The Huawei FreeBuds 4i offer active noise cancellation, water resistance and solid battery life for less than £ 80 / € 100. But has Huawei made any compromises to make this affordable price possible? We’ll tell you in our Huawei FreeBuds 4i review.
About this Huawei FreeBuds 4i review: I have been using the FreeBuds 4i for 10 days with software version 1.9.0.132. The FreeBuds 4i review unit has been made available Android Authority from Huawei.
What you need to know about the Huawei FreeBuds 4i
Recognition: Bogdan Petrovan / Android Authority
- Huawei FreeBuds 4i: £ 79 / € 99 (frequent discounts and specials available)
The FreeBuds 4i are Huawei’s cheapest true wireless earbuds. Usually the “i” model is a continuation of the “mainstream” model, but in this case Huawei has not yet announced the FreeBuds 4.
Huawei sells the FreeBuds 4i in black, white, or red for a list price of £ 79 (~ $ 111) in the UK or € 99 (~ $ 119) in European markets. As with many Huawei products these days, there are great deals on offer. For example, at the time of this writing, customers in the UK can purchase a free Huawei Band 4e fitness tracker when purchasing from Huawei.com.
The FreeBuds 4i feature ANC and three sizes of silicone earbuds, making them a viable choice for users looking for good noise isolation. They’re not very sturdy, however – if you prefer sportier designs, take a look at the neckband style FreeLace Pro.
How is the design?
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The FreeBuds 4i have an AirPods-like design that doesn’t particularly stand out. That’s not to say that this innocuous design is bad – on the contrary, it’s light, slim, and comfortable.
Both the earbuds and the case are smaller than last year’s FreeBuds 3i. This welcome change has one annoying drawback: the earbuds are annoyingly difficult to remove from the case.
The FreeBuds 4i are light, elegant and comfortable.
The FreeBuds 4i are small, but Huawei has cut most of the plastic away – the capacity of the batteries in the earbuds is 48% higher than in the previous generation (more on this in the section on battery life below).
Does the FreeBuds 4i sound good?
Recognition: Bogdan Petrovan / Android Authority
The Huawei FreeBuds 4i sound surprisingly good for their affordable price. They reproduce clear audio and avoid common pitfalls of cheaper earbuds, where bass notes make mid and high notes difficult to hear.
Also read: The Best True Wireless Earbuds Under $ 50 You Can Buy
The mids and highs sound clear and the bass is loud but not overwhelming. If you prefer strong, throbbing bass, there are better options. Overall, I found the FreeBuds 4i frequency response very pleasant.
Sonically the FreeBuds 4i are slightly better than the FreeBuds 3i, but I wouldn’t say the difference is obvious. Do not upgrade to 4i just for better audio quality. Compared to the high-end FreeBuds Pro, the more accessible 4i can hold its own, but I recommend the pros to more discerning listeners.
How is the noise cancellation on the FreeBuds 4i?
Recognition: Bogdan Petrovan / Android Authority
Active noise cancellation has become a staple in premium wireless earbuds, but it’s still rare in the mid-range segment of which the FreeBuds 4i belong.
To enable ANC on the FreeBuds 4i, tap and hold either earbud. The gesture works reliably, although it is a little slow. Tap and hold again to switch to Awareness mode, which increases the volume of voices and other ambient noises. This is useful when you want to hear what’s going on around you without removing your earbuds.
Continue reading: What Are the Best Noise Canceling Earbuds?
FreeBuds 4i noise cancellation technology isn’t the best out there, but it does attenuate soft, monotonous sounds. Don’t expect eerie silence when walking down the street or in other noisy environments. If you want a strong ANC, the FreeBuds Pro are Huawei’s better choice.
Is the FreeBuds 4i battery life good?
Recognition: Bogdan Petrovan / Android Authority
Huawei claims a battery life of up to 10 hours on a single charge, with some conditions. This is because you get the best battery life by turning off ANC, listening at a lower volume, and using the AAC Bluetooth codec. When ANC is on, the rated battery life is reduced by 25%.
