HUAWEI FreeBuds 3 - Black

I am so glad I bought these Huawei Freebuds 3. I am very impressed with the design and function of the product, I bought these to compliment my Huawei phone and laptop and have always used wired earbuds before. I listen to audio books in bed while I drop off which is problematic with cabled earbuds - no more will I wake up with a wire wrapped tightly around my neck slowly choking the life out of me! I also used wired buds with my laptop and have often gotten up forgetting the buds are still in ear and sent my laptop flying. So for someone as careless as me the mere fact there are no wires is ... liberating (never thought I'd use that word in an Amazon review). I am liberated! * Comfy to wear, easy to clean, ear friendly. On first use I thought the Freebuds would fall out of my ear, they do not form a air tight seal so do not *feel* as secure as rubber booted buds. However, I have yet to have a Freebud fall out although I do remain slightly weary of wearing them while going to the loo. I find them very comfortable, they exert no pressure on either the ear canal or cartilage. The solid (hard, smooth) plastic is very well shaped and I forget they are there within a minute of popping them in. They are very easy to keep clean. Coming from rubberised tight fitting buds I have noticed a lot less ear discomfort than normal. *The Bluetooth connection is seamless. Connection is achieved by opening the case lid while BT is enabled on whatever device you are connecting to. My Huawei Phone just connected to them without further intervention (I did not install the Freebuds App first). My Huawei Laptop (win 10) and desktop pc (also win 10) connected to the buds without issue. I can happily connect to any machine by selecting Freebuds as the audio output device (one click on volume control). Swapping between devices is no issue at all. I was expecting connection problems when swapping between machines. So I am very happy that the Bluetooth implementation is well executed and not at all fussy. *Battery, Charging and charging cues. I seem to get about 4 hours of listening before the battery runs out (a voice warns you battery is low). Charging the buds is as simple as popping them back in the case. A small LED indicates the charge level (of the buds) by colour, smoothly going from red, though yellow to green as charging occurs. This is a lovely design feature, open the case look at the LED colour and you know what charge they have. This same LED indicates Bluetooth pairing as well. The case is charged via USB type C (USB A -> USB C cable supplied) so any usb device can charge the case battery. There is another LED located by the charge port to show charge state. I have not timed flat to full charge time for the case, probably less than an hour. The buds charge at least 4 times per case charge. I really love the way you never have to think about whether the buds or case are charged, the LEDs give you a cue when you open the case. Finally, a product that used RGB LED's to actually inform and provide good user interface while remaining subtle. When listening the LEDs are not lit, they respect dark lovers! Love it! *Sound Quality I find the sound quality to be excellent. I am not one of 'those' HiFi buffs who know everything about nothing and claim to have superhuman hearing that defies anatomy so will limit myself to saying... perfect for calls, great for audio books and music sounds like music should. To be fair to the 'Bose Brigade', I'm an 80's child so a stretched C90 tape of a taping of a taping recorded from the crackly AM radio might still be my benchmark. *Noise Cancelling - gimmick? Personally, I think noise cancelling is not suited to ear buds - especially ones that do not form a tight (noise isolating) seal in ones ear. The Freebuds do not provide a lot of physical noise isolation - you can still hear the environment so the noise cancelling is pretty pointless. In fact, I would say Huawei have let themselves down making this claim - the rest of the product feels well designed and capable and gives one a sense of a quality product from a honest company. The noise cancelling *feels* a bit like putting tomato ketchup on a beautiful homemade meal or go faster stripes on a Bentley. *App, Controlling calls etc I downloaded the App on my phone (Android) and suspect it is for the Freebuds version 2. I uninstalled it after trying to update the firmware and receiving errors. I'll try in a month or two as I suspect the app will be updated. Calls can be answered by taping the right bud, simple. There are no other controls on the buds that I am aware of. Again, I do not use the companion app. It would be nice to have volume controls on the ear buds (might be available on the app). 5 stars all round.

