A great product becomes slightly better!

I’m always on the lookout for earbuds that can keep up with my day-to-day activities. Whether I’m working, going for a walk, or hiking on the weekends, the earbuds I have with me can make my life more enjoyable. Obviously, they can also simply annoy me by sounding crappy or falling out of one ear at a time. 🙂 I’ve had good experiences with HUAWEI earphones in the past, so I was quite excited to try out the new HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4. Not only do they offer premium features like dual drivers and advanced noise cancellation, but they also look elegant and comfortable. Here’s what I found after spending some time with them:

HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4: Who are they good for?

The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 are an excellent choice if you:

• Want top-notch audio performance
• Need effective active noise cancellation
• Appreciate a premium look and feel

Pros and cons

These are the aspects I like about the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4:

• Outstanding audio quality with deep bass and clear treble
• Stylish design that remains comfortable even during extended use
• Efficient active noise cancellation
• Shape-memory foam ear tips that provide an ergonomic fit
• Bluetooth 5.2 support with dual-device simultaneous connection
• IP54 certification for dust and water resistance

What’s less impressive:

• The battery life is somewhat modest

Verdict

After using these earbuds every day for phone calls, as well as listening to music, including while walking around my noisy neighborhood, I can confidently say the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 are extraordinary when it comes to audio fidelity and ease of use. The dual drivers deliver clean sound in all kinds of music genres, and the adaptive ANC (Active Noise Canceling) effectively blocks out background chatter and commotion. The pinching gestures and the battery life aren’t amazing, but everything else about these headphones is. If you’re looking for a premium true-wireless experience that focuses on great sound and excellent noise cancellation, the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 are definitely worth considering.

Unboxing the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4

The matte-black created by HUAWEI for their FreeBuds Pro 4 box looks elegant, and while its front is all about minimalism, the features printed on the back (dual drivers sound, intelligent dynamic ANC, etc.) give you an idea of what to expect from this product.

I like the packaging for HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4

Inside, you get the earbuds in their charging case, seven pairs of ear tips (four sizes of silicone tips: XS, S, M, L, and three sizes of memory-foam tips: S, M, L), a USB-C charging cable, a quick start guide, and a warranty card.

HUAWEI is providing users with many ear tips

I like how tidy the packaging is and how neatly arranged everything is: HUAWEI made sure you have everything you need right away.

Design and hardware specifications

The first time I saw the FreeBuds Pro 4, I really liked the small, rectangular-stem design. It’s modern but doesn’t go over the top. The stems feature a laser-etched pattern inspired by string instruments, adding a subtle stylish detail. My pair is Green, but they also come in Black or White if you prefer another color.

HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 are available in Black, White, and Green

Having both silicone and foam tips is helpful for getting a secure fit. I found the foam tips more comfortable because they shape themselves to my ears. Still, everyone’s different, so it’s great having choices.

You get seven different types of ear tips

You control music and ANC with pinch gestures (play/pause/skip, switch ANC modes) and use swipes for volume. It shouldn’t take long to learn these controls, but not everything is as great as it seems in this regard: I’ll tell you more later in this review.

The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 use gesture controls

The charging points are near two small microphone holes at the end of the stems, blending in nicely. The charging case matches the color of the earbuds. As you know, mine is a smooth duck egg green: a soft, calm, and muted color that lies somewhere between green and blue. The case is in the shape of a pebble, so it’s easy to slip into any pocket. Oh, and the HUAWEI logo on the back also makes it clear which way to open it.

What the green charging case looks like

On the tech side, the FreeBuds Pro 4’s dual drivers (an 11 mm dynamic driver plus a planar driver) and high-resolution audio explain the product’s higher price (around 200 Euro or 208 USD, depending on where you are). Noise cancellation is up to 30% stronger than the one on the previous FreeBuds Pro 3 model. They also have an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance.

The buds cover frequencies from 14 Hz to 48 kHz, use Bluetooth 5.2, and support LDAC and L2HC audio codecs (but not AptX). Multiple microphones (including a reverse bone-conduction mic) keep call quality clear, even in windy conditions (up to 10 m/s) or in places with a lot of background noise (up to 100 dB).

