Huawei has been a force in the world of smart wearables, bringing us some impressive TWS products. The Freebuds 5i are the latest product introduced in China last June and hit the international stage just in time for the holidays.
We got to spend some time with a pair of Huawei Freebuds 5i to test their claims of better noise cancellation, longer battery life, and faster connectivity.
I got the blue Freebuds 5i. We consider this to be the prettiest color of the three (his other two are white and black). All colors give a pebble-like smooth finish. There is a single button on the side for resetting the earbuds and a USB-C port for charging. The back is flat, so you can put the case on a flat surface without rattling.
The buds inside the case have a glossy finish, but are quite resistant to fingerprints. The stem is relatively short, the buds have rubber tips, plus he comes in two sizes in the retail box. A USB-A to USB-C cable is another element in the €100 bud box.
The magnets that hold the buds to the case aren’t as strong as the Freebuds 4i, making them easier to remove. Each bud supports touch gestures, and for the first time you can also adjust volume by swiping up and down along the stem.
Huawei Freebuds 5i support the Bluetooth 5.2 standard and pair without additional software. However, the Huawei AI Life app is required to access additional features. We recommend getting the latest updates from the AppGallery as it takes time to reach the Google Play Store.
Huawei promises quick pairing with automatic prompts the first time you open the box, but it only works as intended within the Huawei ecosystem. Just open the case and your Huawei smartphone will prompt you to connect. Other smartphones have to take a scenic route to access the app, but the process is quick and easy.
Screenshots of Huawei AI Life
Huawei managed to reduce the weight by 18%, but kept the overall design and increased the battery capacity by about 60%. Each bud he has 55 mAh, with an additional 410 mAh added to the case, and the company promises him 28 hours of music playback.
AAC Music playback on a single charge is claimed to last 7.5 hours at 50% volume, but in our tests it fell short of that number, barely reaching 7 hours. Endurance with ANC enabled was supposed to be 6 hours on a single charge. It’s still solidly durable, and if you put the Freebuds 5i back in the case from time to time, they’ll easily survive even the longest flights.
Huawei Freebuds 5i
As for charging, Huawei promised to put 15 minutes of buds in the case and get back four hours of playback. I found charging to be as fast as advertised. That means replenishment feels almost instant.
The entire 410 mAh battery in the case and the two 55 mAh batteries in the buds charge from 0% to 100% in just 90 minutes, even faster than the 110 minutes advertised for the case alone. However, the Huawei Freebuds 5i case does not support wireless charging, so plugging it in is a must.
The Huawei AI Life app allows you to switch between three noise suppression options: Noise Canceling, Off, and Perception. The former has three different modes. Cozy for quiet locations, General for the default option, and Ultra for maximum ANC.
We found the Freebuds 5i’s ANC to be good, if not the best. The Galaxy Buds2 Pro and Freebuds Pro 2 make better flight companions, but are priced very differently.
The app also provides basic sound quality presets (default, bass boost, treble boost).
The 10mm dynamic driver and its polymer composite diaphragm do a decent job in the mids and highs, but if you need to play deep bass, the Freebuds 5i certainly fall short.
That’s why the Freebuds 5i are perfect for pop listeners and conferences. It’s also IP54 rated, making it suitable for occasional workouts. We tested the Buds in extreme conditions, including running in the cold winter rain, and the sound and fit weren’t compromised in the slightest.
The Huawei Freebuds 5i are a big step up from the Freebuds 4i announced over 18 months ago. Bearing in mind the £90/€100 price tag, we were impressed with the ANC’s performance, quick connection and gesture control. Battery life is also impressive, and while audio quality isn’t the best, it’s not bad enough to break the deal.
