Review: Huawei FreeBuds Pro earphones

If you’re looking for a pair of smart noise-cancelling earphones that will adapt to whatever your environment may be, look no further than the Huawei FreeBuds Pro. These earphones from Huawei are unique in their square geometric shape which bring to mind piano keys. They utilize a smart dual-antenna system and Kirin A1 chipset for the ultimate in Bluetooth connectivity and performance.

Design and build

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro come in three metallic colors: Carbon Black, Ceramic White, and Silver Frost which we have on hand. They use hybrid active noise-cancellation technology to identify and adapt to external and in-ear noise environments, lessening background noise up to 40 dB. If you’re moving between environments (such as when you’re commuting), the earphones automatically switch to the proper noise-cancellation mode so that your ears are covered no matter the scenario.

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Huawei’s Intelligent Dynamic Active Noise Cancellation

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro have a dual noise-cancelling system composed of an acoustic and dynamic perception system that conjure reverse sound waves and eliminate noise to ensure a smooth listening experience. The acoustic perception system contains three high-sensitivity microphones, an 11mm super-magnetic steady-state dynamic driver, and a bone voiceprint sensor. Meanwhile, the dynamic perception system have a built-in infrared and acceleration sensor.

Awareness & Voice Mode

Using the technology already mentioned, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro have two modes to make sure your needs are met depending on the situation and environment. Awareness Mode makes sure external and public noise is still audible for your own safety. To activate this mode, the wearer just needs to tap and hold the earbuds handle to switch from noise cancellation to Awareness Mode. Voice Mode meanwhile minimizes the ambient noise near the wearer so that they can hear people’s voices clearly when on a call or in public. This is possible via Huawei’s new fusion call noise reduction system and three-microphone call noise cancellation system that filter out background sounds while auto-detecting and enhancing voices.

Grammy Award-Winning Tuner, Dynamic EQ Adjustment & Smart Interaction

Several tests of tuning were done by Grammy award-winning tuner Lu Xiaoxing and his team. This makes for a premium and customizable tuner with top-of-the-line sound effects. The Huawei FreeBuds Pro also automatically detect and adjust the EQ in real-time so that the ideal frequency response curve is reached. In other words, even if your earphones are loose, the sound will adjust and stay stable. Wearers can also manually adjust their listening experience with a swipe or pinch of their fingers. Simply swipe up or down on the square surface of the earphones to increase or decrease volume. Pinching allows the wearer to answer or hang up calls, pause or play songs, switch songs, and turn noise cancellation on or off.

Smart Connectivity

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro are the first true dual connectivity TWS headset. This means that they can connect to two devices simultaneously using their four-channel dual mode. Automatic connection makes sure that the last two devices that were paired automatically connect to the earphones so that you are always connected. Huawei ID allows this automatic pairing through all-scenario multi-devices registered under the same account. Android, iOS, and Windows smart systems are also supported.

Battery Life

With the noise cancelling feature shut off, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro can last for four hours when purely using calls or seven hours purely playing music on a single charge. Coupled with the charging case this music playback can go up to 18 hours of calls or 30 hours of music.

SuperCharge capability means that wired chargers can charge to 30% while wireless chargers can charge to 18% in just 10 minutes. Increasing the charge time to 30 minutes means wired-charging goes up to 55% while wireless charging goes up to 32%. Additionally, reverse charging the case is possible with a smartphone or tablet when the user is away from home.

Verdict

With a competitive price of P7,999 (half the cost of the Apple AirPods Pro), the FreeBuds Pro are a great option for those looking for a premium set of earphones with all the innovative features it brings. Highlights of the FreeBuds Pro include the Dual Connection which makes it more convenient to switch between devices. Using Improved Intelligent Dynamic Active Noise Cancellation and Voice Mode lets you communicate clearly and seamlessly without removing the earphones, and Awareness Mode adjusts your earphones to your environment. The only gripe I found would be the lack of Huawei AI Life App on Apple’s AppStore, where you can access other settings for the earphones and further customize them.