Testing the Huawei Freebuds Pro 2: pretty good, but at a price
23-8-2022
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Huawei has improved its active noise cancellation in the Freebuds Pro 2 and brought a renowned partner on board with audio specialist Devialet. As can be heard in my test.
The Freebuds Pro 2 are Huawei’s most expensive true-wireless headphones, nominally possessing the best features in the manufacturer’s lineup. Active noise cancellation manages 47 decibels instead of the previous 40, Smart-HD selects the appropriate codec, and Devialet provides a sound profile.
Squeeze tightly or swipe gently
The Freebuds Pro 2 charging case leaves a good impression. It feels comfortable and stable. A rich, powerful clacking sound emerges when the lid is closed. Satisfying! In total, it weighs only 52 grams, the ear studs accounting for 6.1 grams each. It’s all very light. The charging case wasn’t too noticeable in my pocket, nor were the earpieces when worn.
The Freebuds Pro 2 can be paired with your smartphone quickly and flawlessly via Bluetooth. You don’t even have to take them out of the case. Just open it and press the button on the side.
The Freebuds Pro 2 are quite comfortable, but I’ve had True Wireless headphones that fit even better. Such as the OnePlus Buds Z2. However, this is a subjective impression that shouldn’t be generalised.
To use them, don’t tap the ear studs, but press their lower, elongated part with two fingers. You can choose between pressing once, twice or three times and holding down. This allows you to play and pause music, go to the next or previous track, and accept or reject calls. Holding down initiates looping noise cancellation, transparency mode or neither – sadly, they didn’t make it into our comparison. You can adjust the volume by swiping up or down on the Freebuds Pro 2.
In the associated «AI Life» app (Android/iOS), which Huawei uses to manage many of its devices, you can also set long pressing to initiate voice assistant. You can’t reassign any other functions, only deactivate them.
Correctly equalising 47 decibels, and sounding solid at the same time
The Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 feature strong noise cancellation. Since I don’t have the predecessors at hand, I can’t compare how much more suppression potential the additional seven decibels bring. Background noise in the city disappears completely. On the train, the most I can hear is people next to me, and I have to take out my headphones for the announcements. I can also still hear cars passing me in the city. But they’re quiet enough that I can listen to music, podcasts and the like at a comfortable volume.
In the AI Life app, I choose between four modes for active noise cancellation. I opted for «Dynamic» most often. This mode selects the appropriate setting based on ambient noise. I’m quite satisfied with it. Otherwise, I could still select «Low», «Balanced» or «Ultra» for quiet, loud or very loud environments myself.
Four preset sound profiles, which Huawei calls sound effects, are also available in the app. Huawei created «Standard» together with French speaker manufacturer Devialet. In addition, there’s amplified bass, increased treble and voice modes. You can still add your own EQ settings, but this requires a bit more knowledge than with other headphones. Instead of controls for bass, treble and mids, there’s an equaliser with ten frequency ranges – from 60 hertz to 16 kilohertz.
Also, I can enable Smart-HD. This allows the headphones to automatically select the audio codec with higher bitrates – at the expense of battery life. On my Pixel 6, the transfer changes from AAC to LDAC with this option.
I like the sound on the Freebuds Pro 2. They’re pleasant and clear. The mids appear grippy and the highs clean and extended. They seem to me well coordinated and don’t overlap. Bass is present, but always remains subtle – even when I select bass amplification as the sound preset. If you’re looking for vibrations inside your ear canal, you’ll need to use other headphones.
A long battery life and wireless charging
I’m pretty satisfied with the battery life on my Freebuds Pro 2. According to Huawei, you’ll get up to 30 hours including power from the charging case, shortened to 18 hours with active noise cancellation enabled. The plugs by themselves would last for up to 6.5 or 4 hours – with ANC on. One hour less than the predecessors, but I very rarely use headphones that long without interruption.
A small light on the bottom of the case signals a low battery level. In addition to the display on the smartphone, a helpful visual cue. You charge the Freebuds 2 Pro and its battery case via a USB-C cable, which takes up to 120 minutes. Wireless charging is possible via the Qi standard.
Not cheap, but packing a punch
The Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 are comparatively expensive for true wireless headphones, but they leave nothing to be desired. They offer good sound quality, the active noise cancellation quiets or even mutes surroundings, and the controls are extensive.
Depending on how you’re willing to compromise, you might prefer the cheaper predecessor, Samsung’s Sony Linkbuds S or OnePlus Buds Z2 as your True-Wireless headphones. You can, however, spend a little more money on the AirPods Pro or the Sony WF-1000XM4.
When I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.