Disadvantages: bulky charging box
There are three different wireless earphone markets. There’s the sub-$50 base pair (which are pretty capable now), the mid-stream set with better audio, bass, and a dash of noise-cancelling, and premium models that pack the best drivers, mics, and active noise-cancelling technology.
Huawei’s latest Freebuds Pro 2 target that last category.
As for the buds themselves, they were largely successful. My test pair, a new shade of silvery blue, has noise-cancellation that’s probably as good as anything I’ve used from Apple or Samsung. Huawei says it’s reimagined how to deliver active noise cancellation by adding another microphone to the mix (three in total).
The result, a claimed 47 decibels of noise reduction, won’t block out loud traffic. But it helped deaden the chatter I heard around me in cafes, bus seats, and communal work tables.
I have found the buds to be quite comfortable and last over a long walk or short jog. They come with a choice of three different rubber tip sizes to suit your ear.
From an audio perspective, the Freebuds Pro 2 certainly deliver compared to what they’re up against. A dual driver system combines to expand the possibilities of bass and treble; I found the range to be impressive, from dub reggae tracks to some 80’s hairspray rock.
According to Huawei, the sound system was co-developed with French hifi specialists Devialet, although it’s impossible to say if that had an impact.
Battery life is a relative highlight here too – you get up to four hours of music (or three and a half hours of calls) with active noise cancellation per charge of the pillbox, and up to four full charges of this pillpox.
The only compromise here is that despite being smaller and lighter than its predecessor, the pill box remains fairly bulky.
