Huawei Freebuds 5i Review vs Freebuds Pro 2
I reviewed the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 a few months ago, and I loved them and still use them today. I was already a big fan of the original FreeBuds Pro, so the Pro 2 were inevitably going to be good earbuds.
I didn’t review the Freebuds 4i, but I did review the Freebuds 4 and the Freebuds 3i. The Freebuds 4 may be good earbuds, but the open-fit design is not for me personally. I liked the Freebuds 3i, they were good for the price, but if I am honest, they didn’t quite meet my own standards for earbuds.
I expected the Huawei Freebuds 5i to follow a similar trend. Good for the money, but not to my standards. I was wrong.
Specification
- Driver: 10mm dynamic driver
- Sensors: Wear detection sensor
- ANC: Yes, 42dB
- Connectivity: BT 5.2
- IP Rating: IP54
- Battery:
- Music playback on 1 charge: 6.0 hours (with ANC enabled)
- Music playback on 1 charge: 7.5 hours (with ANC disabled)
- Music playback with charging case: 18.5 hours (with ANC enabled)
- Music playback with charging case: 28 hours (with ANC disabled)
- Dimensions: 41.4mm (h) x 16.8 mm (w) x 18.5 mm (d)
- Weight: 4.9g per earbud
Design and Fit
Huawei seems to have designed these to look like the affordable clone of the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2. There are a lot of similarities between both the case and the earbud design.
The FreeBuds Pro 2 has lots of metallic-looking elements to it, whereas the Freebuds 5i has a matte-coloured case then plasticy earbuds. The colour I was sent is attractive, and in general, I don’t put much value on the way a pair of earbuds look.
Similar to the FreeBuds Pro 2, these have a stem design with quite a bulbous earpiece. You then get three silicon tips with them. This design works well for me, the earbuds fit nicely in my ear with a good seal and no movement when I move around.
I have worn these on a 9-mile run, and I didn’t find that I needed to adjust them throughout the run.
With these being more affordable than the Pro model, they lack some of the fancy features, including the various sensors and wireless charging. However, they have the same IP54 rating, so you can confidently use them for exercise.
Sound Quality
Just like the Freebuds Pro 2, these support the higher resolution LDAC codec. However, to use this, you need to use the AI Life app. You can’t just switch it within the Bluetooth settings. You need to go to sound quality within AI Life and then toggle to prefer sound quality. On this page, you also have some basic EQ options allowing you to boost the bass or treble. These do favour bass, like most mainstream earbuds, so if you prefer something more neutral, you may want to boost that treble.
I find the overall sound quality to be excellent, up there with some of the best sub £100 earbuds I have tried. Audiophiles may want to give them a miss due to the bass-forward nature, but I don’t find it overwhelming and it doesn’t bleed into the other frequencies. In general, I find them quite balanced, the trebles are well-controlled with no harshness across any genre I tried.
Noise Cancellation
While the traditionally popular ANC earbud brands make no claims about ANC, Huawei likes to state the dB reduction figure. It is a bit of an ambiguous number, but Huawei claims this data comes from Huawei labs, and test models were designed based on human hearing.
I am not convinced these numbers are accurate, or at least accurate when comparing against other brands, but I’d say it is roughly correct when you look at the number in comparison to other Huawei ANC earbuds.
This claims to do 42dB while the FreeBuds Pro 2 are 47 dB, the original Freebuds Pro at 40 dB, and the open-fit FreeBuds 4 are 25 dB. I’d say that is a roughly accurate representation of performance.
For a pair of sub-£100 earbuds, the ANC is superb. Switching it on in any environment, there is a noticeable reduction in background noise. Using my normal aeroplane cabin noise test, these eliminate most of the low end, leaving some mid, and quite a bit of high. The performance is not far off the FreeBuds Pro 2.
Battery Life
The battery life is a key selling point for me with these. I love the Freebuds Pro 2, and at first, I thought the battery life was acceptable but not great. However, if I leave the ANC on, I find that they die for to quickly for my liking. If I put them on as I leave the house on the way to the gym, they will be dead before I get home (3 hours-ish). ANC and LDAC both affect performance, so you can extend things.
