In-ear headphones are an integral part of everyday life. The compact, wireless earplugs now offer really good sound with rich bass. Thanks to Active Noise Canceling (ANC), you also effectively shield users from noise from the outside world. With the Freebuds Pro 3, Huawei recently launched its new top model of TWS headphones onto the market. And these have it all and give the Apple Airpods 2 (test report) a lot of competition.
Design & comfort
The Freebuds Pro 3 from Huawei come in a compact, stylish and well-rounded charging case. There is a button on the side to put the Freebuds into pairing mode. The two headphones themselves are a bit bulkier due to the presence of the rod. The knob and silicone padding for the ear canal also appear quite expansive. The case has a satin matt finish, only the area with the logo shines – and quickly attracts fingerprints.
The two earbuds with a closed design are also shiny. Very practical: There is a touch surface integrated into the rod of the individual earphones on the left and right – more on this later. The Freebuds definitely look elegant and offer a very clean finish. They sit well and firmly in the ear without being annoying. Even after wearing it for a long time, you don’t have any unpleasant feeling. If you like to use in-ears when it rains: These are protected against splash water according to IP54.
Klang & ANC
Like its predecessor, the Freebuds Pro 3 impress when it comes to sound. They offer crystal-clear and full sound with well-balanced highs, mids and lows. The bass is present without being too intrusive. For fans of hip-hop, trap, dubstep or techno it may lack a bit of oomph. However, it is possible to emphasize the bass more using the app. Then fans of electronic music will also get their money’s worth.
The extensive sound image delivers a great acoustic result for both pop, rock and classical music. Singing or voices are clear and understandable. The Freebuds are also ideal for podcasts, films and series or for making phone calls. Huawei doesn’t have to hide from Sony, Bose or Apple here.
The adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC) is also excellent. This is active by default, there is also a transparent mode and the option to turn off ANC. The in-ears effectively filter out external noise. For example, you can hardly hear the extractor hood when cooking. The Freebuds only weaken when there is louder wind noise. The transparent mode is less successful compared to the competition.
Furnishing
A planar-magnetic and a dynamic driver with 11 mm each conjure up good sound directly into the user’s ear canal. The frequency coverage ranges from 14 Hz to 48 kHz. The integrated microphone also uses a bone sound sensor to increase speech intelligibility. This works excellently in practice; the person we spoke to was always able to understand us clearly.
The Freebuds are well positioned when it comes to technology and codecs. In addition to high-resolution codecs such as AAC and LDAC, they also offer Bluetooth multipoint to connect two devices to the headphones at the same time.
Operation & app
You don’t need an app to use the Freebuds. Users activate the pairing by opening the lid and pressing the side button on the case until the light flashes. The operating concept is very well thought out. There are integrated contact surfaces on the left and right. You can stop or start playback by simply pressing it. Double pressing jumps to the next song, triple pressing the button plays the title from the beginning or switches to the previous track from the playlist.
If you hold the buttons down longer, the in-ears switch to transparent mode or deactivate the ANC. At the same time, you can also control the playback volume directly on the earphones. To do this, move your finger upwards to make a loud sound. Swiping downwards makes it quieter. Many in-ear headphones, like the Jabra Elite 8 Active (test report), only allow you to skip to the next track. The integrated proximity sensor detects when the headphones are removed from the ear and then pauses playback. If you don’t want this, you can deactivate this function using the Huawei AI Life app.
The app offers further options for fine-tuning. You can choose specific sound profiles, for example for live music, voices, with stronger bass or more treble. There is also a “key finder” option for the headphones: you can then use the app to trigger a loud sound for the earplugs so that you can find them more easily. New firmware is also available via the app.
Huawei Freebuds Pro 3 – Pictures
Huawei Freebuds Pro 3
However, installing the app is a small hurdle on Android: It cannot be found in the Google Play Store due to the US sanctions against Huawei; a sideload via browser is required – for which you first have to give permission in the Android settings. However, Apple users can already find the app on iTunes.
battery pack
Let’s come to the weak point of the Freebuds Pro 3: The battery life is not particularly good. With ANC active, the earbuds only last just under 5 hours before they have to be put back into the charging cradle. Without ANC they last just over 6 hours. For comparison: The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 (test report) lasts around 7 hours with ANC, the Apple Airpods Pro 2 (test report) lasts at least 6 hours. The charging case offers enough juice for around 22 hours. Charging is possible via USB-C cable or via induction with Qi.
Preis
The Huawei Freebuds Pro 3 are definitely not a bargain. The RRP of 199 Euro is almost at Apple level. The earbuds are available in silver gray, metallic green and glossy white.
Conclusion
The Huawei Freebuds Pro 3 are excellent in-ear headphones with really good sound and a wide acoustic range. The ANC works fine except in strong winds. We really liked the operating concept, which allows you to switch tracks and adjust the volume directly on the earphones. Only the battery life offers some room for improvement. The Freebuds are not a bargain, but they are at least a little cheaper than the comparable quality models from Apple or Bose.