Huawei Freebuds Pro 4 review | Infinium-tech

It’s been more than a year since Huawei introduced an update to its flagship earphones, but the FreeBuds Pro 4 arrived in the last week of 2024. The announcement came first in China, followed by the international launch just a fortnight later.

They were overshadowed by the global performance of the Mate So here’s what we found out.

Table of Contents:

Design and build quality

The buds and case of the FreeBuds Pro 4 are very similar to the FreeBuds Pro 3 externally. Our model is black, with golden trim around the stem and case, as well as a graphic element on the stem that announces Histen technology.

Green and white variants are also available, both decorated with golden accents. These are sure to be well received in Asian markets, although we doubt whether Westerners will agree.

The touch sensor is located on the inner side of the stem and is easy to use once you get used to the pinching and swiping gestures. All gestures can be customized through the AI ​​Life app, which we recommend downloading and installing from the Huawei AppGallery as it has the latest version.

user interface

The Buds were promoted as the first audio wearables with HarmonyOS 5.0 in China; However, that claim is missing from the global version. One reason for this change is that Huawei does not want to promote Harmony OS too much at this time, and the other is that the feature holds little importance in the earphone market.

The app offers various noise control options. Awareness Mode has two settings: Voice Mode, which can be turned on or off; Activating this option increases the earbuds’ ability to capture sound. Additionally, there’s Off Mode and Noise Canceling, which includes four different settings: Dynamic, Cozy, General, and Ultra, each tailored for a specific environment.

Detailed control of awareness and noise cancellation is only available in the app, which means it takes some time to choose your favorite option. There is also an equalizer with some presets, but you can also create your own.

The FreeBuds Pro 4 may prioritize sound quality or connection. Higher bitrate sound also comes with shorter battery life. There is an option that uses sound to map your ears and determine whether the rubber tips are the proper size. However, the feature indicated that all three sizes (small, medium, large) are good enough, so not really convinced about its usefulness.

Comfort is an important factor with such compact buds. Prolonged use didn’t cause any discomfort – you could hardly feel the FreeBuds in your ears. We tested them in the gym and during long runs. The result is that the buds remain in place unless there is a sudden movement.

There was the occasional issue of one bud slipping out a bit, but this was mainly due to our resident earbuds reviewer having poor performance, which caused excessive head movement.

sound quality

The most striking feature of the FreeBuds Pro 4 is, without a doubt, the audio performance. Huawei has included a dual-driver configuration with 11mm quad-magnet dynamic drivers that deliver bass levels up to 14Hz and treble levels reaching up to 48kHz, thanks to the planar diaphragm tweeter.

The sound quality and particularly the rich bass become immediately apparent when wearing the earbuds. After testing several earbuds from different smartphone manufacturers, we found Huawei’s offering to be exceptional; The company really excelled in this regard.

We paired the earbuds with an Android phone, a Huawei device, a desktop using a Bluetooth dongle, and a laptop that has built-in Bluetooth.

Connectivity was seamless and worthy of high-end earbuds. We discussed this topic exclusively with a Huawei VP, who confirmed that the developers in Shenzhen have put significant effort into optimizing connectivity and sound quality for fast toggling.

At the launch event, Huawei presented a video that showed a user wearing the earbuds in the middle of a concert, yet because of the state-of-the-art noise cancellation, they could also be attending a meeting.

We tried it, but the results were less impressive than anticipated. Our assigned reviewer attended a large tech party with thousands of attendees and attempted to make a phone call. The person on the other end could still hear the music, but was able to pick up the sound; However, the reviewer had difficulty hearing quieter sounds.

Of course, this is a real example, and with more than 110 dB of ambient noise you can’t really expect miracles. In more moderate settings, the buds perform very well.

charge

During our first impressions, we noticed that the FreeBuds Pro 4 felt more bulky than the Pro 3. However, it turns out that both models have similar battery capacities. Each bud is equipped with a 55 mAh cell, while the case provides an additional 510 mAh.

Below is a summary of the charging times stated by Huawei and the actual times we recorded after several charging sessions. To calculate the case and earbuds, simply add the time of the earbuds to the case.

	advertised time	real life time
earbuds in case	40 minutes	45 minutes
Case Only (Wired)	1 hour	65 minutes
Case Only (Wireless)	1.5 hours/150 minutes	160 minutes

We must admit that we had a hard time getting the earbuds’ battery down to zero, as it requires hours of continuous use to drain the battery completely. Once you put the buds back in the case, it resets the entire process, and the truth is, very few people actually manage to get their earbuds to 0 spend.

We found using a wireless charger for the case to be the most convenient option. It worked seamlessly and didn’t take much time to recharge.

battery life

We tested the FreeBuds Pro 4 extensively to determine the average charging value, and we also gathered insights on battery performance in almost all scenarios, paying particular attention to the two modes that prioritize sound quality or connectivity. Are.

Below are our findings from 30 days of continuous use.

	advertised rest time	real life sabbatical
Prioritize sound quality (ANC on)	6.5 hours	360 minutes/6 hours
Prioritize sound quality (ANC off)	4.5 hours	220 minutes/3 hours 40 minutes
Prioritize connection quality (ANC on)	7 hours	380 minutes/6 hours 20 minutes
Prioritize connection quality (ANC off)	5 hours	240 minutes/4 hours

All tests were conducted using the FreeBuds connected to an Android smartphone rather than a Huawei device with EMUI. The manufacturer noted that their results were based on tests with a Huawei Mate X6 with audio set to 50%.

Although turning down the volume and using a Huawei phone may slightly improve battery life, we determined that given the company’s small global market share, it made more sense to test on a non-Huawei smartphone.

conclusion

Huawei has delivered a solid upgrade with the FreeBuds Pro 4. They produce excellent sound with lossless transmission, offer excellent battery life, and have great noise cancellation for this category.

During the announcement, Huawei set the price at €199, but no countries using the euro currently offer these audio devices. The only European countries selling the FreeBuds Pro 4 are Türkiye and Russia, and we can only hope that the buds will become available in the EU soon.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 4 (left) and FreeBuds Pro 3 (right)

Huawei has introduced the FreeBuds to key Pacific markets including Indonesia, the Philippines, parts of the Middle East, and North Africa. If you’re outside these areas, you can still buy the 15-month-old FreeBuds Pro 3. However, if you live in those areas, we strongly suggest choosing the FreeBuds Pro 4.

Pros

• Best sound for Huawei FreeBuds.
• Battery life is reliable.
• Instant connectivity.
• Attractive price.
• Lots of noise cancellation options.

Shortcoming

• Golden trim may not be for everyone.
• Limited availability in major markets.
• Not a major improvement over its predecessor.
• The pinching gesture requires user customization.