Huawei had an enormous occasion in mid-September, the place the star of the present was the Watch GT4, however we additionally noticed the brand new Freebuds Professional 3 TWS earphones. We reviewed the smartwatch, and now we’re additionally prepared with the evaluate of the brand new earphones.
We tried the Inexperienced earphones, which is the hero coloration within the present lineup. The paint job is new, however in any other case the Professional 3 look equivalent to their the predecessors, the Professional 2. In case you look nearer tiny variations begin to seem, however even Huawei itself says the actual modifications are contained in the buds. And having spent a number of weeks with the earphones we are actually able to share our impressions.
The case is ever so barely shorter than the earlier technology and general 4.5% smaller, with Huawei nonetheless written on a small reflective plate. There’s a small button on the facet for reset functions, whereas the buds sit comfortably inside. The case helps Qi wi-fi charging, however can be charged by the USB-C port on the underside.
Huawei modified the contact sensor on the stem and lowered the load by 5% in comparison with the earlier technology. The contact space is now a tiny indentation, permitting gestures to really feel extra pure – no extra unnatural pinching. Software program-wise, nothing modified – you may set options for one, two and three faucets whereas swiping up and down controls the quantity. The rubber ideas connected are dimension M, and Huawei offers three different sizes for several types of ears.
Huawei Freebuds Professional 3 can join through Bluetooth to 2 gadgets concurrently. We came upon that the change between the 2 was unreliable when the gadgets are usually not Huawei-branded.
Our checks included a Huawei smartphone, a Samsung smartphone, a Huawei pill, a Samsung pill, and a Bluetooth dongle for desktop PC. The Freebuds Professional 3 was having a significant concern connecting to the desktop, dropping seemingly for no motive, even in the course of a track or video.
Connectivity to cell gadgets was barely higher, however nonetheless not perfect when two audio sources have been enjoying concurrently. On the upside so long as the Freebuds are used for listening to music on one gadget and take occasional calls (audio or video) on one other, twin pairing will work with out concern.
There are additionally controls within the AI Life app, which it is advisable obtain from Huawei’s AppGallery to get the most recent model. The Freebuds can routinely choose the popular gadget, however there’s a widget for Android and HarmonyOS to let customers management which audio supply to make use of even with out opening the app.
The buds themselves are pretty comfy. There isn’t a sensible method through which they are often put incorrectly within the ear, and whereas Huawei gives a tip match take a look at, it merely validated our natual alternative with every dimension of ideas.
The buds stayed in our reviewer’s ear on a regular basis, to the purpose of him forgetting they have been there. The stem can be brief sufficient so it does not intervene with masks straps – sure, we are actually additionally testing with facial safety; welcome to the brand new regular.
Huawei additional improved the output of the Freebuds Professional 3, and for the third technology in a row, audio is extremely spectacular, whereas noise cancellation can be typically improved.
Huawei’s buds really feel and sound as pure because it will get on this kind issue, greater than another competitor we have examined. That is helped by Hello-Res audio streaming assist by the LDAC (for supported Android telephones) and L2HC 2.0 (for Huawei gadgets). Music simply sounds crisp with clear treble and well-defined bass that does not overpower the mid-tones.
Audio is well-balanced with all kinds of genres we tried, and whereas the Freebuds Professional 3 sound is just not the loudest in the marketplace, it’s positively among the many most correct.
Like most different premium buds today Huawei Freebuds Professional 3 have three microphones, enabling Lively noise cancellation. There are 4 modes of noise canceling – Dynamic, which adjusts routinely based mostly on the environment, and three totally different energy toggles which you could manually choose.
The Consciousness mode, which lets exterior noises by comes with a brand new Voice Mode. In case you allow that it’s going to amplify voices, picked up by the mics. It may very well be helpful in smaller places of work, however we don’t suggest utilizing this exterior, as a result of it might probably get loud and complicated.
Freebuds Professional 3 have the identical batteries because the earlier technology, with 580 mAh capability of the case and 55 mAh in every bud. We examined the battery life in all three modes and you’ll find the precise numbers within the desk beneath.
| Mode on a single cost | Marketed Playtime | Actual-life Playtime |
| Noise cancelling (Dynamic) | 4 hours | 215 minutes/ 3 hours 35 minutes |
| Off | 6.5 hours | 360 minutes/ 6 hours |
| Consciousness | N/A | 210 minutes/ 3h 30 min |
Clearly, the case has sufficient energy for practically 5 full recharges after accounting for charging losses, so you may lengthen the general endurance considerably. The common charging of the buds was about 45 minutes – from 0% to 100%, which we don’t count on to occur usually in on a regular basis life.
The case with out the buds crammed in 70 minutes over a USB-C cable. Utilizing a wi-fi charger takes as much as three hours for the entire set to get from 0 to 100%.
Wrap-up
The Freebuds Professional 3 are undoubtedly one of the best earphones Huawei has produced but. They’ve among the greatest sound available in the market, nice design and competent noise canceling. You additionally get strong battery life with each wired and wi-fi charging assist.
The €200/£180 worth is unquestionably not low, however you’re getting a no-compromise expertise and a few rivals to ship that value even greater. Extra so for those who contemplate numerous offers Huawei is operating – proper now you may get the Freebuds bundled with a Band 8 smartband for €20.
