The Latest creation from Huawei is their Freebuds 4 which some might say are very similar in design to the Apple Airpods however I am going to disagree with that motion and I will explain why in this review.
The Huawei Freebuds 4 cost £129 (Via Amazon) compared to the Airpods Pro that cost £187.99 (via Very.co.uk). Other differences from the Apple Airpods are the fact the Hauwei model comes with ANC. When using the ANC on these buds it’s not the best experience I have had the pleasure of trying.
First impressions: I like the fact they offer an IPX4 rating but it’s the battery life that is concerning but I will go into that in more detail later in this review. It’s just the design that looks a little suspect and might be mistaken for knock off Airpods.
Design
The Huawei Freebuds 4 weighs 4.1g per bud and the charging case is coming in at 38g so both are very lightweight as you might expect and the charging case fits nicely in your hand.
I also found the buds when in the ear reasonably comfortable due to the fact the buds do not plug into the ear canal. This is a benefit and they won’t make you get ear fatigue after long periods of use.
The earbuds also have touch-sensitive areas on the thin stalks that allow you to switch ANC on/off and also lets control playback via a double tap you can answer/finish a call, Play/Pause your music and enable voice assistant. A long press will switch on/off ANC. Finally, a swipe up or down will control the volume.
The Freebuds 4 come in two main colours – Ceramic White or Silver Frost. In this review, we were sent the white option but they but my concern is after a good few weeks of using these the case might discolour. If I was to invest in these I would prefer the silver option.
The issue you have with the design is the open fit design and the fact they do not plug into the ear canal meaning this affects the sound quality as well as the ANC as you get too much outside noise in which is not ideal when you’re walking around the centre of London and want to drain out that unwanted notice.
Features
As we have mentioned the buds are basically identical to the Airpods but the charging case is more rounded in design and you get 4 full charges from the case which is fantastic considering the battery life of the Freebuds are not great.
As mentioned in this review the ANC is an issue but Huawei has figured out a way to make up for it. They use software and additional mics to work out the percentage of outside noise getting in and reduce the overall sound of these unwanted it’s not perfect but it does reduce some of the mids and bass frequency which is a bonus and something you will get used to.
When ANC is off it can be a little brash sounding which increasing the volume will help a little but risk your ears. Turn the ANC on and the sound quality increases in line with the outside sound and provides you with a smooth sound profile.
Other Features with the Freebuds 4 come with include an Intelligent Audio connection this is a sensor that pauses the music if you remove an earpiece. This is ideal if you want to have a chat with someone you meet down the road and want to chat without the music distracting you.
The Freebuds 4 also come with Bluetooth 5.2 and support Bluetooth multipoint. This allows you to can connect them to multiple devices at once. If you don’t like that you can switch it off using the Huawei AI life app. The features within the app include checking the battery life of the buds and the case, customizing the touch controls and switching Bluetooth from each device it’s linked to. The app also allows you to use the Find My Earphones function which plays the missing bud at max volume allowing you to find them.
Audio Quality
The Huawei Freebuds 4 come with 14.3mm dynamic drivers that offer a well-balanced sound. If the bass is your thing you will notice it’s quieter than it should be but I expect this is down to the fit. If your jam is heavy bass look elsewhere and maybe invest in a pair of overhead headphones.
However, If you can live without the excessive bass you will find hearing the vocals and instrumental parts easy listening. You get a pleasant tonality to the upper mids at lower volumes you will notice the best way to listen to these with ANC on but it comes with a cost.
Battery Life
The cost of using the ANC with these freebuds 4 is the battery life you get a shocking 2.5 hours battery life. Unfortunately, it does not get much better with the ANC off your get 4 hours battery life which is below par compared to other buds on the market which fall between 5 or 6 hours battery life in the buds.
The charging case offers 22 hours or 4 full charges which takes some of the sting of the poor battery life. When it’s time to charge you just plug in the USB-C cable and a 15-minute charge provides 2.5 hours of playback and a full charge takes about an hour to complete.
Verdict
The Huawei Freebuds 4 are very similar in design to that of the Apple Airpods that the issue here they don’t have a unique style they look like knockoff Airpods. The controls are easy to use and the AI Life app does help to customise the controls if required. The ANC does reduce some of the unwanted sounds which are cleaver but the shape of the buds still allows a lot of that unwanted sounds making the ANC a bit pointless.
The battery life is horrible but the saving grace is the sound its well-balanced sound will tick the boxes for some users but the lack of heavy bass will make those who enjoy the bass look elsewhere.
Product Rating:
- Design: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
- features: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
- Audio Performance: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars
- Battery Life: 2.0 out of 5.0 stars
- Value for Money : 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Overall Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars 3.2 Stars
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