Noise cancellation with memory effect: review of Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 TWS headphones
Due to the US sanctions, Huawei has slipped in our information space and almost disappeared from the radar when it comes to smartphones (except for breaking through the information blockade with PR products like the Mate XT Ultimate). But all this does not apply to accessories, which include Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 - the flagship TWS headphones. I used only the first FreeBuds Pro (it was in 2021). And even then, they favourably differed from the trendy Galaxy Buds Pro by supporting multipoint, that is, simultaneous connection to two Bluetooth devices (although they could do it with two Samsung devices). I've already reviewed Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, Samsung's latest flagship TWS headphones, and now I'll share my impressions of Huawei's latest model, FreeBuds Pro 4.
Quick transition
- What's in the box with Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4
- Appearance of Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4
- How the headphones sound
- Charging and battery life
- What the app can do
- General impressions of use
- In the dry balance
What did we learn about Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 from the official information? They were introduced on 26 November 2024. Like the previous models, these are in-ear headphones with active noise cancellation (of course, using pre-trained neural networks) and a new design. Like all modern flagship models, they can work with Hi-Res Audio. They have IP54 protection (like all of them, actually) and a declared operating time of up to 6.5 hours without noise cancellation (also somewhere on the level of competitors).
What's in the box with Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4
The package of Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4. Illustration: gagadget
Here's the first surprise - the package includes 6 (!) additional pairs of ear cushions in 3 sizes. These are two sets - one with silicone ear cushions and the other with foam ear cushions that have the so-called memory effect, i.e. they change their shape slightly and remember it. This is an important advantage because people have different ears. And the tight fit (and foam ear cushions contribute to this) provides better noise protection. The rest of the package is standard - a USB-C cable (nowadays, they might not have included it, the charger is gone, but this is no surprise to anyone today) and two brochures - a warranty card and a user manual.
A set of earbuds for Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4. Illustration: gagadget
Exterior of Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4
Unlike Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, where my main complaint was about the design, FreeBuds Pro 4 look exactly "expensive-rich". Huawei has named this design Silver String, alluding to the strings of musical instruments. This design is best seen in the black version of the headphones, where these strings are physically laser engraved on the outer surface of the headphone leg.
The Silver String design. Illustration: Huawei
The charging case is pleasant to the touch - matte plastic on the outside (except for the area with the strings around the logo, which is polished) and lacquered with a hint of mother-of-pearl on the inside. The golden elements (the hinge and rim of the lid, the charging connector, and the logo) do not look gypsy, but add a touch of nobility. Huawei calls the material around the logo Ceramic DECO and claims that it is made after a 72-hour sintering process at 1480 ℃. This seems to make the material more durable and resistant to shock, but it looks more like a marketing ploy, because it would be more logical to make the whole case stronger, not a fragment of it. Interestingly, the case has its own speaker, but it is only used to provide a signal during charging.
Just like any other flagship TWS headphones, FreeBuds Pro 4 looks like a work of engineering with all its sensors and microphones. Despite the fact that they are visually different from Apple headphones, it is still clear what inspired Huawei's designers. But in today's world, this looks more like an advantage than a disadvantage - taking something popular and adding some of your own ingredients. That is, the hint of AirPods is guessed, but not enough to give the impression of copying. Still, FreeBuds Pro 4 has its own look that dominates and creates an overall impression. Despite my dislike of polished surfaces because of the need to constantly wipe them from fingerprints, this rule does not work for headphones - they look neat and no prints are visible. The only complaint is that dust collects in the corner where the leg connects to the headphone body and it needs to be cleaned from time to time. But, firstly, all similar headphones probably have this drawback. Secondly, the manufacturer itself recommends cleaning the headphones periodically.
How Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 headphones sound
Let's move on to the main thing - sound quality. First, a little theory, which for some reason manufacturers do not mention during the world premiere. The headphone has two drivers - an 11 mm dynamic and a high-frequency planar driver. Huawei claims a frequency range from 14 to 48,000 Hz (for the L2HC/LDAC codec), which exceeds the capabilities of the human ear (20 Hz - 20 kHz, although there are people who can hear 16 Hz). We also have 3 microphones that are also used for noise reduction and affect the sound. And there is also an acoustic bone sensor - it is used by trained algorithms to improve the sound of your own voice.
What's the practical implications? Of course, it all depends on the quality of the music source and the headphone settings in the app. There are a bunch of preset profiles and a 10-band equaliser with the ability to create and save your own settings. An interesting fact: musicians from the conservatory worked on the sound settings, and as a result, two additional sound profiles were created - "Balanced" and "Professional". I highly recommend playing around with the app's settings, because without them, FreeBuds Pro 4 won't reveal their full potential.
For example, when I added bass, I immediately began to feel low-frequency sounds at the level of my skin or heart. Of course, not like in cinemas, where the heart jumps out after explosions and shots, but it's noticeable for such a tiny device as a TWS earbud. And, of course, if you need better sound, you can forget about streaming audio services (especially YouTube Music) - HD Audio seems to be streamed only by Deezer. And download lossless file formats to your smartphone or computer.
