Huawei FreeBuds 5 review

Introduction

The FreeBuds vary from Huawei has supplied some nice wi-fi earbuds through the years and the brand new FreeBuds 5 are the newest entry. They arrive with a daring new design, flagship-level options and a mixed 30-hour battery life. FreeBuds 5 come as a successor to 2021’s FreeBuds 4, which have been a strong pair of open-ear buds.

The specs division seems to be fairly spectacular with 11mm drivers, an energetic noise cancelation system with three microphones on every bud, multi-point pairing, LDAC assist and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. Can these oddly formed buds compete with the premium choices from the competitors? These are our findings.

Design

The inspiration behind FreeBuds 5’s daring design comes from glass-making and extra particularly – Prince Rupert’s drops aka Batavian/Dutch tears. The hardened glass beads are characterised by unusually robust rigidity within the spherical finish of the glass which may face up to heavy blows whereas the tail finish facet is vulnerable to fractures that may disintegrate your complete piece into mud.

We can positively see Huawei’s glass-making inspiration within the FreeBuds 5 however we additionally get a nod of an developed model of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live aka Galaxy Beans from almost three years in the past. One factor’s for certain, FreeBuds 5 stand out from nearly each different pair of earbuds we’ve seen in latest reminiscence and their design is actually polarizing.

Huawei used an information simulation of tons of of ear shapes through the design course of to refine the FreeBuds 5 look and match and attain the ultimate retail model we now have with us right here. While the buds forgo in-ear silicone suggestions, they do characteristic silicone caps to assist with their match. You get two totally different sizes within the field. The packaging additionally features a USB-C cable and manuals.

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Our review unit is available in Frost Silver shade which has a liquid metal-like look on the buds that’s extremely reflective. The charging case brings a pebble form that opens up within the center to disclose the buds. The closing mechanism is strong with a agency snap. The backside of the case homes a USB-C port whereas the pairing button is on the right-hand facet.

Each earbud weighs 5.4 grams whereas the case is available in at 45 grams. The open ear match on FreeBuds 5 means they relaxation on the skin a part of your ear canal with out pushing into your ears like most wi-fi earbuds. This makes FreeBuds 5 one of many extra comfy earbuds for longer listening periods. I may simply get via 3-4 hour sittings with out feeling any stress on my ears which isn’t one thing I can say about most in-ear buds.

While I loved the relaxed match of the FreeBuds 5, they didn’t work nicely with my ear form throughout working and gymnasium periods as they have been wobbling in my ears and even fell out a couple of occasions regardless of utilizing the offered silicone ear caps.

Features

FreeBuds 5 characteristic 11 mm dual-magnetic dynamic driver items with a claimed 16Hz to 40kHz frequency response vary. The buds join through Bluetooth 5.2 and assist twin connection to 2 units in addition to wear-detection sensors that routinely pause and resume media playback. Huawei telephones and tablets working EMUI 10.1 and up additionally get a proximity pairing characteristic for seamless connectivity.

In phrases of audio, FreeBuds 5 assist the high-bitrate LDAC codec in addition to Huawei’s proprietary L2HC 2.0 codec. Huawei additionally claims FreeBuds 5 is 30% extra delicate at low frequencies than FreeBuds 4. The buds deliver an adaptive audio equalizer that may be fine-tuned contained in the Huawei AI Life app.

The companion app additionally means that you can toggle all kinds of options on the buds together with noise cancelation, gestures, put on detection and software program updates. The app additionally includes a Find My Earphones setting that performs a loud chime on the buds for those who’ve misplaced them.

Despite their open-ear design, FreeBuds 5 include noise cancelation through method of the three microphones housed on every bud which Huawei is asking Open Fit ANC 3.0. The buds additionally characteristic AI name noise cancelation that ought to assist isolate your voice in busy environments. Another fascinating characteristic is the built-in infrared sensors subsequent to the drivers which scan your ears and tune the sound output primarily based on the match.

Programmable contact controls with single and double faucet controls in addition to swipes up and down to regulate the quantity. The charging case helps each wired and wi-fi charging which is nice to see. The buds additionally characteristic IP54 mud and splash resistance whereas the case doesn’t present any ingress safety.

Performance and Sound high quality

Huawei FreeBuds 5 deliver an above-average sound high quality with a balanced sound profile stage and nice low-range efficiency as marketed. Listening to a variety of music types reveals the fine-tuning made by Huawei’s group in comparison with the FreeBuds 4 and we’re glad to report FreeBuds 5 ship a greater general expertise in all use circumstances in comparison with their predecessor.

Acoustic music and devices sound clear and faithfully reproduced on the FreeBuds 5 and the choice to mess around with the EQ means that you can tailor the sound to your particular listening to choice. The default EQ profile is a bit flat and we discovered the bass enhance mode to supply the very best expertise out of the Huawei offered presets. You are free to tweak the sound profiles to your liking contained in the Huawei AI Life app and save as much as three customized presets.

As anticipated ANC from open-ear buds isn’t that spectacular and it barely makes a distinction to the noise round you. You will discover a gentle lower within the sound of air conditioners and different low-frequency noises however voices and louder objects will nonetheless simply overpower the FreeBuds 5’s ANC system. You can even discover an instantaneous hissing impact when ANC is enabled and it tends to distort audio playback.

Gesture controls have been a hit-and-miss with some earbuds previously however we’re glad to report that FreeBuds 5 supply stellar contact controls accuracy. They additionally embody a quantity adjustment which comes actually useful if you’re away out of your telephone.

Connection energy was strong for essentially the most half even when switching between units. The marketed ten-meter connection vary holds true even if you’re a couple of rooms away out of your audio supply. The twin pairing characteristic labored nicely although it took a couple of seconds at occasions when transferring between telephone and laptop computer. There was a noticeable latency when watching movies on my laptop computer however that’s frequent amongst wi-fi earbuds they usually fared higher when related to a telephone.

FreeBuds 5 labored nicely throughout calls indoors with individuals on the opposite finish reporting loud and clear reception of my voice. The scenario modified open air the place stronger winds would overpower my voice however that’s the case with most earbuds.

Battery life

FreeBuds 5 characteristic 42 mAh batteries contained in the earbuds and a 505 mAh cell for the charging case. Huawei’s claimed values counsel 3.5 hours of endurance with ANC on and 5 hours with out ANC. The charging case can prolong these values to twenty hours with ANC and 30 hours with out ANC.

In our testing, we discovered these values correct with the buds depleting after 4.5 hours of utilization with ANC turned off and simply over 3 hours with ANC on. The case gives as much as 5 full recharges. A full recharge of the buds and the case takes round 40 minutes through cable and over 4 hours through a wi-fi charger. FreeBuds 5 additionally assist fast cost which nets you 2 hours of listening after 5 minutes on the charger.

Verdict

The FreeBuds 5 from Huawei deliver some of the flashy designs we’ve seen within the phase which immediately makes them stand out within the sea of opponents. Their light-weight open-ear design is comfy for longer listening periods although the match will finally rely in your ear form. Sound high quality is above common and also you’ll take pleasure in clear audio with the high-bitrate LDAC codec assist.

FreeBuds 5 usually are not with out their flaws because the ANC system is barely noticeable, the microphone voice pickup is well muffled they usually might have a tough time staying in your ears. What you’re getting is a flagship pair of wi-fi earphones with all of the high-end options you’d count on, a novel design and strong battery life.

At €159 FreeBuds 5 strike a good worth for the options and sound high quality. You ought to have them in consideration for those who’re out there for a brand new pair of earbuds and usually are not startled by their avant-garde design.