GoKawiilHUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 5 If you want the best Bluetooth features for less than you'd pay for Apple, Sony, or Bose buds, the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 5 are an excellent option.
Just over a year after the FreeBuds Pro 4, HUAWEI has unveiled its latest flagship earbuds, the FreeBuds Pro 5 ($239.99 at Amazon). As the name suggests, these offer a wide range of flagship features to keep you from twiddling your thumbs. I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing HUAWEI buds before, but the FreeBuds Pro 5 stand out due to their superior battery life, active noise cancelation, and sound quality. Unlike similar installments from Apple and Sony, HUAWEI’s latest buds don’t cost an arm and a leg. Still, that reduced price comes with some quirks.
AirPods styling without the price tag
Tom Triggs / Android Authority The earbuds feature an IP57 rating, while the case is IPX4-rated.
If you’re acquainted with earbuds (or modern audio technology in general), the FreeBuds Pro 5 will look familiar. Their lollipop-style stem design is an almost-exact replica of the industry-leading Apple AirPods Pro 3. However, this isn’t a bad thing, as it’s a popular shape that fits most people’s ears well. Indeed, HUAWEI claims to have analyzed over 10,000 ear samples to establish the ideal fit, which makes sense — the earbuds are undoubtedly comfortable, even over long periods. They’re IP57-rated for peace of mind during workouts, and the case is IP54 water- and dust-resistant.
To add a touch of chic, the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 5 feature diamond-cut metallic detailing on the exterior housing. They also ship in four attractive colorways: Sand (our review unit), White, Gray, and Blue. The charging cases for the first three are dressed with a smooth ecimer film coating, while the Blue variant features a fine-grain vegan leather surface. Overall, it feels nice in the hand, although it does attract fingerprints. HUAWEI claims its latest case design is 5.5% smaller than the FreeBuds Pro 4’s, which is ideal for smaller pockets. However, the case’s four-color indicator ring is most enticing. This displays the earbuds’ battery and pairing status in real-time, so you don’t need to pull out your smartphone.
We measured the FreeBuds Pro 5's battery life as nine hours and eight minutes with ANC.
Commuters need battery life they can rely on, and the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 5 deliver in spades. Our sister site, SoundGuys, measured nine hours and eight minutes of continuous listening time with ANC enabled. This aligns closely with my experience during the review period, and is several hours longer than the industry average. With the charging case, you can expect up to 38 hours of playtime. Once depleted, you can recharge the buds atop a Qi wireless charging mat or via USB-C.
Under the hood is a Dual-Drive Acoustic System that combines a low-frequency dynamic driver and a high-frequency micro planar diaphragm unit. HUAWEI claims this provides a 45% reduction in low-frequency distortion and a 100% improvement in high-frequency performance compared to the FreeBuds Pro 4. In my testing, the buds sound very good, with clear-sounding vocals, guitars, and drums. The tuning is slightly darker than I would usually like, largely due to the strong bass output, but I rarely struggled to hear finer auditory details. Similarly, I didn’t notice any distortion during the review period.
All the bells and whistles
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