Huawei has pulled back the curtains on its latest true wireless earbuds. The FreeBuds 4 inherit the firm's open-fit active noise cancellation technology that debuted in the previous-gen FreeBuds 3, but as you'd expect the FreeBuds 4 bring improvements over its predecessor across the board.
Huawei is confident that its FreeBuds 4 proposition (not to be confused with the FreeBuds 4i, launched in March) is the industry’s first of its kind to use dual-microphone noise-cancellation technology. The doubling up of mics should accurately pick up external noise which the technology can then block out.
The FreeBuds 4 use Huawei's Adaptive Ear Matching (AEM) noise cancellation tech, designed so that, when ANC is switched on, the earbuds can detect the user’s ear shape and automatically determine the optimum noise cancellation for each user.
In an effort to enhance bass performance, a 14.3mm dynamic driver is complemented by an upgraded bass enhancement engine, bass tube, and motherboard to form an independently sealed sound cavity.
The FreeBuds 4 have gone through no fewer than 13 size optimisations, reducing its size and weight to just 4.1g per earbud. Huawei has also adapted the design to improve the overall curvature of the earpiece for a better fit. The charging case is 6.3 per cent smaller and 20.8 per cent lighter than its predecessor, too, weighing just 38g.
When ANC is turned off, the new Huawei buds offer four hours of playback or a total of 22 hours of music playback with the charging case. With ANC on, the FreeBuds 4 offers 2.5 hours of continuous music playback, and quick charge technology means you'll get 2.5 hours of audio from a 15-minute charge (acceptable albeit hardly industry-leading in the world of wireless headphones).
The Huawei FreeBuds 4 offers various connectivity perks, including proximity pairing, pairing via cloud information sharing and Huawei's Audio Connectivity Centre. Dual device connection is supported too, so whether it is a Huawei smartphone, tablet, PC, smartwatch or smart display, or any other smart devices running Android, iOS or Windows, any two devices can be connected to the Huawei FreeBuds 4 simultaneously.
The Audio Connectivity Centre within Huawei AI Life will give you a snapshot of ten recently connected devices, allowing users to switch devices with a simple tap – or the proof to consult your other half about their borrowing without permission habit (again).
The Huawei FreeBuds 4 comes in two colourways at launch: Ceramic White and Silver Frost. The wired charging case edition will launch on 21st June from the Huawei Store and selected retailers, priced at £130. Those who reserve a pair from the Huawei Store before 20th June with a £10 deposit can receive £10 off the RRP. The wireless charging edition of Huawei FreeBuds 4 (£150) will launch mid-July.
How Huawei's latest wireless earbuds will stand up to cheaper rivals such as the EarFun Air Pro or, of course, the more expensive AirPods Pro remains to be seen, but on paper they seem like an interesting proposition.
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