Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3 Review: Premium Earbuds For Less
Huawei has produced some great audio products in recent years, and its latest flagship headphones, the FreeBuds Pro 3, are another great product that performs just as well, if not better, than most of its competitors. However, the improvements to the existing FreeBuds Pro 2 are still minor, so I don't think owners of older Huawei Buds need to upgrade. But if you're looking for your first premium headphones, or if you're upgrading from an older or inferior product, these are a great choice.
FreeBuds Pro 3 are wireless headphones that look like Apple AirPods. there's a flip case that opens at the top to reveal the headphones on the feet. Earplugs have an elongated stem that protrudes from the wearer's ear. The stem is thicker than most other headphones, a design element I didn't like at first but later came to appreciate. A closing bar gives the headphones something to hold and more room for touch controls.
Speaking of touch controls, the original FreeBuds Pro released three years ago was one of the first wireless earbuds to support touch gestures for volume control on the touchpad, a feature that was later adopted by the AirPods Pro series. This attitude is still here. and it works well. I thought I'd mention it to support Huawei on the innovation management front.
Silicone ear tips are available in four sizes, so they fit most ear canals. I have quite sensitive ears, but I can use it for a long time without any problem. I can't say this for all headphones, as the harder-than-usual Sony foam tips irritated my ear canals after prolonged use.
What is it? The case is slightly smaller, with a redesigned hinge that "pops out the back" for easier access to the headphones. The heel also doesn't cut the Huawei logo on the side like the previous generation.
These headphones have IP54 water and dust protection and are lightweight at just 5.8g, lighter than the previous generation. So overall, the FreeBuds Pro 3 is smaller and lighter than the last generation model.
The 11mm dynamic drivers are the same as before, but Huawei has redesigned the diaphragm for more accurate frequencies. I'm not an audiophile, but I test a lot of wireless headphones, including the best from major manufacturers. Whether it's the AirPods Pro 2, the Bose QC Earbuds Ultra or the Sony XM5, I've tried them all. Huawei's sound quality matches all this, with a wide frequency range that delivers deep bass (if you want it) and sharp highs.
Active noise cancellation is also very good, but a step behind Bose and Apple. In a busy coffee shop, I could still hear conversations around me with ANC using Huawei headphones, while Bose or AirPods gave me more silence.
New this year is an Auto Dynamic ANC mode that will adjust noise cancellation levels based on my environment. I also found it worked well, but it was a step down from Apple's excellent Dynamic ANC.
Battery life remains the same as before, giving me around four hours of great sound on a single charge with ANC enabled. The box also supports wired and wireless charging.
You can use the headphones as a stand-alone product. Installation is easy and can be done with any modern equipment. But if you want to play with the audio equalizer and customize the touch controls, you'll need to download the Huawei AI Life app, which is unfortunately harder to install than usual since the Huawei app is no longer available on the Google Play Store. . Basically, you have to download the app, which isn't a big deal for a tech-savvy person like me, but can be a pain for the average consumer. However, this is a factor beyond Huawei's control.
Overall, the FreeBuds Pro 3 are great premium wireless headphones. Are they better than the AirPods Pro 2 or the latest headphones from Bose and Sony? I'd say the FreeBuds Pro 3 is on par with Sony, but slightly behind Bose and Apple. However, the FreeBuds Pro 3 has a lower price of €199 in Europe and just over $1,480 in Hong Kong. Considering the price difference, Huawei's buttons have a lot of appeal.
