Huawei FreeClip TWS headphones review: an unusual alternative to AirPods

Another interesting experiment by Huawei, the Huawei FreeClip TWS headphones, which are interesting for their extremely unusual design in the form of peculiar clips that cling to the ears, has been reviewed by gg. Thanks to this design, the headphones do not go inside the ear canal, so they can be considered semi-open. Of course, thanks to this design, Huawei FreeClip are not the headphones that will provide complete immersion in music while you are travelling in public transport. They are aimed at a different audience: those who want to listen to music in the background and constantly be aware of what is happening around them and communicate without taking off the headphones. Huawei FreeClip are very comfortable and perfect for both the office and jogging. Moreover, the IP54 protection is fully compatible with sports. The headphones' strengths include long battery life and fast charging, as well as simple and intuitive touch controls. In general, Huawei FreeClip is definitely not a mass model and will not impress music lovers, but it will definitely find its audience. 

4 reasons to buy Huawei FreeClip:

• You are looking for TWS headphones that allow you to hear what is happening around you at all times
• Original design
• IP54 protection
• Long battery life

2 reasons not to buy Huawei FreeClip:

• You need a noise-isolating model to concentrate on the music
• The Huawei AI Life app is not available on Google Play

Quick transition:

1. What does Huawei FreeClip look like?
2. Are Huawei FreeClip comfortable to use?
3. What about the sound quality and microphone of Huawei FreeClip?
4. How long does Huawei FreeClip last without recharging?
5. In dry balance

What do Huawei FreeClip look like?

Huawei has repeatedly proved that it can create interesting designs and unusual constructive solutions. Huawei FreeClip is one of these experiments. The name is fully consistent with the design: Clip can be translated as a clip or a clip. Each earbud consists of three parts: two large blocks connected by a flexible rod. Thanks to this design, the earphone is attached: the ear is actually clamped between the two blocks. It is claimed that this shape was developed based on a study of the wishes of users who want to listen to music without cutting themselves off from what is happening around them.

Both main blocks are made of glossy plastic. The bullet-shaped part goes into the ear but does not go inside. It houses the speaker, which is protected from dirt and dust by a mesh that will be easy to clean in case of contamination. The outer part of the balloon has two microphones used for conversations.

The second part is the unit that contains all the electronics. It looks like a bean. Inside are batteries, charging contacts and microphones used for noise reduction and wind protection.

The two units are connected by a kind of bar, which HUAWEI called C-bridge Design. The bar is quite flexible and has a memory effect. The pressing force is sufficient for a secure fit. At the same time, the headphones do not press and do not cause discomfort. Each headphone weighs 5.6 g. Interestingly, the headphones are absolutely identical. In order not to confuse the right and left channels, the proprietary app has a function to automatically detect the left and right channels.

The case is made in the form of sea pebbles. It is relatively compact and flat. Thanks to this, you can easily carry it in your pocket. There is a Huawei logo on the front and an LED indicator that informs about the charge level or pairing mode. The case weighs 44.5 g.

There is a single button on the right side of the case that is responsible for the pairing mode. Inside, everything is standard: headphone slots with charging contacts. The lid has a nice, moderately tight stroke and auto-close in both open and closed positions. The case will not open by accident under any circumstances.

Huawei FreeClip is available in classic black and more original purple, as in the review. There is protection against dust and splashes according to the IP54 standard. So they are quite suitable for sports.

Are Huawei FreeClip comfortable to use?

Huawei FreeClip have a very non-standard shape, so the proprietary application has instructions on how to use them correctly. Indeed, to find a comfortable position, you need to twist them a little around your ear, in which the speakers will be directed directly into the ear canal.

The headphones themselves are very light. And, with a good position, they turned out to be really comfortable. They can be worn for hours without discomfort. Moreover, you can simply forget about their presence. But there is no question of noise isolation here: these are headphones for those who want to hear what is happening around them all the time. Even the in-ear headphones go a little deeper into the ear canal, which provides minimal noise reduction. So it will be difficult to listen to music in the subway with Huawei FreeClip.

