Huawei has introduced its latest wireless earbuds, the FreeBuds 4i, which boast class leading battery life – ten hours on a full charge – plus Active Noise Cancellation for everyday use.
Alongside regulation Ceramic White and Carbon Crystal Black editions, there will also be a fashionable Honey Red model exclusively from the Huawei website.
When it comes to bang for buck, these new Bluetooth buds are mighty impressive. Huawei has made a number of refinements over their predecessor, the FreeBuds 3i.
The dual-mic system uses a re-positioned slit-duct design to reduce outdoor wind noise. AI noise reduction technology filters out unwanted hubbub. Beamforming technology allows the microphones to pick up the user’s voice accurately.
The noise cancellation algorithm comes in three strengths, adjusting for different listening environments, including public transport, offices and shopping.
There’s also an Awareness mode, allowing users to hear their surroundings without taking off the earbuds. By pressing and holding the earbud, the FreeBuds 4i will switch between Awareness Mode and Active Noise Cancellation Mode automatically.
When it comes to bang for buck, these new Bluetooth buds are impressive. Huawei has made a number of refinements over their predecessor, the FreeBuds 3i…
Huawei is putting increased emphasis on its audio gear, diversifying away from its core smartphone business.
“We’ve invested a lot in audio recently,” Huawei’s Alex Lee told The Luxe Review. “Over the last few years we’ve been building up our audio brand by investing in research and development, all over the world. We have R&D in Finland that work on audio algorithms for calling; in Germany, we have soundfield and loudspeaker technology. In Russia, we do artificial intelligence and the ANC algorithms for automatic noise cancellation, and in Japan we do acoustic audio technology innovation, for example, the diaphragm cells. It’s a global effort. ”
Arguably, battery life is the big selling point this time around. That humongous 10 hour playback time, achieved with ANC off, is class leading at the price. It makes the 4i highly attractive to mobile gamers in particular. It’s a significant improvement over the FreeBuds 3i which ran out of juice after 3.5 hours. The earbuds boast a battery capacity of 55mAh, with the case at 410mAh.
With ANC On, battery life drops to a still impressive 7.5 hours. Together with the charging case, uses can achieve 22 hours of music playback .
“ANC has three different modes and it will automatically select which mode is most appropriate, based on how noisy the environment is,” says Lee. “So, for example, if you’re in a library, you don’t need very active noise cancellation as it’s already quiet. When you’re on an aeroplane, you’re going to need some pretty hefty noise cancellation, so then it will open it up to Ultra mode.”
Huawei suggests its noise cancellation will shave up to 32dB off environmental noise. Quick charge technology provides 4 hours of audio from a 10-minute top-up.
Huawei FreeBuds4i sport big drivers – they look cool too
The buds sport large 10mm dynamic drivers with a PEEK+PU polymer composite ‘plasticized’ diaphragm, noted for bass and treble detail. The wind noise reduction structure helps maintain clarity when out and about.
The buds support tactile gesture control for music playback, voice call, and ANC. When used with Huawei smartphones running EMUI 10.0 or above, they also support fast pairing with a pop-up notification. Of course, they work with regular Bluetooth pairing too, here in v5.2 guise. Latency has also been reduced to 189ms, making them more viable for mobile gaming and catch-up.
The Ceramic White and Carbon Crystal Black editions are available from March 26. The Honey Red edition launches mid-April. The FreeBuds 4i retail for £80.
This time out, The Luxe Review podcast lends an ear to the latest developments in personal audio. Join our AI hosts as they recap TLR’s recent headphone coverage, including a review of Sony’s new WH-1000X flagship cans, and a literal paint swatch of new colourways from JBL and Technics… Anne: The team has been covering…
Campfire Audio has unveiled the Chimera, a new flagship in-ear monitor that combines four distinct driver technologies within a single design. Hand-built in Portland, Oregon, the luxury earphones bring together a dynamic driver, balanced armatures, electrostatic tweeters and, for the first time in a Campfire Audio product, a bone-conduction driver. The idea is to deliver…
The 1000X The Collexion is the most indulgent headphone yet from Sony. Crafted in celebration of its award-winning, and best-selling, WH-1000XM series, and marking a decade of the brand’s flagship wireless line, the 1000X has been created with the sole aim of delivering Sony’s most engaging headphone experience yet. But has it succeeded? Certainly, the…
The Luxe Review 
Huawei has introduced its latest wireless earbuds, the FreeBuds 4i, which boast class leading battery life – ten hours on a full charge – plus Active Noise Cancellation for everyday use.