Setup: Setting up for an iPhone was easy, it is tailored towards android though. To get the best experience, I would recommend you download the AI Life app on Android phone, pair the headphones and update your software. This will ensure that if there are any bugs or fixes included within the headphones, you can get them right away. I’ve got an iPhone, so after that initial hurdle, I didn’t have to use my Android phone again. Having the ability to changing the functions of the double tapping is excellent to be controlled and managed, but honestly, apart from changing it from going to the next song and Play/Pause, there was no need for that app for myself. As the case is also a charger, you can get extend the time you need to plug in quite a bit as well. There is only one button on the outside shell, which is how you pair the headphones. The light initially to look for was a little tricky, but I found it near the bottom side of the charging port. When you are charging as well, the light stays on and changes colour between Red -> Yellow -> Green, showing that Green is where you want to be once fully charged. I like that are two lights shown, one for the outside(for the case) and one for the inside of the actual headphone themselves. The ANC(Active Noise Cancellation) is catered primarily towards Huawei phones, and not just any ones, instead it is targeted for the upper end of smartphones, so it did not yield any positive results on my Huawei Y7 2018. There are small microphones that are listening for the outside noise so they can block out specific frequencies(such as A/C noises, Plane noises, Underground noises). Aesthetically: Let’s not beat around the bush; it’s similar to a pair of Apple AirPods. As I’ve selected the black ones though it does stand out and makes a bold statement, so looks less like the Apple ones. Generally speaking, though, the design really lends itself well to my pocket, and I can always be sure to pull them out quickly without having to struggle on finding them. What I liked is that it doesn’t capture any dust inside which is what I was worried about, so it does prove that it’s built with being long-lasting as possible. The flip-open magnetic latch is excellent and gives a satisfying noise when you open and close it, something which makes the overall experience that little bit more unique. Another feature which I liked was that I could use my iPhone to tell me how much charge was left, which was great and saved me trying to guess how much battery was left on the headphones. I just had to swipe to the left from my home screen, and it showed me the battery percentage there! Technical: Using USB-C for charging means that I can use the same charging cable as my MacBook, so thankfully I won’t have to get another special adaptor which is what I need. Plus, as it does have wireless charging, I can use it in the comfort of my bed knowing that when I wake up in the morning, I don’t have to pull it out of some cord and worry about breaking anything in terms of connectivity. When watching Netflix/Youtube, it works well, and unlike other headphones, it is just as good for podcasts as it is for videos. Where it does struggle and a lot of headphones struggle is live-streaming apps like Twitch or TikTok where there is a significant delay between the noise heard on the headphones. The headphones work with rain, but it certainly cannot be used for swimming, so that’s a big plus if you are on the back on your commute home from work, for example. From an audiophile perspective: It’s great for the highs and mids but not so great for the lows. This is to say that it would not be as bass-heavy as you’d like which is one thing to be mindful. Range: I live in a flat, and knowing how well Bluetooth 5.0 is, I knew it would fair pretty well with the other interferences that would be going around. I even managed to get it working from my 3rd floor flat to the ground floor when I had gone out to get something from the car. That was a pleasant surprise there. Comfort: You can pretty much forget that sometimes you are wearing them at times and they are light, so they lend themselves to just being on your ear the whole time. The only downside which my wife noticed that it warmed her ears up, but she has had this issue with other wireless headphones as well.

I bought this for work after my wired headset meant I was tied to my desk for too long during the day. I figured at least with these I'd be able to wonder around the house or office whilst on those long conference calls. I wasn't wrong - since getting these my step count has increased significantly from what it was before and I'm no longer ending the day feeling like my muscles haven't been used. The Bluetooth functionality works great - as long as I have Bluetooth activated on the laptop the earbuds connect as soon as I open the lid and I'm good to go. The active noise cancelling is also useful - my office is near the kitchen and I can now leave the door open and still block out the extractor fan or air fryer noise. Using Huawei's AI app to 'direct' the ANC is also great as it means I can block out noises coming from a certain direction only. However, the noise cancellation isn't as good as it is on my over ear headphones, although I'm sure it's the form factor that makes the difference. In terms of battery, I've resorted to using a bud at a time for meetings in order to preserve battery life, as I've found when I use both the charge runs out halfway through the day and I have to put the buds back in the case. Using one at a time means I can easily switch between the two and not get caught out during meetings. Lookwise they're OK. Not sure why they aren't curved off like Apple earpods are but my guess is Huawei wanted differentiate and not get sued. The case has a nice premium feel to it, although it does feel a bit bulky compared to some of the others I've seen. The buds are very comfortable and generally a good fit. I bought silicone 'wingtips' to make sure they stay nice and snug and can't fall out while I'm wondering about. Sounds quality is great. Nice and crisp. As I've said I've been using them for conference calls, which are clear. However, I've also enjoyed listening to music with them on and appreciated the clarity and bass. The one gripe I have is the limited touch control - only a double tap that you can customise per earbud, which is extremely limited compared to others I've seen. All in all well worth the money I've spend on them, even if it's just for the increase in mobility alone. Would recommend.

