Summary
Fiche techniqueDesignApplication et utilisationQualité audioAutonomiePrix et date de disponibilitéConclusionCommentairesVoir la fiche produitDisponible à129 €Huawei had already launched in noise reduction headphones, but the Chinese manufacturer had broken its teeth there last year. He returns to the charge with the FreeBuds Pro, true wirereless noise reduction headphones, this time with in-ear tips.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro // Source: Frandroid
A year ago, Huawei launched its FreeBuds 3. It was then the brand's first true wireless noise-canceling earphones and we might as well say that they had disappointed us. Since then, the manufacturer has caught up with its FreeBuds 3i and had found the right formula by adding passive insulation to active noise reduction. It is once again this formula that has been taken up by Huawei for its new high-end headphones, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro.
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Huawei FreeBuds Pro data sheet
| Modèle | Huawei Freebuds Pro |
|---|---|
| Format | écouteurs intra-auriculaires |
| Réduction de bruit active | Oui |
| Autonomie annoncée | 30 heures |
| Type de connecteur | USB Type-C |
| Version du Bluetooth | 5.2 |
| Poids | 6.1 grammes |
| Prix | 129 € |
| Fiche produit |
This test was carried out with headphones provided to us by Huawei.
A very inspired design
When we discover the case of the Huawei FreeBuds Pro for the first time, we discover a case halfway between that of the FreeBuds 3 and that of the AirPods Pro. It must be said that this will be a bit of the leitmotif of the FreeBuds Pro in terms of design.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro case // Source: Frandroid
From the case of the FreeBuds 3, that of the FreeBuds Pro takes on the rounded shape, very smooth, with a simple plate stamped " Huawei " on the back. We will also find the discreet pairing button on the right of the case and a simple USB-C socket at the bottom. AirPods Pro this time we will find the elongated format of the case. Unlike last year's models, the FreeBuds Pro this time pack not into a circular charging case, but an oval-shaped case, with dimensions of 70 x 51.3 x 24.6mm and a weight of 60 grams. This is small enough to easily store the case in a jeans pocket.
The opening of the case is rather simple, even with one hand, and this without notch or hook provided for the finger. However, it's a different story to get the headphones out of. It must be said that the magnetic grip is quite strong and that Huawei has not left a lot of room to easily hook the fingers. Note also that the inside of the case houses a simple RGB LED which will allow you to give an overview of the charge status of the headphones.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro in their charging box // Source: Frandroid
Once the FreeBuds Pro are taken out of their housing, we again discover a format that is strongly reminiscent of that of the AirPods Pro. Here we have headphones in cotton swab format with relatively short stems. Nevertheless, Huawei has made a strange choice with these rods since they are not tubes, but parallelepipeds with four angles. Nevertheless, this format, which is justified by the controls as we will see later, does not fundamentally affect the comfort of the FreeBuds Pro.
As for the headphones themselves, Huawei learned the lesson of the FreeBuds 3i and opted for an in-ear format. Admittedly, this format does not suit everyone – some may be bothered by the invasive side of the tips in the ear canal – but the headphones have the merit of offering good passive isolation. In addition, this format guarantees comfort, precisely thanks to the softness of the tips. Results, even after two to three hours of use in the ears, the FreeBuds Pro do not hurt earbuds, unlike some open fit headphones with solid tips.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro are quite comfortable to wear // Source: Frandroid
As for the colors, if I was able to test the metallic gray version of the FreeBuds Pro, with strong reflections on the headphones, two other colors exist: black or white.
An application available only on App Gallery
To pair the FreeBuds Pro headphones to a smartphone for the first time, you will need to open the case, while leaving the headphones inside, then press and hold the pairing button. From then on, the diode will flash white, a sign that the FreeBuds Pro can be detected by your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Le bouton d’appairage des Huawei FreeBuds Pro // Source : Frandroid L’appairage des Huawei FreeBuds Pro // Source : FrandroidUnlike many headphones on the market, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro are not controlled with touch surfaces. At least, not really… In fact, the manufacturer has integrated tactile surfaces, but has left the traditional operation by taps on the stem. It is indeed a pinch system that has been favored by Huawei. Thus, to pause the music, you will have to pinch the earphone once, to go to the next title you will have to press twice and to return to the previous song, you will have to pinch the stem three times. In addition, it is also possible to modify the volume of the FreeBuds Pro by sliding your finger from bottom to top or from top to bottom on the stem. All of these controls are similar depending on whether you tap the left earbud or the right earbud. However, an additional action is offered, allowing you to change the type of noise reduction if you long press on the left, or launch your smartphone's voice assistant if you long press on the right.
You have to pinch the Huawei FreeBuds Pro to pause the music // Source: Frandroid
In theory, this pinch system has the advantage of offering more controls, since volume management is also taken care of. In fact, we nevertheless regret not having a clearer return of the action that we have just done. A simple click of the plastic confirms that you have pinched in the right place, and the plain texture of the earphones, once the sticker is removed, does not allow you to clearly feel where you are supposed to pinch the earpiece.
We talked about active noise cancellation because yes, like last year's FreeBuds 3, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro offer active noise cancellation. This differs from that of previous models by a difference in size: it works.
These are several levels of noise reduction that are offered by Huawei, with three default modes: perception to hear what is happening around you, no control for simple passive isolation and noise reduction to further filter out surrounding noise. For this noise reduction mode, you can choose between dynamic, cozy, general or ultra. While the first will automatically add noise reduction to your environment, the other three offer fixed levels of noise reduction.
Overall, Huawei's noise reduction system works well without performing miracles, even in "ultra" mode. This one will easily manage to eliminate the noise of a somewhat noisy PC fan or the hum of the street, but will nevertheless not be able to completely filter out the noise of the subway and even less that of the voices around you. We are therefore entitled here to a correct noise reduction, but still far from the level of that of the AirPods Pro, the Sony WF-1000XM3 or, above all, the Bose QC Earbuds.
