True wireless headphones Huawei Freebuds 5i in the test: compact and good, with LDAC

The Freebuds 5i come neatly packaged, including clear and understandable instructions. In addition to the in-ear headphones and charging cradle, instructions, USB-C charging cable and replacement silicone ear pads are included in the scope of delivery. The Freebuds 5i are available in blue, black and white and are IP54 certified.

The rounded charging cradle with the dimensions 48 x 63 x 27 mm is well made, but only seems of average quality. This is primarily due to the high-gloss plastic, which is susceptible to fingerprints, and the creaking of the lid. The design of the charging box is unobtrusive. There is a small status LED and the manufacturer’s logo on the front. There is no charge indicator. The button for pairing the headphones is located on the right side of the housing. The weight of the shell without headphones is almost 34 g.

The lid is held in place by a spring mechanism and thus remains reliably closed in your trouser pocket. However, you should not necessarily carry the shell in your pocket together with the key, otherwise unsightly scratches will quickly appear on the surface. The USB-C slot for charging the battery is located in the middle on the underside. When charging, the case lies on the front or back.

The two in-ears, each weighing 5 g, are held securely in the charging cradle by magnets. It can also be removed easily with short fingernails. There is no unnecessary fumbling like with other true wireless headphones. The two in-ears with their rounded edges are pleasingly compact and look modern. Processing and haptics are flawless and give no cause for complaints. The touch-sensitive outside of the earplugs is also high-gloss – fingerprints are also quickly visible here.

The easiest way to set up the Freebuds 5i is with Huawei smartphones that have EMUI 10 or Harmony OS 2.0 installed. Then the smartphone or tablet conveniently offers to pair the headphones via a pop-up as soon as the charging cradle is opened. Windows also automatically recognizes the Bluetooth headphones that are ready to be paired. Devices with Android or Apple operating systems have to be paired by pressing a button, which worked reliably in the test. If you want to import updates or change settings on the in-ears, you need the app AI Life by Huawei.

The headphones use Bluetooth 5.2 and the audio codecs AAC, SBC and LDAC for transmission. In order for them to be used, they must also be supported by the playback device. Although Huawei does not use the almost latency-free AptX codec, there is hardly any noticeable delay during use. The in-ears are therefore suitable for occasional watching films or gambling.

During the sound check, we primarily focused on the standard codec SBC, but of course we also tested LDAC with a corresponding MP3 player. The difference between the two codecs is audible – but only for trained ears and with the appropriate music source. If you stream your playlists in the classic way via Spotify & Co., you will not benefit from the high-definition sound. If high-quality audio files are available, the codec is worthwhile, but at the expense of battery life.

The sound quality is also pleasingly high in SBC mode. The tweeter, mid-range driver and woofer are properly matched to each other – at least in the lower and middle volume range. However, the headphones also have to fit properly. If in doubt, it is worth trying on the supplied ear pads. At a moderate volume, the Freebuds 5i offer a really good sound experience. Only at maximum volume does the tweeter overhang slightly and the bass noticeably flattens out. If you still expect a perfectly differentiated sound and real bass arias at the highest volume, you could be disappointed. Equalizer apps, for example, help at this point, with which the sound can be adjusted to one’s own needs. In our opinion, however, this is unnecessary, since the sound cuts off perfectly in normal mode.

In ANC mode, the overall sound is a little less well-tuned. The midrange in particular is weaker than in normal mode. Overall, the sound quality is good and at a high level. External noise is noticeably reduced or even completely suppressed by the ANC function. The running dishwasher, the monotonous rattling of a passing train or the noise of the air conditioning only gets through to the ear when the noise suppression is active.

In ambient mode (transparency mode), it is precisely these external noises that are deliberately passed on, which is also noticeable. Driving cars, fans or similar noises are very clearly audible with active ambient mode. However, the external noise amplified by the headphones does not sound as natural as with the very good Bose QC Earbuds II (test report). Although we have already seen much worse implementations here, this is our biggest point of criticism as far as the Freebuds 5i is concerned.

Telephony, both classic and video telephony via teams, Facetime & Co. also worked well. Our counterpart understood us clearly, unadulterated and without noise. It only becomes a problem if you make a call on the bike, on the street or in windy conditions – then it becomes more difficult for the listener to understand one another.

Thanks to the soft ear cushions and the low weight, the Freebuds 5i sit comfortably and securely in the ear without being in the way. Although these are not sports headphones, the headphones cope with a short sprint on foot or other sporting maneuvers in the test without any problems.

The integrated proximity sensor reliably detects whether the headphones are removed from the ear and then interrupts playback. If you don’t want that, you can also deactivate the function using the Huawei AI Life app.

The touch-sensitive surface controls work well once you understand where to touch the headphones. Various gestures are required to operate all functions, but touches are generally recognized and implemented very reliably.

The Freebuds 5i offer a stable connection within a distance of eight to fifteen meters. A walk into the next room is possible during the test without loss of quality or crashes.

Huawei specifies a battery life of six to seven hours for its headphones. However, we only achieve just under four hours with the LDAC codec and active noise suppression. With the SBC codec and active ANC, the headphones last a good hour longer. In order to reach the six hours and more, you would have to turn down the volume and use the normal mode. The in-ears can also be fully charged three times in the charging cradle.

Huawei Freebuds 5i cost 89 euros at the time of testing. They are not among the cheapest in-ears, but the price is justified in terms of the good sound.

The Huawei Freebuds 5i convince with good sound even without using the LDAC codec. The compact design, the reliable touch control and the moderate price leave a positive overall impression.

Although the in-ears cannot keep up with premium models such as the Sony WF-1000XM4 (test report) at high volume, these are also twice as expensive. If you are looking for true wireless headphones with LDAC, you will get a fair price-performance ratio here.