I received this product as part of a review program in return for an unbiased review Firstly, lets share the view that these are very ‘apple’ esc in their design, the box they arrive in in small and compact with the freebuds already in the case / charger and there is a separate pouch with the USB-C cable which is used to charge them. Charging is simple and quick, with around 2 hours to a full charge from empty, but a quick 20-minute charge will give you around 4 hours usage. Using the noise cancelling option will reduce the battery life quicker than when disabled. Connecting to your phone is quite simple, you will need to download the AI Life app from Huawei and select the Freebuds 3, it will then show you the process of connecting up. If you have EMUI 10 setup is the same as the Apple Airpods, in that if you open the case next to the phone it will pop up to connect and show you the relevant battery status’. Overall pairing was complete in just a couple of minutes. The app shows you the battery status of the case and each freebud. And allows you to control the ‘noise cancelling’ feature (on / off and level). Now for the main event. Sound quality: with the noise cancelling off these sound like any standard set of headphones, good mid-range, limited bass and limited top end highs, but would compare nicely to any standard headphones provided with a phone such as those provided by Samsung, there is no tinny sound here, it’s quite an even sound set. If these were just a pair of headphones I would have no concerns recommending them, however because these are marketed as having noise cancelling, credit where it is due, this does work in some instances, for example if your sat on a train, or near a fan or microwave where the sound is the same constant sound this is partially cancelled out (you can still hear it but it is reduced), however if you’re in a noisy environment for example an office where people talk, or a train station with announcements you will always hear this regardless of whether the noise cancellation is on or off. You can turn this off in the app, or by double tapping the left earpiece (you receive a voice confirmation that this has happened). I can understand why as they aren’t fully fitted to your ear so it would be difficult to block out all sound when it’s not enclosing your ears like over the head ones. With noise cancelling on you will notice a reduction in battery life. Tapping the right earpiece by default will skip the currently playing track Comfort wise you could easily forget these are in your ears, they’re very light and comfortable, and even when exercising they refuse to move or fall out. Call wise, there is a microphone on both tips, calls were clear and the people I was on calls with said they could hear me clearly, despite being outside in some poor weather conditions so a big win here.

I bought these as I liked the apple buds when I tried a friends, but I’m an android baby. It’s worth pointing out the obvious, these are not in-ear buds, so if you’re looking for heavy bass and that “full immersion” experience then these are not for you, but they aren’t pitched at that. For reference, my requirements are as follows: • Comfort, I want to be able to keep these in for long durations and not want to claw my ears off. • Use them comfortably in bed with the side of my head on a pillow, so I can listen to audio books on a night time. • Still hear the outside world on lower volumes, so I can use them at work and still hear if someone is trying to speak to me, or if my kids are crying on a night time. • Run with them, and for them to stay in my ears with minimal loss of quality, easily skip tracks without getting my phone out, and hear if a car is screeching off the road and about to obliterate me on the kerb. • Single ear use, and the quality to be good enough that I can engage with the content. • Instant connection when placed in my ears, no faffing with apps or my phone. • Discreet, not invisible so people think I’m talking to myself, but not bright white (the fruit equivalent) or the re-incarnation of the hands free kit’s from the 2000’s. So, how do they compete?.....They do all of that. I don’t think there are many earphones that could compare. Specifics that are worth a mention: • They are extremely comfy, there is next to no stress on the ear, yet they stay in with heavy movement, possibly some sort of voodoo. • The bass isn’t as bad as reviews suggest, it isn’t going to take your head “back to the club” but it’s excellent for buds that aren’t wedged in your ear canal, and average if you were looking at all buds in general. I found that if you mess around with the bud position, there is definitely a sweet spot for bass, and at that point it’s quite surprising. • The noise cancelling is very slight, but in an office environment it’s excellent, it picks out the background hum of conversations and dulls them to insignificance (although not removing them altogether), yet still allowing you to hear when someone nearby talks to you. • They’re black, so I don’t get “those looks” on a train. If you are after something similar for your own needs, give them a go. I take these everywhere now as they’re so versatile.

