Huawei has announced new true wireless earbuds to compete with the AirPods Pro, and they’re called the FreeBuds 4. These earbuds were overshadowed by the rest of the products Huawei announced during its event, but are surely worth mentioning.
Just to be clear, this is not the initial launch of the FreeBuds 4, as they arrived in China recently. This is a global launch of the product, though, so keep that in mind.
The Huawei FreeBuds 4 launched alongside a number of other products
Having said that, the Huawei FreeBuds 4 arrived alongside the company’s new smartwatches, tablets, monitor, and OS. HarmonyOS finally launched, as it comes pre-installed on Huawei’s new tablets and watches.
The Huawei FreeBuds 4 are a compelling product, and do deserve some time under the spotlight. These earbuds are here to succeed the FreeBuds 3, which I reviewed at the end of 2019.
The FreeBuds 3 were amongst the best true wireless earbuds I used at that point, and I still carry them with me. They’ve served me all this time without fault, which is what makes this product even more compelling in my eyes.
They look very similar to the FreeBuds 3
The Huawei FreeBuds 4 are very similar to the FreeBuds 3 when it comes to design, but they do carry some improvements. These earbuds are supposed to be more ergonomic, and offer an improved audio experience.
These are open-fit earbuds, they don’t come with a silicone seal, or anything of the sort. It’s more of a one size fits all type of thing. So, if they fit your ears, great, if not, well… then you’ll have issues using them. Some people prefer an open-fit type of earbuds, though.
Each of the two earbuds weighs 4.1 grams, so they’re considerably lighter than AirPods Pro (5.4 grams per earbud). Huawei claims to have improved active noise cancellation on these, so that it works even better than on the FreeBuds 3. Considering they’re open-fit earbuds, though, you can’t expect miracles in that regard.
Dual-microphone noise cancellation is included, along with a 14.3mm dynamic driver
These earbuds offer dual-microphone noise cancellation tech, which is an improvement over FreeBuds 3. They also come with a 14.3mm dynamic driver, and more impressive bass as a result.
Huawei claims they can deliver 2.5 hours of continuous playback with ANC on. Those numbers increase quite a bit if you keep ANC off. They come with a charging case, of course, which can charge them fully several times over.
The Huawei FreeBuds 4 will become available in Europe in mid-July. They will cost £149.99, which is considerably lower than what Apple sells AirPods Pro for (£249). They will become available in other parts of Europe as well.
