Huawei FreeBuds 4 Review: A Budget Friendly Earbuds

In the ever-growing market of true wireless earbuds, Huawei’s FreeBuds series has made a mark for offering impressive audio quality and premium features at a reasonable price point. Among their additions, the Huawei FreeBuds 4, promise to deliver an excellent listening experience with active noise cancellation and touch controls.

Design and Build

The Huawei FreeBuds 4 boast a sleek and compact design, which sets them apart as smaller and lighter than their predecessors, the Huawei FreeBuds 4i. They are available in two elegant colors – ceramic white and silver frost.

These earbuds not only look good but also provide an impressive level of comfort. Surprisingly, despite the absence of rubbery squishy tips, it’s fits securely in your ears, even during physical activities. This smart design and secure fit ensure a comfortable experience, even during extended periods of use.

Pairing with your smartphone is a breeze. Just flip open the case, and they automatically enter pairing mode. Alternatively, there’s a small button on the case for easy pairing. Although the connection stays mostly stable there can be some occasional break-up, especially in crowded areas. To ensure a smooth connection, it’s advisable to keep your devices close.

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Touch Controls

The touch controls on the Huawei FreeBuds 4 provide a user-friendly experience. A double-tap on the top end of the bud lets users play or pause audio tracks, while a long-press activates or deactivates active noise cancellation.

Adjusting the volume is as easy as a simple flick up or down on the buds. While these touch controls work impressively well, it’s worth noting that the inability to skip tracks may be a drawback for some users.

Audio Quality

Regarding the audio quality, Huawei has made significant improvements compared to their previous buds. It equipped with 14.3-millimeter dynamic drivers, which perform exceptionally well considering the compact size of these earbuds.

They deliver a well-balanced sound profile and create a clear stereo effect. Notably, Huawei has included an adaptive equalizer feature in the Huawei FreeBuds 4, which can analyze the shape of your ears and customize the audio output to fit your specific head shape.

The dual-microphone setup guarantees clear voice transmission during phone calls, even in noisy environments. The call quality remains consistently impressive, making these earbuds a suitable choice for hands-free communication.

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)

Huawei has enhanced the active noise cancellation (ANC) capabilities by incorporating dual microphones. While the ANC effectively reduces external noise, its full potential is somewhat limited due to the absence of a proper silicone seal.

Consequently external sounds can still make their way in, affecting the listening experience when consuming spoken-word content in noisy environments.

The rigid shell design presents challenges in achieving the necessary seal for effective noise cancellation. Despite the improved ANC, these earbuds may not be the best choice for those seeking complete isolation from their surroundings. Users in search of a more robust noise-canceling experience might want to explore alternatives such as the Pixel Buds A-Series.

Battery Life Performance

The Huawei FreeBuds 4 do have one notable downside, and that’s their battery life. They provide approximately four hours of usage (with ANC turned off) before requiring a recharge in their compact carry case.

In comparison to many competitors, this four-hour duration falls a bit short, most rivals tend to offer about five to six hours of usage without any noise cancellation. To put it in perspective, last year’s Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3 provide five hours of use with ANC turned off.

Fortunately, the buds themselves charge rather swiftly once placed back in the carry case, You can expect around four full charges from the case before it also needs a recharge. For recharging, you can conveniently use the included USB Type-C cable, which comes with the earbuds in the box.

Final Thoughts

The Huawei FreeBuds 4 are an attractive choice for true wireless earbud enthusiasts. They offer good audio quality, a comfortable design, and convenient touch controls, making them suitable for a wide range of users.

Nevertheless it’s important to note that the limitations of the active noise cancellation, stemming from the hard shell design, could be a significant factor for some users. Additionally, the battery life, while decent, falls short compared to some competing earbuds.

For those seeking a balance between performance and affordability, the Huawei FreeBuds 4 present a compelling option. However, individuals specifically looking for strong noise cancellation might want to explore alternatives with proper silicone-sealed tips for a more effective noise-blocking experience.