In addition to smartphones, tablets and smart watches, Huawei has also supplied us with headphones for a long time. The newest flagship, labeled FreeBuds Pro 3, brings an elegant design, quality sound and a number of useful gadgets. Will she be able to stand up to the flood of competition?
The new line of smart watches Huawei Watch GT 4 has also been completed by the wireless headphones Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, they attract high-quality sound, a great design, but also several very practical functions. How did you do on the test?
Technical parameters of Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3
Weight (cases/headphones) 45.5 g/5.8 g Colors green, silver, white Connection Bluetooth 5.2 Codecs LDAC, SBC, AAC, L2HC 2.0 Listening time (according to the manufacturer) up to 6.5 hours of music listening without ANC, up to 4 hours of listening time with ANC, a total of up to 30 and 18 hours, respectively Increased IP54 resistance (only the headphones themselves without a case) Package contents of the headphones, USB-C/USB-A charging cable, quick start guide and silicone ear tips in 4 sizes
Design processing: simply brilliant
Similar to the recently tested Sony WF-1000XM5 headphones, in the case of the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3, it got smaller or lighter between generations. Compared to the previous generation, the novelty has a case that is about 6 grams lighter, but the headphones are also 0.3 lighter (each individually). Especially with headphones, the reduction in weight can seem laughable at first glance, but, unlike smartphones, every tenth of a gram counts for good in this type of electronics. We therefore perceive the reduction in weight positively positively, as well as the reduction in the dimensions of the case by 4.5% (intergenerational).
We were also satisfied with the way the earphones sit in the ears, which also applied to the FreeBuds Pro 2. The shape of the user’s ear, and thus the (dis)comfort during wear is a highly subjective matter, but according to our experience, Huawei’s FreeBuds Pro 3 she said, and having them in your ears means no discomfort, for example, even after two hours. During light sports activities, such as faster walking or moderate running, the headphones stayed in the ears well. Even during a small experiment on the trampoline, the headphones did not tend to fall out, which is a positive.
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Athletes will also be pleased with the increased IP54 resistance, which is here as a “guarantee” that sweat (but not even rain) won’t destroy the headphones. It is only necessary to think that the case itself does not have this certification (unlike the Galaxy Buds2 Pro case with IPX7 certification). Let’s add that although Huawei is a Chinese brand, we also find a Japanese handwriting on the headphones, because Huawei has a special acoustic laboratory, which also participated in these headphones, in Tokyo.
We will stop at the case for a moment, because Huawei has used a new material for it, which is supposed to be more resistant to scratches and other damages that we normally encounter with headphone cases. The manufacturer also promises that the hinge of the case has been tested for more than 100,000 opening and closing times, which is quite unusual for headphones, but a useful test in its own way. A practical pairing button can then be noticed on the right side of the case.
We liked it, between generations, smaller and lighter, very well held in the ears, high-quality workmanship, practical pairing button on the case, low weight, We didn’t like it, the competition from Samsung offers significantly higher durability
Sound: you will be more than satisfied
Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3 understandably want to impress not only with design and processing, but also with sound quality. This year, the manufacturer specifically implemented the Halbach system of permanent magnets, which promises zero delays when starting/pausing sound playback, but also boasts an 11mm “Ultra-mag Bass” driver, which ensures excellent delivery of low frequencies up to 14 Hz, or a planar driver designed to mediate highs . Just like last year, in addition to the standard SBC and AAC codecs, the offer also includes Sony’s proprietary LDAC codec with a bitrate of up to 990 kb/s and L2HC 2.0 (up to 960 kb/s), which comes directly from Huawei.
With the presence of the aforementioned codecs, Huawei is clearly targeting more demanding listeners who are not satisfied with just streaming music from Spotify, but also use, for example, Tidal or have their own music library in the highest possible quality.
Fortunately, neither the active noise cancellation nor the permeability mode looks “artificial”.
