Buzz
True wireless noise-canceling earbuds have almost become a daily essential for some. Thanks to their compact design, high portability, and useful features for both work and leisure, they deliver an immersive audio experience that's efficient for productivity and enjoyable for relaxation. Huawei's latest noise-canceling earbuds are the Freebuds 4i. It's an updated version of the 3i model, with a few exciting features that might just convince you to open your wallet.
Sleek and Compact Design of Huawei Freebuds 4i
Let's start with the charging case. The 4i's case boasts an oval-shaped, flat, and compact design. It feels comfortable to hold with its smooth, glossy finish—very sleek and doesn't strain the hand, although it's prone to fingerprint smudges. The front of the case features the brand logo along with a status indicator light. On the side, there's a function button for connectivity adjustments, while the bottom houses the Type-C charging port.
As for the housing, its design closely resembles that of the AirPods Pro or similar earbuds. Each earbud weighs 5.5 grams, not too light but also not overly noticeable in terms of weight even during prolonged wear. The Freebuds 4i will come in 3 color options for you to choose from: Black, White, and Red.
Functionality – Connectivity
The Bluetooth connection of the 4i is seamless. It's compatible with Huawei's AI on Huawei phones, so if you have one of their smartphones, simply opening the case will automatically establish the connection. For other phone models, the pairing process remains the same, and after the initial connection, subsequent times only require you to open the case for automatic pairing. If you need to connect to a different device, place the earbuds in the case and press the button on the side to reset from the beginning.
Another neat feature of the 4i is its infrared sensor for real-time gesture tracking. This means when you take the earbuds out, music automatically pauses, and it resumes when you put them back on. After 3 minutes of being removed without being put back on, the earbuds automatically power off to save battery.
Yet another standout feature is that the Huawei Freebuds 4i can be used for gaming, thanks to its low-latency algorithm that ensures audio-video synchronization. Coupled with ANC, you'll have an immersive gaming experience. Moreover, the exceptional noise-canceling microphones allow seamless communication with teammates, ensuring smooth gameplay.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
Two microphones positioned on the earbuds automatically detect environmental noise and utilize ANC algorithms to produce sound waves that cancel it out. Overall, the ANC capability of the 4i is quite useful in certain specific situations but it's not extremely powerful enough to be used in all scenarios. This is evident because the quality of a pair of $100 noise-canceling earbuds can't match those of higher-priced ones; it's more about enhancing the overall experience.
Additionally, in certain situations where you need to communicate with others or listen to external sounds without removing the earbuds, the Freebuds 4i also feature the ambient surroundings mode. Simply tap and hold the earbud stem to switch from ANC Mode to Transparency Mode.
Controls
The earbuds utilize touch controls, making it easy to handle calls, switch songs, and access many other features. For a more personalized and tailored usage experience, you can download the Smart Life app to customize the settings.
How's the Sound Quality of Freebuds 4i?
As a pair of TWS earbuds, perhaps sound performance isn't the most crucial metric to evaluate the quality of Freebuds 4i. However, what it delivers is quite impressive. The bass is powerful, stable, delicately processed to allow listeners to perceive pure and unadulterated sound without any distortion.
All of this is achieved thanks to the dynamic 10mm drivers ensuring excellent resonance and the PEEK + PU composite diaphragm providing bass effects. Additionally, Huawei has balanced the three ranges of bass, mid, and treble rationally to optimize for contemporary music genres and fine-tuned its parameters multiple times to achieve a superb balance between sound quality and noise reduction capabilities.
Battery Life
For users, aside from excellent product quality, battery life is also a crucial factor influencing the experience. According to official figures, the music playback time of the Freebuds 4i is 10 hours, with continuous talk time of up to 6.5 hours at maximum power. With the charging case, it can be extended to 22 hours of music playback and 14 hours of talk time. Of course, if ANC is continuously used, the time will decrease to a certain extent but still sufficient for daily use. The earbuds also support fast charging, with 10 minutes of charging providing 4 hours of usage.
Conclusion
Huawei's Freebuds earbuds have undergone several generations of changes. With each new product, we see technological upgrades and design refinements that are more suitable and convenient. And at a price of only 1,990,000 Vietnamese dong, it has significantly lowered the entry threshold for TWS noise-canceling earbuds, allowing many people to enjoy the fascinating experience that high-quality true wireless earbuds bring. This product also allows us to expect more from the future of Huawei.
