The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 will be launching in a few days and we were the few that were able to try out these earbuds before launch. The FreeBuds TWS earbuds series has been known for its great audio and ANC for earbuds at it’s price point. The FreeBuds Pro 2 definitely is better than before with improvements made not only by bringing a new colorway to the market as well as upgrading the audio tech for better ANC and audio experience.
Design
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 is designed like a pebble with its rounded casing which is comfortable to hold. On the back of its case where it’s cover connects to its base, we see a ” Huawei by Devialet” etched on the metal connector. The new FreeBuds Pro 2 comes in three colorways, Silver Frost and Ceramic White like the previous gen of products and a new color, Silver Blue that looks amazing. The one we have for review is the classic white one which looks similar as the Air Pods. In comparison with Air Pods Pro, the casing is slightly smaller due to the rounded design. On the right side of the case, you will see a button which you can click once to see the battery indicator light or long press to be on Bluetooth pairing mode.
The TWS earbuds itself adopted the piano key design. The stem of the TWS is square shaped without any sharp corners giving it a smooth touch and comfortable to wear. The earbuds comes with 3 different sizes of ear tips to ensure stability of it staying in your ear canal no matter you are walking, running, jumping or even bobbling your head and shaking around to your favorite headbanging music.
The casing itself is 52.1g and each earbuds 5.9g, with the weight and size reduced in comparison with the previous generations, carrying it around even in ladies handbags are not a problem. You can even pop them in your pocket. However, the glossed surface might be quite slippery at times and might need to be more careful when holding it to prevent slip and drop.
Setting Up And Navigating
Setting up the the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 is pretty easy, hold down the pairing button on the side of the case for 2 seconds and the led indicator in the case will blink to know that the TWS are ready to pair. Select the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 in you bluetooth pairing list and you are ready to go. Alternatively, for those whom already has the Huawei AI life app installed, you can on your bluetooth on your smartphone and tap the “+” button on the add product page to scan and connect to your device.
While connected to the Huawei AI life app, you are able to customize the noise control and gestures for the FreeBuds Pro 2. Switching it between Noise Cancellation and Awareness noise control or to turn both off.
You can customize the shortcut gestures on the TWS. The default set would be holding the side of the TWS to switch between each noise control profile. Pinch once to play/pause music or to answer/end a call, pinch twice to next song and pinch three times to go back to the previously played song. Apart from that, you can also swipe up or down on the sides to volume up or volume down. I find that the pinch sensors are much easier to navigate in comparison with the swipe gesture as it often does not detect and would still need me to use my phone to adjust volume.
Audio Quality
The Huawei FreeBuds 2 Pro is equipped with the Ultra hearing dual-driver true sound system, delivering a better surging bass and good sound quality with rich details. Upon connecting to the App, users can run the ear fitting test to see if the current eartips on the TWS suits you for the best audio experience or not.
These TWS earbuds are able to produce and deliver frequencies as low as 14Hx and frequencies up to 48kHz, which is said to broadest range in the industry. For best experience you can turn on Smart HD audio from the App. Even without the app, you are able to enjoy crisp vocals and booming bass. Every single detail is presented clearly to your ears and the experience is one of the best we had so far with TWS earbuds.
Despite being a Bluetooth connected device, its close to no delay in terms to audio delay. It supports surround sound playback too which not only make playing music and videos a great experience, it also makes gaming with these on a great experience.
Talking about gaming, we often will be on call with our team members to make sure that the game goes on well. The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 has a new noise cancellation tech called Pure Voice based on the 4 Mic hybrid Call Noise Cancellation system combined with Huawei’s DNN noise cancellation algorithm. During a call, the mics are able to pick up human voice and extract the caller voice to ensure you are able to clearly speak to the person on the other end of the call despite being in the middle of noisy environments.
Apart from that, the TWS earbuds awareness mode is able to let the user to be aware of the sounds around them. Trying on this mode, we are able to hear the surrounding sounds not only clearly but slightly enhanced. You are able to even hear the wind blowing around you. This comes in hand not only when you need to be aware but also when you need to converse with someone when you are wearing your earbuds without taking them off.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro supports Dual Device Connection, where you are able to connect it to your laptop or PC for work audio and your phone to receive incoming calls. When there is a call coming in, it can automatically switch to your phone audio and switch back to media played on the laptop when you end your call on the phone.
Battery Life
The battery life on these TWS earbuds are incredible. Along with the charging case, I was able go through 4 days before I needed to put it to charge again. For those that only use them to listen to music while commuting and occasionally for calls and gaming might able to go through the week before needing to charge. Even with ANC or Awareness on the whole time, I was able to listen to music while working up to 5 days in a row.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 supports both wired and wireless charging. Just with 5 mins of charging time, you are able to use it for another hour of music playback and probably finish your online meeting with it.
Compatibility
Last but not least, the compatibility of the TWS earbuds as a wearable is quite important to users when selecting what to buy. The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 can easily connect to your iPhones, any Android phones, laptop, PC and even gaming consoles like the Nintendo Switch. While connecting to phones allow you to adjust the audio profile through app, you still can use the ANC and awareness features when connected to computers or gaming consoles.
The FreeBuds Pro 2 is able to connect up to 10 different devices and you are able to switch between devices easily on the Huawei AI life app. However, this feature is not available current on the iOS App and through non-Huawei laptops.
Conclusion
We are expecting the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 to be priced lower than the AirPods Pro yet higher that the average TWS in the market. However, the audio experience we have so far does make us want to grab a pair for daily use. Not only the music playback was amazing, the battery life on these TWS give it almost no downtime for daily use.
We would recommend these to those who enjoy good quality music and audio playback. Those who are looking for a quality product to quickly switch between devices no only during work and also gaming sessions to daily entertainments. These are a pair of TWS earbuds that you can consider to accompany you during your day around.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 will be available in the market starting from 25 August 2022! Stay tuned on HUAWEI Official Website and HUAWEI Official Facebook Page for more details on the new HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2.