In addition to touch controls, the best way to control your FreeBuds Pro headphones is through Huawei's dedicated application, AI Life. Be careful though, the version present on the Google Play Store does not identify the new headphones from Huawei, the last update dating back to last August. To have the updated version, you will therefore have to go through the download of App Gallery, Huawei's application store, where you will find the latest version of AI Life. We can't really explain how the Chinese manufacturer was able to abandon its application on the Play Store, but it's really a shame.
To go furtherHow to install the Huawei AppGallery on any Android smartphone
Once the application is installed and the headphones are recognized, you will have access to several additional controls. In addition to the noise reduction mode or the battery level, you can also modify the actions of the long pinches on the stem, for example to switch the management of the noise reduction to the right and the voice assistant to the left. No other functionality is offered in the AI Life app for those long nips, though. It is also in the application that you will be able to manage the updates of the headphones, as well as the detection of the port. This last option will allow you to program the pause of your music when you remove an earphone. A welcome function to save a little battery.
Huawei also communicates on the compatibility of its FreeBuds Pro with multipoint Bluetooth. In other words, the headphones would be able to connect to two sources at the same time – a computer and a smartphone for example. A feature that is found especially on high-end models, such as the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 and which is practical for listening to music on your PC and answering the phone without having to remove the headphones. But that's all in theory. In practice, I tested the FreeBuds Pro with a Huawei P30 running EMUI 10, an Oppo Find X2 Pro and a tower PC running Windows, and I was only able to connect to one device each time. The option is present in the menus, but as soon as I launched a pairing with the headphone box, the connection was cut with the previously connected device. Without going so far as to say that the function is not available, let's say that, to say the least, it is very complicated to access.
A pleasant sound signature
For the audio part, the Huawei FreeBuds have 11 mm transducers. On the codec side, we will find compatibility with the most basic codecs, namely SBC and AAC. Huawei has indeed skipped aptX, aptX HD or LDAC, which allow files to be transmitted with better quality. For the Bluetooth signal, the headphones are compatible with Bluetooth 5.2. During my use, I did not experience any loss of connection, even with my smartphone stowed in my jeans pocket, as is sometimes the case with other models of true wireless headphones.
The 11 mm transducer of the Huawei FreeBuds Pro // Source: Frandroid
To test the audio quality of the Huawei FreeBuds Pro, I used them connected to an Oppo Find X2 Pro. I then launched a series of tracks on Spotify in very high quality, corresponding to a bitrate of 320 kbps. Overall, the FreeBuds Pro offer a fairly balanced sound. On Billie Eillish's Bad Guys, the bass is present without overdoing it and leaves room for the singer's voice. On Come Away With Me by Norah Jones too, the singer's voice is well highlighted. However, we would have appreciated a little more detail in the voice. On Phantom pt. II de Justice, again, the bass is there without completely erasing the other frequencies. The highs are however slightly behind. It is especially on a piece of classical music that will require more sharpness in the rendering, such as Beethoven's Symphony number 5, that we will perceive the limits of Huawei headphones. The sound is indeed slightly lacking in dynamics and struggles to go from the lowest to the highest sounds.
Overall, Huawei offers here headphones with a rather balanced sound, even if the low mids are largely emphasized and the highs seem more withdrawn. The overall signature can be described as warm. It's a rather pleasant sound overall, although we would have appreciated a little more sharpness and dynamics in the sound.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro // Source: Frandroid
Regarding the quality of voice calls, Huawei claims to have integrated not only a noise reduction system for calls, but also a bone conduction sensor to capture your voice well. If the quality is up to par, with good voice pickup for your interlocutor in calm, this is not the case in a noisy environment. Without being irritating, the voice capture of the FreeBuds Pro suffers from some breathing problems and the headphones struggle to properly filter the surrounding noise. Above all, your voice may seem muffled to the person on the other end of the line, with a fairly low sound level compared to other noises.
Good battery life and wireless charging
On the battery side, Huawei has integrated a 55 mAh accumulator per earpiece and a larger 580 mAh battery for the case. Enough to ensure, according to the manufacturer, up to four hours of autonomy with activated noise reduction, and up to seven hours without noise reduction.
For my part, I was able to use the headphones, fully charged, for 4h20, before they both fell to 0% battery. During this period, however, I activated the noise reduction with the "ultra" filtering, that is to say the highest processing. The volume was also set to 75%. Suffice to say that despite rather difficult conditions, Huawei's headphones have been able to do better than the manufacturer's initial promise.
It takes 30 minutes to charge the Huawei FreeBuds Pro // Source: Frandroid
On the side of recharging the earphones in the case, Huawei announces that it is enough to place them 40 minutes in the case for the FreeBuds Pro to recover all of their battery. Again, the tests are even more favorable, since it will only take me 28 minutes before both headphones are charged to 100%. Even better, in ten minutes, the FreeBuds Pro had recovered 50% battery.
For charging the case, the FreeBuds Pro are compatible with USB-C charging up to a power of 6 W. They are also the first earphones from the manufacturer to take advantage of inductive charging, up to a power of 12 W. Enough to charge the case on the fly with a wireless charging base, or with reverse wireless charging on a compatible smartphone.
Huawei FreeBuds Pro price and availability
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro are already available. They are available in three colors – black, white or silver – at a price of 199 euros.
Où acheter le Huawei Freebuds Pro au meilleur prix ?Voir plus d'offresAt this price, Huawei's headphones face the Google Pixel Buds, but also the slightly more expensive Sony WF-1000XM3 and Bose QC Earbuds.
8 /10