Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 review: Stylish design, intuitive gestures and excellent sound quality
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 bring subtle design changes and a more refined feel that becomes clear with everyday use. Picture: Huawei.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 are one of the best wireless earbuds you can buy, but some of their features are exclusive to modern Huawei devices. After a few weeks of daily use, I found them quietly impressive in ways that matter most.
The case on the newer FreeBuds Pro 5 has been trimmed down. It is a little thinner, the hinge is smaller, and it slips into a jeans pocket more easily than before. The LED indicator is now a ring rather than a dot, which I found easier to read at a glance, especially in dim light, and it looks more stylish. The pairing button has been stretched slightly, making it easier to press without fumbling.
Huawei has also simplified the look. The glossy rear panel is gone, and the overall finish feels cleaner. Even small details, like removing the speaker grille, contribute to a more minimal design, though the case still plays a tone when opened. I ended up customising that tone in the app, which is a nice personal touch.
The FreeBuds Pro 5 are a touch lighter, and the in-ear portion feels slightly smaller. I wore them for hours in the office and forgot they were there for most of it, which is about as strong an endorsement as I can give.
The upgraded earbuds don’t include foam tips, which is a pity, although I suspect most users won’t care. I have always preferred the way foam settles into the ear canal, especially for passive noise isolation and sound quality. That said, the silicone tips included here are perfectly fine.
The controls combine touch and squeeze gestures, similar to AirPods Pro, and they are easily my favourite to use. The new tap-and-hold gesture adds extra flexibility, while the swipe for volume control is simple and intuitive.
I really like the adaptive volume feature. Walking along a busy street, I noticed the music gently lifted above the traffic without me doing anything.
Conversation awareness is also useful. As soon as you speak, the music volume drops, and outside sound comes through. It takes about five seconds for the volume to return to normal. If you don’t like the feature, you can disable it.
The buds are also pretty durable thanks to IP57 protection, which means they can handle a little rain and sweat, but not immersion.
Active noise cancellation is excellent, though I would still rate the AirPods Pro 3 and the Bose QC Ultra 2 higher. It handles voices and higher frequencies well, which are usually the hardest to block. Low frequencies are also well controlled, making them ideal for flights, although there’s still a slight pressure sensation at the highest setting.
Battery life is excellent, with up to nine hours on a single charge and around 38 hours with the case. Wireless charging remains, alongside USB-C.
It’s great to see you get the latest Bluetooth 6.0, and multi-point pairing works reliably. High-resolution audio codecs are supported, including LDAC and Huawei’s own formats, as well as 24-bit lossless playback on compatible Huawei devices. Of course, while the FreeBuds Pro 5 work with iOS devices, you are limited to Apple’s AAC codec, which is not hi-res.
The earbuds deliver a clean, balanced sound. Bass has weight, but it doesn’t dominate. Instead, it sits neatly alongside the mids and highs. I noticed this most when listening to acoustic tracks. Vocals sound clear, and individual instruments are easy to pick out. On busier tracks, the separation holds up well, making longer listening sessions more enjoyable.
There are plenty of ways to tweak the sound, too, including a detailed equaliser using the Huawei AI Life app.
Lossless audio and spatial features are present, but in day-to-day use, I found the overall tuning mattered far more. The default sound profile is good enough that many people will not feel the need to adjust it.
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 deliver excellent sound quality, intuitive controls, and a strong feature set. They are comfortable, capable, and sound great, making them a reliable choice for everyday listening.
€178 Amazon.co.uk
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