The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 have some impressive specs

Each earbud has a 55 mAh battery, and the case stores 510 mAh of power. In real use, I got about four and a half hours with ANC on at medium volume, which matches HUAWEI’s claims. Turning ANC off can bring it closer to six and a half hours. The case can push total usage up to 33 hours if you’re okay with medium audio quality and no noise cancelling. You can charge via USB-C or Qi wireless charging, which is handy, especially since you can just drop the case on your wireless charger when you come home.

The case can charge wirelessly

For more details, check the official specs on the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 webpage.

Although many features are only small improvements over the FreeBuds Pro 3, these earbuds feel well-polished. They may be worth upgrading if excellent sound and noise cancellation are the things that matter most to you.

Using the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4

Pairing the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 was easy, and it was achieved straight from the box. I just opened their case, and my phone picked them up right away. If you want to connect to a second device, you just have to press the small button on the side of the case.

The Bluetooth pairing button is placed on the case

The FreeBuds Pro 4 are great for everyday use. They’re light and not bulky, so I hardly noticed them, even during long listening sessions. The buds stayed put in my ears on casual walks and even on a short hike. I also tried running with them for a couple of minutes, and the foam tips did a really fine job at keeping the buds secure.

I spend quite some time on phone calls every day, and the FreeBuds Pro 4 performed wonderfully in this area too. Sound quality is excellent: I could hear everyone clearly, and those I spoke to over the phone also said I sounded clear, with little background noise. That’s because the adaptive ANC (Active Noise Canceling) is very effective. I purposely tested these earbuds while I was on a crowded bus and also in a busy café from a nearby mall, and the earbuds kept most surrounding noise at bay. They managed to do that even while in a pet shop with my daughter, surrounded by parrots and zebra finches. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’ve met any creatures noisier than these birds.

The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 offer a comfortable fit

Of course, the earbuds also have an awareness operating mode that does the opposite, which is letting outside sounds in, so you know what’s happening around you. It’s great when crossing the street or needing to quickly exchange a few words with the cashier in your neighborhood supermarket.

Moving on, I will say that I love music. And just like previous Freebuds Pro models, these earbuds impressed me. Obviously, they can’t match a good pair of over-ear headphones, but their drivers manage to deliver a dynamic sound profile. The bass is deep but not overpowering, the mids are warm and easily identifiable, and the highs are bright without being too harsh. The music listening experience is great by default, and if you feel like you want to emphasize a tone range or another, you can also use the HUAWEI AI Life app to adjust the equalizer to something you like more.

You can apply a variety of equalizers

If there is something I don’t like about these earbuds, it’s the touch controls. The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 uses pinching gestures for skipping tracks, and I’m not a fan. I’m okay with swiping for volume, for instance, as that works great. However, pinching is not my thing, as even after using the earbuds for several days, I still struggle to accurately pinch the correct areas on the stems on the first try, making this feature less user-friendly than I would’ve liked.

Pinch gestures are not for everyone

One unique feature of the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 is the head movement control. When a call comes in, you can nod your head to pick up, which feels pretty natural. If you don’t want to answer, you shake your head “no.” The downside is it doesn’t always work well, or at least, it didn’t for me. You have to move your head firmly, and even then it’s hit or miss.

Head controls sound nice but don’t work great in real life

Last but not least, I must say that the battery life is rather average. With ANC on, I got somewhere between three to four hours before needing to charge. Luckily, in approximately 40 minutes, the case gets them back to full power. It might not be the best battery life on the market, but I’m okay with it considering the great sound quality and efficient ANC.

Overall, the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4 are among the best earbuds I’ve tried. They excel in terms of audio quality and call clarity, effective noise cancellation, and a comfortable fit that never bothered me.

What’s your opinion about the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4?

Now that you’ve read about my experience, I’d love to know what you think about these headphones. Do you like their design and performance? Are you interested in premium earbuds that deliver excellent audio and efficient noise cancellation, or do you prefer more affordable models? Comment using the options below and share your perspective about the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 4.