Charging and battery life
Despite the fact that this is the most important characteristic of headphones for consumers after sound quality, there is nothing new or surprising to say about it. Everything with the battery life and charging of FreeBuds Pro 4 is predictable. And, as always, it depends on the usage scenarios: volume level, noise cancellation mode. You can see the declared 6 variants of operating time in different scenarios below in the table of characteristics. On my own, I'd like to add that I got an average of 6 hours of sound (let me remind you that I always listen to music in headphones at maximum volume, and no, I'm not deaf yet) in the mode without noise cancellation and about 4 hours with it. The charge of the case was enough for two more full and one partial charge. Which can be considered neither the worst nor the best indicator. It's good that there is wireless charging of the case, but this is also expected from the flagship model of the headphones - otherwise neither I nor you would understand the manufacturer. I did not record the charging speed of the headphones with a stopwatch, it feels like it takes about 45 minutes, up to an hour. In an hour and a half, the fully discharged headphones are charged along with the fully discharged battery of the case.
In practice, this means that once a day you need a pause to charge the headphones and once every 2-3 days you need to fully charge the case. "Majors" can simply put their smartphone and headphones on wireless charging every night (I will not say anything about the watch - if you need to charge it every night, it will never track your sleep).
What the AI Life app can do
There are no significant changes to the headphone settings in the app. It is important to remember that the app must be installed either via the apk file (via the QR code on the box). Or, like me, the long way through the installation of HMS + Huawei AppGallery. I chose the second option because I still use Huawei watches and I have a couple of Huawei routers in my country house that also require AI Life to control.
One interesting thing is that you can select sound profiles right on the main screen of the headphones. They are duplicated by large tiles. The 10-band equaliser and advanced headphone controls are noteworthy: tap, hold and swipe to adjust the volume. There is also the ability to answer/reject a call by tilting your head. I never got used to it (probably because I don't make enough voice calls). In general, the app is useful and I emphasise once again - if you buy these headphones, install and use them. There's also a headphone fit assistant. And a list of all the tactile control gestures and their settings (I'm not a fan, but someone may need it if you get used to all these combos with two and three touches). You can also set the priority of sound quality (for me) or low latency (for games).
General impressions of use
Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 make exactly the impression you expect - modern, stuffed with technology, with high-quality sound and many settings and its own recognisable look. No more and no less. There are two surprises that I did not expect: low bass, which you feel not only with your ears, but also with a thumping in your heart and temple (not like in a cinema or at a concert, but not expected for miniature headphones) and the foam ear cushions included in the package. In practice, I didn't notice any deformation of these ear cushions (which remains). But they seal the fit significantly better than silicone ones. This affects both sound quality and noise reduction. An undoubted advantage is the support for simultaneous connection to two sound sources. This is convenient when you are listening to music on your laptop and then suddenly a call comes in on your smartphone - the headphones automatically switch to the phone and you can answer the call without unnecessary movements and fuss.
Compared to branded competitors (and excluding audiophile models that cost many times more), there is little choice: AirPods Pro, which live in a different, parallel universe, Sony WF-1000XM5 headphones, which have perhaps the best noise cancellation of TWS headphones, but cost one and a half times more than FreeBuds Pro 4 (by the way, WF-1000XM6 should be sold soon and I expect to review them). And Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, which cost about the same money, but lose out on design (subjective judgement, of course, but the plastic and charging case look cheap) and the lack of multipoint.
5 reasons to buy Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4
- flagship in-ear TWS headphones with active noise cancellation
- multi-connectivity support
- Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification
- memory foam ear cushions included
- clear sound and great bass
2 reasons not to buy Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4
- budget constraints
- you have an idiosyncrasy for any Chinese brands
| Main technical characteristics of Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions of the headphone | 29.1×21.8×23.7 mm, weight ~5.8 g |
| Charging case dimensions | 46.9 × 65.9 × 24.5 mm, weight ~47 g |
| Declared frequency range | 14-48,000 Hz (for L2HC/LDAC codec) |
| Battery capacity | Headphones: 55 mAh-g (each), case: 510 mAh |
| Charging time | Earbuds: ~40 min, case (wired): ~1 h, case (wireless): ~150 min |
| Working time | L2HC/LDAC without ANC: up to 6.5 hours, with case up to 30 hours; L2HC/LDAC with ANC: up to 4.5 hours, with case up to 22 hours; AAC without ANC: up to 7 hours, with case up to 33 hours; AAC with ANC: up to 5 hours, with case up to 23 hours; Calls without ANC: up to 4.5 hours, with a case up to 22 hours; Calls with ANC: up to 3.5 hours, with a case up to 18 hours |
| Charging methods | USB-C (5V-0.5A+), wireless charging up to 5W |
| Connectivity. | Bluetooth 5.2, pop-up connection (Huawei EMUI 10+), 2 devices simultaneously |
| Sensors. | IR sensor, Hall sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, bone acoustic sensor, touch sensor, pressure sensor |
| Audio. | Dual driver: 11 mm + planar, active noise cancellation, transparent mode |
| Protection. | Headphones: IP54 (case without protection) |
| Controls. | Double/triple press, swipe, hold |
| Package contents. | Headphones, charging case, 7 pairs of ear cushions, USB-C cable, instructions, warranty card |
In dry balance
Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 confidently hold the bar for flagship in-ear TWS headphones with active noise cancellation. And they have a couple of tangible advantages in their segment. The foam ear cushions included in the package did their job - they attracted attention, added comfort during prolonged wear and provided better passive noise isolation. The function of simultaneous connection to two devices is also useful - it is not clear why this has not become a de facto standard in the industry, at least in this price segment. As such, FreeBuds Pro 4 deserve to be seen as a bargain and receive an Editor's Choice "We Recommend" award.
For those who want to know more