Alongside regulation Ceramic White and Carbon Crystal Black editions, there will also be a fashionable Honey Red model exclusively from the Huawei website.
When it comes to bang for buck, these new Bluetooth buds are mighty impressive. Huawei has made a number of refinements over their predecessor, the FreeBuds 3i.
The dual-mic system uses a re-positioned slit-duct design to reduce outdoor wind noise. AI noise reduction technology filters out unwanted hubbub. Beamforming technology allows the microphones to pick up the user’s voice accurately.
The noise cancellation algorithm comes in three strengths, adjusting for different listening environments, including public transport, offices and shopping.
There’s also an Awareness mode, allowing users to hear their surroundings without taking off the earbuds. By pressing and holding the earbud, the FreeBuds 4i will switch between Awareness Mode and Active Noise Cancellation Mode automatically.
Huawei is putting increased emphasis on its audio gear, diversifying away from its core smartphone business.
“We’ve invested a lot in audio recently,” Huawei’s Alex Lee told The Luxe Review. “Over the last few years we’ve been building up our audio brand by investing in research and development, all over the world. We have R&D in Finland that work on audio algorithms for calling; in Germany, we have soundfield and loudspeaker technology. In Russia, we do artificial intelligence and the ANC algorithms for automatic noise cancellation, and in Japan we do acoustic audio technology innovation, for example, the diaphragm cells. It’s a global effort. ”
Arguably, battery life is the big selling point this time around. That humongous 10 hour playback time, achieved with ANC off, is class leading at the price. It makes the 4i highly attractive to mobile gamers in particular. It’s a significant improvement over the FreeBuds 3i which ran out of juice after 3.5 hours. The earbuds boast a battery capacity of 55mAh, with the case at 410mAh.
With ANC On, battery life drops to a still impressive 7.5 hours. Together with the charging case, uses can achieve 22 hours of music playback .
“ANC has three different modes and it will automatically select which mode is most appropriate, based on how noisy the environment is,” says Lee. “So, for example, if you’re in a library, you don’t need very active noise cancellation as it’s already quiet. When you’re on an aeroplane, you’re going to need some pretty hefty noise cancellation, so then it will open it up to Ultra mode.”
Huawei suggests its noise cancellation will shave up to 32dB off environmental noise. Quick charge technology provides 4 hours of audio from a 10-minute top-up.
The buds sport large 10mm dynamic drivers with a PEEK+PU polymer composite ‘plasticized’ diaphragm, noted for bass and treble detail. The wind noise reduction structure helps maintain clarity when out and about.
The buds support tactile gesture control for music playback, voice call, and ANC. When used with Huawei smartphones running EMUI 10.0 or above, they also support fast pairing with a pop-up notification. Of course, they work with regular Bluetooth pairing too, here in v5.2 guise. Latency has also been reduced to 189ms, making them more viable for mobile gaming and catch-up.
The Ceramic White and Carbon Crystal Black editions are available from March 26. The Honey Red edition launches mid-April. The FreeBuds 4i retail for £80.
The Luxe Review Podcast: These new headphones are designed to turn heads
This time out, The Luxe Review podcast lends an ear to the latest developments in personal audio. Join our AI hosts as they recap TLR’s recent headphone coverage, including a review of Sony’s new WH-1000X flagship cans, and a literal paint swatch of new colourways from JBL and Technics… Anne: The team has been covering…
Campfire Audio unveils ultra-premium bone-conducting Chimera in-ear monitors
Campfire Audio has unveiled the Chimera, a new flagship in-ear monitor that combines four distinct driver technologies within a single design. Hand-built in Portland, Oregon, the luxury earphones bring together a dynamic driver, balanced armatures, electrostatic tweeters and, for the first time in a Campfire Audio product, a bone-conduction driver. The idea is to deliver…
Sony 1000X The Collexion headphone review: Luxurious comfort, premium styling, yacht rock sound
The 1000X The Collexion is the most indulgent headphone yet from Sony. Crafted in celebration of its award-winning, and best-selling, WH-1000XM series, and marking a decade of the brand’s flagship wireless line, the 1000X has been created with the sole aim of delivering Sony’s most engaging headphone experience yet. But has it succeeded? Certainly, the…
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