hypersensitive controls.
Performance
Sound quality
Beyond the sleek and elegant aesthetics, the sound quality is what’s going to sweep you off your feet — it did mine. What enhanced the audio output significantly was the Ultra-hearing Dual driver setup that consists of an 11mm quad-magnet dynamic driver and a UHF planar diaphragm driver. Simply put, this is a great effort to fine tune both the bass and the treble. Even if we’re all about the punchy bass, we still fancy a perfect balance. So you can still sing along to your favorite artist and appreciate the detail and clarity of the vocals.
Majority of the settings are easily customizable according to your preference in the Huawei AI Life app; one of which is the equaliser tool. Although I’m more than satisfied with what the default Devialet sound brings to the table. Enhancements in the bass, treble, and vocals are already evident.
Immersing the listener further with detailed and full sound is the adoption of the LDAC high-resolution protocol. It’s the cherry on top of the already outstanding sound quality.
Smart experience
Thanks to the Triple Mic ANC system, it provides a boost in noise cancellation depth of up to 47dB based on Huawei labs. This is complemented by the Intelligent Dynamic ANC 2.0, it does a fantastic job cancelling out noise in different environments. There are different modes to choose from: Ultra, General, and Cozy. At the default Dynamic mode, it adjusts automatically based on the noise it detects in your surroundings. It consistently stayed in Cozy mode while I listened in my room. But as I window shopped in the mall, it changed to General mode. It was amusing to witness how accurate and smart the technology behind the ANC is.
In work scenarios, it will be easier to converse on the phone with the Pure Voice technology, which is based on a 4-mic hybrid call noise cancellation system. It simultaneously improves picking up voice and cancelling noise. So even in the presence of loud officemates, you can still have more than decent phone calls.
Transitioning from Awareness mode to noise cancellation mode was an experience like no other. From hearing ambient noise to absolute silence! The importance of the former becomes more apparent while commuting or jogging around the village; you still want to be aware of your surroundings. Enjoy the seamless switch with the pinch and hold gesture.
Regardless of volume levels and ear fit, the listening experience remains uncompromised with the Triple Adaptive EQ that tunes in the audio in real-time. Don’t we all need something or someone adjusting to our needs — this feature does exactly that.
Seamless switch
Switching seamlessly to another device is possible due to the dual device connectivity. Since you’re connected to two devices simultaneously, as soon as your Zoom meeting ends you can instantly de-stress and listen to your favorite playlist on Spotify. No need for additional pairing or setting up.
Battery and charging
The Freebuds Pro 2 houses a large enough battery life to keep you entertained or working. Activating the ANC gave me 3.5 hours of listening time, slightly varying from the duration of 4 hours that Huawei claims. Meanwhile, with the case it can last you up to 18 hours. According to Huawei, you can enjoy longer listening time with ANC off. That is, 6.5 hours without the case and 30 hours with the case.
Verdict
The Huawei Freebuds 2 Pro certainly makes a good impression, supporting the LDAC high-resolution codec, partnering with Devialet, and getting HWA and Hi-Res Audio Wireless Certification. While it sounds good on paper, it sounds even better when you wear it since all of the above manifests in the immersive listening experience it offers users.
It’s highly likely going to be the new sought-after device for audiophiles and on-the-go professionals. Huawei did an amazing job combining exceptional sound quality and heightened convenience in such a compact device. As expected it comes with a relatively high price tag of PHP9,999, but it’s an offer you can’t skimp on given its rich high-end and intelligent features.
Get the chance to receive free Huawei Band 6 when you pre-order on its release date on September 2! Promo runs from September 2-8, 2022.
Shop through the following links below:
Huawei store, Website, Shopee, and Lazada
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