I was using Huawei's latest ANC Earbuds, the FreeBuds 4 for last few weeks and in this article, I am sharing a detailed review of the earphones covering all aspects of it.
The FreeBuds 4 have an open-fit design that fits just outside our ear canal, making them less intrusive than in-ear buds and allowing them to be worn for extended periods of time without becoming unpleasant. The earpieces' contours are refined and scream quality, and their shiny sheen feels good against the skin.
Lower-end frequencies and a good amount of bass are still present that you won't usually find in regular earphones with in-ear design. The Huawei AI Life app allows you to raise bass or treble, but although this improves audio slightly, it also overpowers other frequencies.
If you have a Huawei smartphone then you can simply pop the case open near the device and hit the pairing prompt to begin the pairing procedure. When you prop the case open near your Huawei device, you'll see a glimpse of the battery status of both the earphones and the charging case.
So the battery life isn't bad but not great as well because other earbuds in this price segment perform a bit better than the Huawei FreeBuds 4 when it comes to battery life.
This review is divided into various sections coverings pros and cons of the Huawei FreeBuds 4 for each of them
Huawei FreeBuds 4 ANC Earbuds - Full Review
Design and Build Quality
The FreeBuds 4 have the same Open Fit design as the previous version, with the principle of "one size fits all." They're nearly identical to the FreeBuds 3, but with longer stems and a lighter feel that's neither cheap nor flimsy. The shiny Silver Frost color variant I got for review looks unique, beautiful, premium and it is very eye-catching.
The FreeBuds 4 have an open-fit design that fits just outside our ear canal, making them less intrusive than in-ear buds and allowing them to be worn for extended periods of time without becoming unpleasant. The earpieces' contours are refined and scream quality, and their shiny sheen feels good against the skin.
These don't have the same firm hold as in-ear buds, but they stay in place during light motions. You can wear them for mild strolls and jogs without fear of them falling out, but anything more strenuous will put them at risk of falling out. They're also IPX4 rated, which means they can withstand a light spray of water. Because there is no seal over your ears to promote passive sound isolation, external noises intrude and detract from immersion.
The charging case is slightly smaller and lighter than the one on the FreeBuds 3, allowing them to fit into pockets and bags more easily. When tucked into a pocket, it fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. It includes a single pairing/reset button on the side and a USB-C port on the bottom.
Audio Quality
As a person who does not like in-ear earphones a lot, FreeBuds 4 provided me the best audio quality among all earphones with an open-fit design. The FreeBuds 4 is capable of handling most popular genres and a simple combination of frequencies. More attention is placed on the mids and voices, which sound sharp, and realistic instrumental harmonics are provided.
Lower-end frequencies and a good amount of bass are still present that you won't usually find in regular earphones with in-ear design. The Huawei AI Life app allows you to raise bass or treble, but although this improves audio slightly, it also overpowers other frequencies.
Because the earbuds do not form a seal around the ear, the FreeBuds 4 will only provide moderate passive noise suppression. It's useful for individuals who like to keep an eye on their surroundings, but it's not ideal for those who want to lose themselves in a song, film, or podcast.
The new and improved Open-fit Active Noise Cancellation 2.0 system brings automatic adjustments to noise canceling based on the surrounding environment with dual microphone hybrid noise reduction compared to the single mic system on the FreeBuds 3. The ANC is still good considering the fact that FreeBuds 4 comes with open-fit design but if you want immersive noise cancellation then, better to go with an in-ear earbuds like Huawei FreeBuds Pro.
When taking calls or utilizing them as a microphone to film a vlog from your phone, the noise-canceling microphones come in useful. The FreeBuds 4 perform an excellent job of isolating your speech from background noise and ensuring that you sound clear.
Features and Smartphone App
The FreeBuds 4's longer stems offer sensitive gesture touch controls that operate flawlessly. The option to change volume by sliding up and down the stem is a great addition. Unlike previous FreeBuds, which had clunky touch controls, the FreeBuds 4's updated controls respond to finger taps more accurately, and we found ourselves utilizing them more often than using a device to manage the earbuds. The Huawei AI Life app, which is available on Android and iOS, allows you to remap gesture controls and make other changes.
The Huawei AI Life app allows you to check the battery level, manage device connections, turn on and off ANC, and select from a variety of audio settings. Without a precise EQ visualizer in the smartphone app, you can't fine-tune music, but you can raise treble or bass based on what you're listening to, with varied results.
If you have a Huawei smartphone then you can simply pop the case open near the device and hit the pairing prompt to begin the pairing procedure. When you prop the case open near your Huawei device, you'll see a glimpse of the battery status of both the earphones and the charging case.
Using the Find My Earphones feature, FreeBuds 4 can play a very high-pitched noise to help you locate them if they’ve been misplaced, so never ever try this while wearing the earbuds.
Pairing for all other devices begins by holding down the button on the FreeBuds 4 case. You may connect up to two devices at once, which is a significant improvement over prior FreeBuds earphones. When you connect to a laptop and a phone, the FreeBuds 4 prioritizes connections from your phone, allowing you to quickly patch through calls. When you finish a call and return to your laptop to continue media playback, the buds quickly switch back to the laptop and maintain a stable connection. It works flawlessly and is really a great helpful feature for office purposes.
Battery Life
On a single charge, the FreeBuds 4 last about 3.5 to 4 hours with ANC turned off, and using the charging case you can get around 20 hours of overall battery life. If you turn on the ANC, you will get around 2.5 hours of battery life and overall around 15 hours with the charging case.
So the battery life isn't bad but not great as well because other earbuds in this price segment perform a bit better than the Huawei FreeBuds 4 when it comes to battery life.
It takes about 35 minutes to charge the battery of Huawei FreeBuds 4 from zero to 100 percent, which is pretty impressive. The case uses a USB-C cable to charge and takes around an hour to fully recharge. Wireless charging isn't supported, which is unfortunate given the FreeBuds 4's price.
Conclusion
Huawei FreeBuds 4 is gorgeous looking earbuds with moderate battery life, nice audio quality and noise cancellation considering a design that is not in-ear. So if you are one of those people who do not like in-ear earbuds but still want to get a nice audio experience and mild noise-cancellation, Huawei FreeBuds 4 is the device for you.