The sound presentation is then, similar to the previous generation, excellent and very well balanced. No component of the sound overpowers another, although the much-loved bass is definitely not missing here and can be really punchy, but properly separated from other instruments. The sound quality of the headphones will stand out very nicely when listening to an artist singing with a subtle guitar undertone (for example, Hurt by J. Cash), but they will sound great regardless of whether you prefer rock, rap, pop or other genres. The sound also has a very solid spatial effect, although this is more common in bridge-type headphones with ear cups. In the Huawei AI Life application, which you may or may not install, there are detailed options for setting the equalizer.
However, the FreeBuds Pro 3 will also impress with the ANC qualities that you will recognize immediately as soon as you put the headphones in your ears (even without listening to music). Active noise cancellation works very well and can significantly drown out the surroundings, it also doesn’t seem too “artificial”. Those who have had the opportunity to listen to several headphones will surely testify that the ANC works a little strangely and too “computer-like” for some. The permeability mode also left a good impression on me, which also seems quite natural.
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You will appreciate ANC not only when listening, but also during phone calls, when the voice (in addition to the system of three microphones) is also picked up by the conductive method from the cheekbone. In addition to the VPU (Voice Pickup Unit), the manufacturer also integrated the VACC (Voice Accelerometer) into the headphones, which helps to “collect” sound more effectively through the bone. So you can look forward to high-quality and clear calls.
We liked the support for both LDAC and L2HC 2.0 codecs, perfect ANC that does not sound artificial, very high-quality balanced sound, application support with an equalizer
Functions and controls: left rear
Control of the headphones falls on the legs of the headphones, which have integrated oblong surfaces. These are located in a slight depression, so they are easy to feel, and they are accompanied by an audible click response. These buttons can either be pressed (pause, play, next/previous track, etc.) or swiped over them to adjust the volume. I really liked this method of control, although I am a supporter of the opinion that most listeners will adjust the volume directly on their phone (or other device).
In the already mentioned application, you can then verify that the headphones have the latest firmware version and set the gesture of holding the button for a long time. A big advantage of these headphones is also the multipoint connection, i.e. the ability to be connected to two sound sources at the same time (for example, a computer and a phone) and easily switch. On the other hand, what I still miss a little is the function of automatically pausing the music when the user speaks, which I know from Sony headphones. Quick pairing is available, but only with other Huawei products.
We liked the easy control, multipoint connection, quick pairing with Huawei products, we didn’t like the function of automatically pausing the music when the user speaks
Battery life: no problems
With ANC activated, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3 managed about 5 to 6 hours of music playback on a single charge, which can be extended even further if you decide to turn off ANC. The battery integrated in the case will then ensure another three full charges, so the total battery life is more than decent and will suffice even for more demanding listeners.
As far as charging is concerned, there is USB-C, through which charging will take about an hour, and the alternative is wireless charging on a Qi standard pad with a power of 2 W.
I liked the long battery life, it can be charged both wired and wirelessly
Evaluation
The latest generation of Huawei FreeBuds Pro succeeded this time as well. Those interested will be pleased above all with high-quality sound with support for important codecs for more demanding listeners, but also with excellent processing, solid durability, but also with decent battery life. The manufacturer could perhaps only work on automatically pausing audio playback when the user speaks.
Competition
The recently introduced Sony WF-1000XM5 offer a few extra practical features compared to the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3, in addition, many may like their matte finish and more elaborate applications.
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The competition could be the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro, which could particularly interest Samsung smartphone owners who have already invested in the entire SmartThings ecosystem and have other products of the same brand in their home. I consider their main advantage to be increased resistance according to IPX7, but of course you can also look forward to quality sound and ANC.
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Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro
Naturally, AirPods Pro 2nd generation are the popular choice of Apple product owners. They are also very compact, have excellent sound performance and at the same time have top active noise suppression. Within the Apple ecosystem, they can then be used very easily across different (Apple) products.
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Photo: Ioannis Papadopoulos, mobilenet.cz
2023-10-21 07:00:00
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