Huawei is doing a very good job with its audio products. Their TWS headphones usually have a very good performance and one of the ones we liked the most was, without a doubt, the FreeBuds 4i. These headphones offered good sound, good autonomy, and ergonomics, and today, a year later, they have successors: the Huawei FreeBuds 5i.
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The Chinese firm has presented the Huawei FreeBuds 5i in its native country, offering an interesting evolution that promises more lightness, better sound, and better noise cancellation. In the absence of knowing if they will arrive in the international market (hopefully they will at some point, so we will be attentive), let’s get to know them a little better.
Huawei FreeBuds 5i technical sheet
Huawei FreeBuds 5i | |
---|---|
Dimensions and Weight | Earphones: 30.9 x 23.9 x 21.7 mm – 4.6 grams Case: 48.2 x 61.8 x 26.9 mm – 33.9 grams |
Diaphram Unit | 10 mm |
Connection | Bluetooth 5.2 AAC, SBC, LDAC HD |
Compatibility | iOS, Android |
Battery | Auriculares: 55 mAh Case: 410mAh |
Autonomy | Headphones: up to 6 hours with ANC Case: up to 18.5 hours with ANC |
Case Charging | USB Type C Fast charge |
Extras | gesture control Active noise cancellation (up to 42 dB) Noise cancellation on call transparency mode multipoint connection IPX4 resistance |
Price | 599 yuan |
Much lighter and with LDAC
Although the differences at the aesthetic level are not too obvious, there has been a change in finishes (with a recycled plastic look) and a significant improvement in weight. While the FreeBuds 4i weighed 5.5 grams each, the FreeBuds 5i weigh 4.6 grams (like the Sony LinkBuds S). Not bad at all. Something similar happens with the case, which now weighs 33.9 grams instead of 36.5.
The headphones have different microphones spread around the chassis, on the one hand, to offer noise cancellation and, on the other hand, capture our voice during calls. There is also a touch surface that will allow gesture control of playback and volume up or down.
As far as sound is concerned, there is a significant improvement. Although the ten-millimeter driver is retained (it’s not all a question of size, all things considered), the FreeBuds 4i only supported AAC and SBC, but the FreeBuds 5i adds LDAC.
This high-definition codec reaches a bitrate of 990 kbps, so we can take advantage of it to listen to music with more detail (as long as our smartphone also supports it and we have content of this quality).
In addition, the headphones feature active noise cancellation (up to 42 dB, according to Huawei), position detection, and noise reduction in calls through a dual microphone located at the bottom of the mast. Otherwise, Bluetooth 5.2 has a multipoint connection and a latency of 94 ms, always according to the firm.
Finally, and in terms of autonomy, each headset incorporates a 55 mAh battery and promises six hours of autonomy on a single charge and with ANC activated. Adding that to the case, we get 18 hours more, so you could reach the day without a problem. The case is charged via USB Type-C and has a fast-charging system that in 15 minutes offers four extra hours of music playback (without ANC).
Pricing and Availability of the Huawei FreeBuds 5i
The Huawei FreeBuds 5i has been launched in China and, for now, we do not know if they will arrive in Spain. We will be pending to update in case they do. In China, they are available in black, blue, and white and their price is 599 yuan about $90 and 84 euros at the exchange rate.
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