I have not timed these, but they haven’t died on me while in use. With LDAC and ANC, I’d say I am getting over 4 hours.
Price and Alternative Options
- HI-RES AUDIO CERTIFIED FOR A HIGH QUALITY SOUND. Enjoy clear and quality sound from your Bluetooth earphones backed up by HI-RES certification with a tailor made listening experience
- MULTI-MODE ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLING. Feel free to choose among Ultra, General, and Cozy noise cancellation modes, to adapt the effects to the surroundings areas (busy airports, subway stations, offices, or quiet home.
- POWERFUL BATTERY LIFE and FAST CHARGING: The wireless earbuds can deliver up to 28 hours of music playback when used with the charging case, and play 4 hours of audio on a quick 15-minute charge
- COMPACT AND COMFORTABLE: The in ear headphones are shorter and 11 Percentage lighter than previous version. With 3 sizes of soft silicone ear tips and lightweight charging case, for a customized comfort
- ALL-PURPOSE INTERCONNECTIONS: HUAWEI FreeBuds 5i can simultaneously connect to two devices at once. The audio connection center in the AI Life app makes it easy to manage devices connected to the earbuds
The Huawei Freebuds 5i has launched for £89.99 and is currently available directly from Huawei.
- DUAL SPEAKER TRUE SOUND. HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 provides an immersive cascade of sound, texture, and detail with luscious treble and surging bass.
- PURE VOICE HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 never lets your surroundings get in the way of your calls, music, and movies, employing a bone conduction microphone, three additional microphones, and the Huawei-exclusive deep neural network (DNN) noise cancellation.
- INTELLIGENT NOISE CANCELLATION ANC 2.0. The intelligent dynamic ANC 2.0 will switch your earbuds to the optimal noise cancellation mode in real time.
- TRIPLE ADAPTIVE EQ. It brings you the optimal sound quality, by seamlessly tuning the audio to the real-time volume level having in mind your ear canal structure and the surrounding noise .
- CLEAR CALLS. The high advance built-in microphone allows you enjoy crystal clear calls while the Triple Adaptive EQ filters the unwanted noise and tune the perfect volume.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 are sold by Huawei for £169.99, but they are on Amazon for £125 for the pair in white.
- 【ANC】 The HUAWEI FreeBuds 4i’s dual-mic system design reduces external noise whilst its AI reduction technology can pick up your sound even in the most crowded environment
- 【10 Hours of Continuous Playback and Quick Charging】Get 10 hours’ worth of continuous playback on one full charge with the HUAWEI FreeBuds 4i, or a 10 minute charge alone gets you 4 hours’ worth of audio enjoyment
- 【Pop-up Paring】Just opening your case will initiate a pop-up notification prompting to pair with the HUAWEI FreeBuds 4i. After that they’ll auto-connect to your phone or tablet whenever you open the case. (This function requires smartphones and tablets running EMUI 10.0. Other devices support Bluetooth pairing)
- 【Crystal Clear Sound】Get rich instrumental harmonies, clear vocals, punchy bass, and finely balanced sound thanks to the 10 mm dynamic coil driver and sensitive polymer composite diaphragm
- 【Awareness Mode】Say no to taking off your earbuds to hear others or any external noise – just press the earbud and hold down to switch to Awareness Mode
The Huawei Freebuds 4i are on Amazon for £70.
Overall
In recent years, a lot of good earbuds have been launched for under £100, so it shouldn’t really be that surprising that these are good. Yet, I am shocked at how good they are. I have found myself quite happily picking them up over the more expensive Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2.
I am not going to try and argue that these are better, but they are good enough that I don’t think twice about using them over the Pro 2. One reason why I often select the 5i over the Pro 2, is the battery is noticeably better. I do love the Pro 2, but the battery is rubbish and will often die before I get home from the gym.
The sound quality of the Huawei Freebuds 5i is excellent, albeit a mainstream bass-forward sound profile, and the ANC is surprisingly good at this price point.
Overall, I’d say these are the best sub £100 earbuds I have used.
Huawei Freebuds 5i Review Rating
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Overall - 95%95%
Summary
For £89.99, I don’t think there are many earbuds that will outperform the Huawei Freebuds 5i
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing.
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