For on-the-go control, sensors are used on all three parts of the headphones. Which is quite convenient: it's important not to miss.

For connection, Huawei FreeClip uses Bluetooth version 5.3 and supports SBC AAC codecs. Considering the type of headphones, this will be quite enough. The connection with the smartphone is stable, there were no problems during use. There is support for connecting up to two Multipoint devices. For settings, the proprietary Huawei AI Life app is used, which, of course, is not available on Google Play. Therefore, it will have to be downloaded separately as an apk. The company usually leaves a QR code on the box for this purpose. The app has information about the charge of the headphones and the case, a connection centre (for using Multipoint), an equaliser with several ready-made settings (there is no graphic equaliser), software updates, headphone search (playing a sound signal from each), experimental functions (which we described a little above), and additional settings. Among them are the wearing detection function (auto-pause when the headphones are removed), low latency, the aforementioned automatic channel switching function, a charging case beep, and a high volume mode.

Double and triple touch is supported, and you can set up skipping to the next/previous song, pause/play, and launching the voice assistant. With the latest firmware, the experimental features section now allows you to control the volume by touching the front and rear headphones.

What about the sound quality and microphone of Huawei FreeClip?

Huawei FreeClip is equipped with dynamic drivers with a driver size of 10.8 mm and dual magnets. And here it is worth mentioning the specific design of the headphones themselves. The so-called acoustic ball does not go inside the ear canal, and the emitters are only directed towards it. Huawei claims that the sound leakage caused by the design is minimised thanks to a sophisticated system of return sound waves, which uses microphones on the back of the case. The perception and sound of the headphones also depends on their correct position and environment. With the correct position, the acoustic balls are located close to the beginning of the ear canal and the sound is surprisingly pleasant: low frequencies are almost not lost and the overall impression is like listening to high-quality in-ear headphones. The sound is quite full and balanced. Of course, we are not talking about high detail, but music sounds driving. At the same time, due to the design feature, there is space and there is no feeling of constriction, which is often present in closed in-ear models. The headphones are perfect for the scenario of listening to music in the background: during work or sports.

Of course, when listening on the street or in a noisy office, the perception changes significantly: you can hear absolutely everything that is happening around you. Although the volume reserve is enough to make the music audible even in the subway. Although it won't be much fun. For communication during calls, Huawei FreeClip uses 2 microphones and the so-called multi-channel deep neural network (DNN) algorithms, which (theoretically) should distinguish the voice from the surrounding noise. The interlocutor can hear the voice really well in most situations. The only exception is when the ambient noise level is very high.

How long can Huawei FreeClip work without recharging?

Quite massive "beans" with electronics made it possible to place a 55 mAh battery in each earphone, and the battery of the case is 550 mAh. Huawei promises up to 8 hours of operation on a single charge at 50% volume, and the case can charge the headphones 4 more times. The real time is indeed almost the same as the stated figures. At a volume of 80-90%, the headphones can work for about 7 hours, which is an excellent indicator for TWS headphones. Huawei FreeClip support fast charging: it is claimed that 10 minutes in the case will be enough for 3 hours of music. It takes a little less than 2 hours to fully charge the case, and there is support for wireless charging.

Huawei FreeClip review: four things you need to know about these headphones:

• Huawei Huawei FreeClip are lightweight TWS headphones with an unusual design in the form of a kind of clip.
• They have good sound, but practically no sound insulation, so they are suitable for listening to music in the background;
• They work for a long time on a single charge.
• Protected against dust and moisture according to the IP54 standard.

For those who want to know more:

• Huawei FreeBuds 5 TWS headphones review: space design and active noise cancellation
• Huawei FreeBuds 5i review: in-ear TWS headphones with active noise cancellation
• More business and less noise: Ugreen HiTune X6 TWS headphones review
• Hello, Hi-Res Audio without wires! Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro flagship TWS headphones review