I am not often surprised, especially with earbuds or headphones being an owner of many across all price brackets. I have owned several pairs of truly wireless buds but have yet to find a pair I prefer over wired ones. Most have been ok but have always included a trade-off in sound quality, range, size or battery life. The only trade-off I see is the price but the old saying you get what you pay more come true but they are a lot cheaper than there closest rival the Airpod Pros. The Huawei Freebuds 3 are the first pair of TWS buds I have tried that I believe is an alternative if not better than some wired buds in the price bracket. I put this down to the sound quaily, which for there size is unbelievable rich bass, clear mids and clarity I usually expect from a high-end hi-fi audio brand, not a technology brand such as Huawei. It looks like the Kirin A1 chip is a real tiny powerhouse driving these little buds to punch well above there size and offer an experience better than any TWS I have ever used most much bulkier. The noise cancelling is not going to challenge the market leaders such as Bose or Sony but is a worthwhile addition as it takes the edge off the background noise in your office or when on the train allowing you hear more of of the music or show you are watching. NC is turned on by a double-tap of the left bud or via the Ai Life app; a little niggle is you have to turn it on every time you use the buds, and it doesn’t stay on, guess this is to save battery and maybe a safety feature. One of the most outstanding features to me has been the range having suffered from poor connectivity with other TWS; these have nocked my socks off. Without thinking, I have left my phone on my desk and gone to the kitchen in my office I was surprised that only once I got to the kitchen which is about 25m way music was still playing and only stopped once I was in the kitchen. I am also not usually a fan of in-ear solid earbuds as I don’t find them comfortable but the Freebuds 3’s again has surprised me by being very comfortable evening during long listing sessions and never falling out even on a brisk walk or when commuting on the tube or train in London. The only real negative feeling I have about the Freebud 3’s is the glossy black it looks beautiful but is a real fingerprint magnet. The only other limitation is battery life they will not last a long haul flight so they can not replace your Sony or Bose on the plane. That said the battery life of the case and the ability to fast charge wirelessly or wired. The final niggle is that the AI life app is only available on Android and not iOS so I can not change the shortcut keys or check case battery levels on my iPhone or iPad, This is not a show stopper, but it would be helpful for the international market to release an iOS app,

Got these recently and I have to say I really love them. My requirements: Open fit (no silicone tips) Great comfort with no pressure in the ear Would stay in during walk, jogging, or riding. Strong, stable and clear connection Clear and full sound, with at least medium bass. Well these provide all these requirements and more!! They are so comfortable and gentle in the ear, I kept checking they were still in. The setup and connection is seamless. Install Ai Life app and its done. They work perfectly with my P30 Pro (which I love by the way). The connection was flawless, even as I moved downstairs away from my phone playing music. You control them via tapping on them in the ear. You can adjust what the taps do per ear, in the app. The ANC (active noise cancellation), seems pretty good, but I have yet to really use it. Ill wait till I travel one day. The tones or sounds the ANC blocks, can be dialed in using the app. I played plane cabin ambient noise, loudly through my speakers, and by changing the settings, I was able to block out most of the sound, which was quite cool. The music or sound quality in general is actually very good, and surprised me. It has enough power and bass to satisfy me (I have a large subwoofer connected to my PC) whilst still providing clear sound, and not making anything muddy or unclear. Also, I can still hear the world around me with these in, which is important for safety reasons. Anyway, I highly recommend these. I'm very happy with my purchase.

Firstly, thank you to the seller for getting these dispatched and delivered on time. Not easy in covid19-world. Secondly; these earbuds are really, really good. They don't quite have the graceful lines of the Fruit variety, but at just over £100 they are far, far better value for money. The charging carry-case is beautifully designed and the pods are held in magnetically and firmly. The intelligent active noise cancelling (two taps on the left bud to activate) defeats about 75% (IMO) of the target noise. I had to make an "essential journey" yesterday, one junction up a motorway. The engine and road noise of my Smart were pushed back so far that I could hear the wind rushing past the car. I could also hear the radio clearly without having to ramp up the volume. Sound quality is very good for all purposes, as is Bluetooth connectivity. Phone calls, answered via two taps on the right bud, are extremely clear, with a nice rounded sound and can be heard in both ears. My callers say that they can hear me perfectly. The fit is ok but is one size (no rubber tips to choose because these buds aren't for pushing into the ear canal ). I don't feel that they would fall out in usual daily use, but I've not tried running with them in. Overall I would recommend these earbuds and the seller.