The FreeBuds 4i battery life falls slightly short of what Huawei claims. but they still offer a lot of use on a single charge.
The case contains a 215 mAh battery – that’s roughly twice as much as the two earbuds put together. In other words, a fully charged case should give you up to 20 hours of extra listening time.
In real life, the FreeBuds 4i battery life falls a little short of Huawei’s claims, which are influenced by things like weak wireless connections and higher volume levels. In my experience, I still had 7 to 8 hours of battery life with a mix of ANC and non-ANC use, and that was more than enough for my use.
Anything else?
Recognition: Bogdan Petrovan / Android Authority
- Compatibility: The FreeBuds 4i work best with Huawei devices that are running the latest version of EMUI. This gives you wear detection (the headphones stop playing when you take them off) and quick pairing (via the Huawei AI Life app). If you don’t have a current Huawei device, these will act like bluetooth headphones. This also applies to laptops.
- One device at a time: The FreeBuds 4i do it Not Multi-device connectivity support. I’ve always found this feature annoying rather than useful, so it’s not a huge issue in my book.
- Touch controls: You control the FreeBuds 4i by touch: tap and hold to switch ANC modes and double tap to control playback. There are a few customization options available in the Huawei AI Life app. Unfortunately, the 4i don’t support swipes to adjust volume like the more expensive FreeBuds Pro.
- Water resistance: The earbuds are IPX4 rated – they can handle sweat and rain, but don’t submerge them in water.
- Microphones: The microphone and call quality of the FreeBuds 4i is sufficient. No problems there.
Huawei FreeBuds 4i specifications
| Huawei FreeBuds 4i | |
|---|---|
| size | Earphones: 37.5 x 23.9 x 21 mm Housing: 48 x 61.8 x 27.5 mm |
| Weight | Earbuds: 5.5 g Case: 36.5 g |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Sensors | Touch Ear on / off detection |
| Batteries | Per earbud: 55mAh Charging case: 215mAh |
| Charge | USB-C Fast charge: 10 m charging time leads to 4 hours of listening time |
| speaker | 10mm dynamic |
| Audio | Codecs: AAC, SBC Active noise cancellation Call Noise Reduction |
| Colours | Ceramic black, ceramic white, red |
Value and competition
Huawei FreeBuds 4i Tons of worth
ANC for under £ 100? The Huawei FreeBuds 4i offer noise cancellation, solid sound quality and a battery life of up to 10 hours. That’s a damn good package for the price.
There’s no shortage of competitors in the sub-$ 100 segment of the real wireless earbud market. However, few products offer ANC, as is the case with FreeBuds 4i.
If you’re a fan of noise cancellation, the Panasonic RZ-S500W (£ 99 on Amazon) has great ANC, IPX4 water resistance, and fast charging. However, their design is not for everyone and the battery life is shorter. The Earfun Air Pro (£ 69 on Amazon) are cheaper than the Huawei FreeBuds 4i and also have ANC and water resistance.
Connected: The best AirPods alternatives for under $ 100
When ANC isn’t a must, our audio editor recommends affordable true wireless earbuds like the Anker Liberty Air 2, Edifier TWS1, and the older Samsung Galaxy Buds.
Overall, the price and features of FreeBuds 4i are hard to beat. They definitely offer great value for your money.
FreeBuds 4i Review: The Verdict
Recognition: Bogdan Petrovan / Android Authority
The FreeBuds 4i offer a great mix of design, features, and value. There’s nothing special about them, but these true wireless earbuds will glow when you judge them as a whole.
Very few competitors offer ANC at prices comparable to Huawei FreeBuds 4i, and that’s probably the main reason to buy them. It is not amazing ANC, but it’s there when you want it.
The FreeBuds 4i offer a great mix of design, features, and value.
Based on my time with the FreeBuds 4i review device, I would recommend them to buyers looking to graduate in wired, non-ANC, or budget earphones but don’t want to spend too much. Even if you’ve already had some experience with quality earbuds, the FreeBuds 4i are good enough as long as you’re not picky about your sound.
