Huawei presents the new FreeBuds Pro 3, headphones that offer a good listening experience, great autonomy, and noise cancellation during calls. 20Bits puts them to the test in this review.
Design
When we open the box we find the headphones, the charging case, the cable, the replacement cases (sizes XS, S, and L. The M comes pre-installed on the device), the rights card, and the quick start guide.
If we take a first look at the case, you can see in the image below that this electronic component is similar to the previous generation of FreeBuds Pro, however, the opening of the lid has been adjusted to make the movement much smoother. On the other hand, if we look at the bottom, we will see that there is a USB-C charging port and a speaker.
Regarding the design of the headphones, the head and stem are a continuation of their predecessors, they are still a fingerprint magnet (which I liked least because it gives the feeling that they are dirty, in addition, I have to say that this small inconvenience It also happened with the FreeBuds Pro 2 that had a shiny metallic finish) and included a ‘piano key’ with new gestures to control the volume or skip songs:
- Press and hold the left/right stem of the headphones to toggle between noise cancellation, ambient mode, or off.
- Slide up/down on the stem to adjust the volume.
- Pinch the earbuds to play/pause music, answer, end calls, and change songs.
And lastly, the FreeBuds Pro 3 are available in three colors, namely Ceramic White, Green, and Silver Frost.
Sound quality
The FreeBuds Pro 3 earphones come equipped with dual ultra-hearing drivers that are a powerful four-magnet dynamic coil unit, thus offering robust driving force and excellent treble drive. Furthermore, the low frequency dips down to 14 Hz while the high frequency reaches up to 48 kHz, thus providing a great listening experience thanks to the Hi-Res Dual Driver sound system.
On the other hand, Huawei knows how to take advantage of powerful computing capabilities to update its triple hearing optimization algorithm in real time. Thus, the headphones can be adapted to the volume levels, ear structure, and use conditions of each user; provide complete real-time optimization for the listening experience; and control the equalizer to ensure good sound quality.
And regarding noise cancellation, the FreeBuds Pro 3 has real-time adaptive cancellation. Likewise, it is important to mention that the algorithm has been improved—going beyond the limitation of the three preset modes—to adapt to different environments. of noise. In my opinion, with noise cancellation I have been able to hear other people’s conversations, street noises, or the hum that can be heard in the office if your coworkers are talking to each other; Therefore, I think it has been one of the aspects that has been maintained compared to last year’s model.
Are they useful for talking during a call?
Speaking of phone calls, the FreeBuds Pro 3 comes equipped with Pure Voice 2.04 technology to improve voice pickup during calls, ensuring that your voice is heard clearly, even in the noisiest environments. After putting this feature to the test, I take my hat off to see that the headphones are capable of isolating you from outside noise while you talk to someone on the phone.
Additionally, Pure Voice 2.04 technology is reinforced by Intelligent ANC 3.0, an updated adaptive noise cancellation algorithm that provides a 50% improvement in noise cancellation.
Connect to two devices at the same time
Huawei’s new headphones support the connection of dual devices between different electronic devices and systems, and they can also automatically switch between two devices (a super plus point that I fell in love with).
On the other hand, they intelligently identify usage scenarios and switch between mobile phones, tablets, or computers without having to manually reconnect, allowing you to enjoy an intelligent audio experience.
Battery
As for battery life, if noise cancellation is disabled, FreeBuds Pro 3 offers up to 31 hours of listening with the charging case and almost seven hours on a single charge. Meanwhile, if noise cancellation is activated, this gadget has almost five hours of playback on a single charge and 22 hours with the charging case. Regarding the charging power, the power of the headphone case is 3W and it takes approximately less than an hour to reach one hundred percent of the battery if they are completely discharged.
In addition, I would like to mention that there is the possibility of charging them wirelessly thanks to their 2W power and that a USB-C cable is included in the box.
Specifications:
- Headphone dimensions: 29.1mm × 21.8mm × 23.7mm.
- Charging case dimensions: 46.9mm × 65.9mm × 24.5mm.
- Weight of each earphone: 5.8 grams.
- Charging case weight: 45.5 grams.
- Dual control: 11mm dynamic control + flat diaphragm driver.
- Frequency response range: 14 Hz – 48 kHz.
- Battery capacity: Earbuds → 55 mAh (minimum value each) // Charging case → 510 mAh (minimum value).
- Battery Life: Music playback with noise cancellation disabled → 6.5 hours after a full charge and 31 hours when used with the charging case // Music playback with noise cancellation enabled → 4.5 hours after from a full charge and 22 hours when used with the charging case.
- Charging method: USB-C.
- Charging time: Approximately 40 minutes for earbuds in charging case // Approximately one hour for charging case without earbuds.
- Microphone: Three silicone microphones and one bone conduction microphone.
- Simultaneous Bluetooth connection with dual devices: Yes.
- Connectivity: Accelerometer, infrared sensor, hall sensor, pressure sensor, touch sensor, and bone sensor.
- Sensors: Digital crossover, triple adaptive EQ, active noise cancellation, call noise cancellation, and transparency mode.
- Resistant to splashes, water, and dust thanks to IP54 certification.
- Audio format: SBC, AAC, LDAC, L2HC2.0
- Available colors: Green, gray, or white.
