Huawei is trying to do two things with its earbuds. Firstly, it wants to make it clear that this is a brand that has the ability to make cool tech products beyond phones. It also wants to prove that its wireless earbuds are good enough to compete with the best in their class.
The FreeBuds Pro 2 are the company’s best yet. They take a lot of what worked before and refine it enough to make an impression. There’s a lot going on with these earbuds, and they offer a remarkable performance and feature package.
Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2: price and availability
Huawei launched the FreeBuds Pro 2 in June 2022, primarily through online retailers, although you’ll find them in brick-and-mortar stores in some countries outside the US, such as Canada, Europe, and Asia. Priced at £169, €199, it’s about $205. If there is a price change, it is because of the exchange rate. They are available in silver blue, silver frost and ceramic white variants.
Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2: What is good
Sometimes a small change makes a real difference, and that’s how I felt when I opened the case for the first time and pulled out the FreeBuds Pro 2 earbuds. The previous FreeBuds Pro were recessed so far into their charging slots that their glossy finish often worked against being pulled out. This has been addressed with a shallower cymbal allowing for a much easier grip to remove them.
It might seem like an insignificant or subjective detail, but it matters. Aside from a few differences, Huawei kept much of the design language of the previous pair. The stems are slightly shorter, while the microphone slots are now hidden from view. The FreeBuds Pro 2 look smoother due to the aesthetic shifts, thanks to cleaner lines that complement the sleek and glossy finish.
I particularly liked the silver-blue variant that I received as a test device. Neutral enough to go with all styles, the sophisticated appearance scores for many reasons.
Looking good helps hide some of the initial steps required to pair it with your Android phone in the first place. Huawei’s AI Life app may be on Google Play, but it’s in a dormant state, having not seen an update since 2020, when things went really wrong with US regulators.
The fallback is to scan the QR code that comes in the box to download the APK file for the latest version and install that instead. You’ll need to enable downloaded apps from other sources in settings for it to work, but that’s easy enough.
Once installed, it’s easy to pair the earbuds and experiment with the features and controls available in the app. One of these is a best fit test. It cycles through a tone that checks for sound leaks and tells you whether you need to reposition the earbud or swap out the earbud for a different one.
The good news is that you should find these comfortable either way. The size and weight are spot on, and the shorter stem is never an issue. I’ve worn these for long stretches without ever feeling itchy or tight. The tight seal gave me excellent passive isolation to set up active noise cancellation (ANC), which is one of the most important features to talk about.
ANC and sound quality go more hand-in-hand here than on the previous FreeBuds Pro, simply because the noise-cancellation is better this time. With four distinct tiers aimed at situational use cases, Huawei succinctly explains what each one does, leaving little doubt as to your choices.
I found each of them very adept at blocking out background noise, especially with the Ultra setting on an airplane. It deadened the engine noise so much that I could hear music at the same volume as in a room at home. Pretty impressive. Awareness mode did the opposite, helping to hear background noise clearly.
The same goes for the audio quality. I fell in love with these earbuds from the first listen, thanks to a balanced soundstage that delivers thick bass with lively mids and highs. The default tuning, which Huawei developed in collaboration with Devialet, a French speaker and amplifier brand, is a great start to the sonic capabilities on offer here.
Aside from the three other presets, the 10-band equalizer lets you create your own to tune things up to your liking. Thanks to LDAC support, you can play high-resolution music if necessary. There’s even a low-latency mode you can try for gaming and watching shows or movies.
This combination works regardless of what genres you listen to most. It’s difficult to sound really good and appeal to a broader subset of listeners, but that’s exactly what Huawei has done here. That audio sounds better with ANC on than previous FreeBuds Pro is just icing on the cake.
I also liked how it developed its control scheme. Rather than just relying on touch, a pinch gesture was used on the stems to apply specific controls. Press a button to play/pause or answer/reject a call. Do it twice to skip a track and three times to repeat one.
Press and hold to cycle through ANC modes or activate your voice assistant. The only swipe gesture is to increase or decrease the volume. All of the controls are consistent and effective, although I wish there were options to customize them. As it is, you can only disable a gesture, not reassign it.
You get multipoint support to pair and connect two devices at the same time. The wearing sensors also automatically pause when you remove one of the earbuds and resume when you put them back on.
All of this bodes well for phone calls, which I found excellent during my testing. Callers consistently found that I was both audible and clear in a variety of settings, including when outside.
Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2: What’s not good
Huawei rates battery life at up to 6.5 hours per charge with ANC off, or up to four hours with ANC on. Those aren’t great numbers, especially when compared to the tough competition in the same price range. These numbers also depend on the volume, so crank them up and you’re gone. Even if you compare the FreeBuds Pro 2 to the AirPods Pro, Huawei should be able to keep them playing longer per charge.
The case gets you three extra fees, which is good. Wireless charging is also handy, but you’ll need to charge these earbuds often if you intend to use them on a daily basis.
The same goes if you want to use the FreeBuds Pro 2 for workouts or runs. The IP54 rating is modest to break a sweat with, and while they’ll stay in place, be careful if you plan on making these buds a part of your workout regimen.
As good as they look when worn, I couldn’t understand why Huawei didn’t align its own logo on the stems so that it appears upright on either side. Instead, it sits upside down on the right earbud, while standing properly upright on the left. A little problem in the larger scheme, I know, but I couldn’t help but notice it when I saw how the caption was misaligned.
Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2: competition
If you just look at the best wireless earbuds, you have a lot of options to choose from, especially when you take a closer look at what they cost. Right from the start, the Jabra Elite 7 Pro sets itself apart from the competition with its excellent combination of fit, comfort, sound quality, ANC, durability and call clarity. If sound is what you’re after then you can’t go wrong with a pair like the Technics EAH-AZ60 or 1More Evo either.
For Android users, the FreeBuds Pro 2 are clearly a better option than the AirPods Pro, even if the latter wins at ANC. The gap is small, though, and if you’re looking for good earbuds with stems, the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro are a worthy contender.
Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2: should you buy it?
You should buy it if…
- You want clearer sound
- You care about fit and comfort
- You want reliable controls
- You want solid noise cancellation
You shouldn’t buy it if…
- You want longer battery life
- You want more ear tip sizes
- You want aptX codec support
- You want something more robust
Huawei scored big points with the FreeBuds Pro 2 and made clear its intentions to compete with the best. Impressive aesthetics and functionality come together nicely here, creating a sound experience that only feels better when you factor in the comfort and noise-cancellation.
While setup won’t be as quick or smooth as other earbuds, given Huawei’s current status with Google, it’s a small bump on an otherwise smooth path to listening to the content you enjoy most. Don’t let that stop you from giving them a real shot, even if they’re not currently sold in the US.
Huawei takes a lot of what has worked with its other earbuds and wraps it all up nicely with the FreeBuds Pro 2, giving you great sound, solid ANC, great comfort and much more to enjoy when you put them on.
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