Huawei FreeBuds 5i, noise cancellation and Hi-Res for very little

Huawei's consumer division continues to bet heavily on alternatives beyond pure mobile telephony, and one of the markets where it is reaping the most success is the sound offer. Its FreeBuds range has become a benchmark, standing up to alternatives from Apple and Samsung and positioning itself as a reference.

We analyze in depth the new Huawei FreeBuds 5i, an option with noise cancellation and high definition at an extremely competitive price. Discover with us this new Huawei product and if it really is capable of offering so much for so little.

Materials and design

As for the case, Huawei has decided to take a conservative position. In its shape it will remind us of previous editions of the FreeBuds model, the classic shell with a top opening. However, to differentiate this model, fleeing from the classic glossy "jet plastic", they have decided to bet on a matt polycarbonate with small shiny specks for the black and blue version, maintaining the classic gloss on the white model, for those who decide to run away from the shrillness

The case has dimensions of 48,2 x 61,8 x 26,9 millimeters, for a weight without headphones of 34 grams approximately. As for the headphones, a design hybrid between different previous models, they will be offered in line with the color of the case.

These in-ear headphones have quite compact dimensions, 30,9 x 21,7 x 23,9 millimeters, they are very light, around 5 grams for each of the headphones.

On the front of the case we have the LED status indicator, In the lower bezel we have the USB-C port for charging, and on the side the now classic side synchronization button.

As with other products in this range manufactured by Huawei, the perceived sensations are good, a quality product is felt, The case opens and closes with sufficient resistance to provide us with security against falls.

Technical characteristics

Let's go "to the nougat", as they say. In the technical section, each headset has a 10mm dynamic driver, which works in conjunction with a polymer composite diaphragm. This new dynamic driver is capable of offering frequencies between 20HZ and 40kHZ, which represents an expansion of 50% compared to the previous version.

At the connectivity level they have Bluetooth 5.2, the latest commercial generation of low power wireless data transmission protocol. Only in this way can the Huawei FreeBuds 5i achieve the quality standards necessary to obtain the Hi-Res certification, which we will talk about later.

In addition, it has Pop-Up pairing with compatible devices (Huawei and Honor running EMUI10 or newer version), as well as simultaneous multi-device pairing, that is, we can have dual connection at the same time.

In the technical and audio processing section, this time Huawei has decided to keep the ace up its sleeve, and you haven't indicated which specific chip you're using to perform the calculations regarding high-resolution audio or active noise cancellation.

Sound quality

In this case, the Huawei FreeBuds are certified Hi-Res and LDAC support, which assures us that we will be able to enjoy a wide range of high-resolution sound. In addition, its processor reduces the loss of sound at low frequency when we have not placed them properly, thus offering slightly clearer audio. We must point out that, as with other products with ANC, it interferes very slightly with the final sound offered, so those looking for fidelity would choose to do without noise cancellation.

In our tests, we have found that Remarkably respects all types of frequencies (high, medium and low), what favors pop music, although it is not the most striking when it comes to enjoying somewhat more commercial content, we are going to supply this with the different equalizations. In this case the maximum volume is surprisingly loud, without losing clarity along the way.

Evidently In order to enjoy Hi-Res or LDAC content, we are going to require either the direct file and its reproduction through different alternatives. In this case, we remind you that services like Spotify do not have Hi-Res audio, and for example, Apple Music has it quite restricted for its users through the brand's usual codec. We have opted for the reproduction of content locally, which has been completely satisfactory.

Noise cancellation and interaction

Huawei puts at the service of the FreeBuds 5i an active noise cancellation of up to 42 dB in its different modes, configurable through Huawei AI Life, an app whose download is completely free and that will allow us to configure and update the headphones easily, compatible with iOS and Android interchangeably. Although, we have found that the version for Android or for EMUI is slightly more extensive in features than the version for iOS (iPhone or iPad).

We will be able to interact with the headphones through a pressure control that will allow us to adjust parameters for a long press or for a double touch. Same with the slide up and down on the ear cup. As we have said, Huawei AI Life is the application that will allow us to adjust these parameters based on our needs and requirements, essential to carry out the necessary software updates.

• Headphone battery: 55 mAh
• Battery case: 410 mAh
• Charging time: 2 hours

We must not forget that the Huawei FreeBuds 5i have water resistance (IP54), so we will not have problems using them during training. In the same way, Its offered autonomy of 6 hours with noise cancellation activated and up to 28 hours using the charging case, has been more than fulfilled.

Editor's opinion

These Huawei FreeBuds, already available on the market from 99 euros on the website of Huawei, They are positioned as one of the most economical alternatives if we are looking for high-resolution audio and active noise cancellation at the same time. This catapults them directly to the recommended by section. Actualidad Gadget, although to be honest and taking into account Huawei's previous launches in this section, we cannot say that it surprises us.

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