The new version of Huawei headphones raise the bar in both sound quality and noise cancellation.
In mid-September Huawei launched a battery of new products in Spain, from a luxury watch to smart glasses, as well as the elegant Huawei Watch GT 4 or the MatePad 11.5 PaperMatte tablet that gives the feeling of writing on a notebook. However, one of the new devices that the Chinese company has brought to Spain is the renewal of its best—and most popular—headphones: the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3.
The new Huawei FreeBuds Pro are based on three pillars to seek to repeat the success of previous models: high quality sound, better noise cancellation and price, as they arrive in Spain for 199 eurosnotably less than the 279 euros of the AirPods Pro or the 320 euros of the Sony WF-1000XM5.
At EL ESPAÑOL – Omicrono we have tested them during the last week to find out first-hand if they are as good as they promise, if they surpass previous generations and if it is Huawei’s new weapon to conquer the market.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro are elegant, discreet, compact and comfortable. They have a striking and striking design, but at the same time they exude a premium look that allow us to combine—and not clash—with how we are dressed. This allows you to aspire to an executive audience where other more options geeks they come to clash. This style is therefore continuous and follows the path that began with the first generation.
They continue to rely on the piano key shape, whose exterior appearance is quadrangular with marked straight lines and a slotted haptic touch control, which allows it to differentiate itself from the competition. The case has also been redesigned slightly to improve but maintain its essencenow hides the hinge, improves durability and resistance.
However, the most interesting thing about the new FreeBuds Pro 3 is their lightness and comfort. Are 5% lighter than the model launched in 2022, so they only weigh 5.8 grams per headset. They achieve this thanks to optimizations of the battery, motherboard and adhesive technology for the components, thereby saving space and taking up less space in the user’s ear. It has four sizes of silicone covers that allow them to fit well to the ear canal regardless of the disposition of our ear, especially if it is small in size as it now includes an XS size.
It is important to know if we have them properly adjusted in the ear – key to having optimal noise cancellation—. It will thus be essential to use Huawei’s own application to have interesting options such as detecting plugs, finding them if we have lost them or other interactive functions. Likewise, since they are designed to be worn all day, it is possible to pair them to two devices at the same time – regardless of the system they use – with a maximum of 10 devices.
Despite being more compact and lighter, they do not sacrifice resistance or autonomy. On the one hand, they are resistant to splashes, rain and sweat thanks to IP54 certification. Regarding the battery, although they are not the longest lasting on the market, they are correct for how they perform. On a single charge they offer 4.5 hours of use with noise cancellation activated (increases to 6.5 hours without it) and offer a total of 22 hours of use together with the case using cancellation. Regarding charging, 40 minutes will be enough to fully charge them.
The real differentiating point of the Huawei FreeBuds Pro is how they sound. They do this excellently thanks to the new ultra-hearing dual driver system that allows for high detail in all frequencies, so the range of sounds it reproduces with precision ensures that the user is able to get into the music and distinguish all the nuances of the songs. In this way, when enjoying a piece, the user is able to distinguish and appreciate the instruments or voices without forcing dynamics or performances that cloud the purity of the content. The aspiration is clear: to reproduce music in the best possible way but without artificially masking the sound.
That’s why the FreeBuds Pro support the L2HC 2.08 and LDACTM high-resolution codec, with a maximum audio transmission rate of 990kbds / 96kHz / 24bit, as well as supporting high-resolution audio transmission, awarded with HWA and wireless certification. of high resolution audio. To do this, you will have to activate the option Smart HD in the company application.
To reach these levels of high sound quality, the new headphones have improved their acoustic architecture, its sound optimization algorithms, as well as the adaptation of the codecs, which allow them to show everything they are capable of. Likewise, the new dual driver system is combined with a new Halbach magnet array to improve acoustic performance.
No two ears are alike, just as no two ear canals are identical. Huawei knows this, and to bridge the personal differences of how music is perceived by each individual, the company has optimized its algorithm so that it can adapt in real time to the person’s ear. So the new equalizer adjusts the sound to volume levels, ear structure and usage conditions to ensure an excellent experience every time.
Another of the key points of these headphones, and perhaps one of the most loved by users, is noise cancellation. It has become one of the most sought-after features in headphones in general and in these FreeBuds Pro 3 in particular. That’s right. Huawei shows that It has one of the most advanced noise cancellation systems on the marketwith that ability to isolate ourselves from the world if we want to.
The new headphones have Intelligent ANC 3.0 technology, an evolution of the previous model that automatically switched between noise cancellation levels depending on the characteristics of the environment and hearing. It now offers adaptive noise cancellation in real time, with which the headphones modify the cancellation parameters according to the situation around us to comply with the standard set by the user. It can be set in three modes to more or less isolate us from the world.
This setting is marked from the application and to comply with it, the new headphones have an improvement of up to 50% in certain environments compared to the previous generation. The algorithm now processes more information about the noise around us to reproduce the opposite wave and thus isolate us from everything. In practice, we can forget about the noise of the office, public transport or flights to focus exclusively on music.
Similarly, headphones have also improved calling technology. They now have a noise cancellation algorithm to have a clearer voice thanks to artificial intelligence, which now recognizes better when the user speaks. As well as incorporating a system more sensitive to skull vibrations to better capture the voice and isolate it from the environment.
The wind noise cancellation algorithm has also been updated, being 80% better than the previous generation explains Huaweiwhich defends that even in strong winds you can maintain clear telephone conversations thinking about being able to speak in complicated situations.
Huawei has put all the meat on the grill. The FreeBuds Pro 3 come to the market aiming for the maximum and with the clear idea of ​​becoming one of those star recommendations to sweep at Christmas both among technology enthusiasts, those looking for high-quality sound, and those who want headphones with a beautiful design and great performance.
To this we must add the price. The 199 euros for which it reaches the market is a very reasonable price compared to the alternatives from Sony, Apple or Bose against which Huawei comes to compete. The FreeBuds Pro 3 offer an excellent relationship between quality and price, offering more than they cost.
Points for improvement include autonomy with 4.5 hours of use with cancellation outside the case. They are behind the 6 hours of the AirPods Pro, the Jabra Elite 10 or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II or the 8 hours of the WF-1000XM5. As well as the absence of sound reproduction with spatial audio with head tracking, something increasingly present in the industry and where the market will derive.
In short, Huawei has achieved something complicated with the FreeBuds Pro 3: having headphones with excellent sound quality, precise noise cancellation, an iconic and attractive design at a low price with which to put the rest of the competition in trouble. A clear recommendationto buy or give as a gift in the coming months.
