Huawei outs the Freebuds 3 off its premium line or TWS earphones. It competes in the price range of Apple Airpods 2 but has some of the premium features of the Airpods Pro. With Huawei expanding its ecosystem of devices, will the Freebuds 3 a better alternative to its iOS rivals? Or will it become a staple TWS earphones for Android users? Let’s find out in this Huawei Freebuds 3 review.
Huawei Freebuds 3 Review
The Huawei Freebuds 3 is defined by an open-air fit design just like the AirPods 2. This means that you wear it “uncloggingly” in your ears unlike any earbud-like models. This is an interesting choice for Huawei since it’s a novel idea for an ANC-enabled earphones to have an open fit design. I love how superficial the earphones snug on my ears.
The Freebuds 3 features a shiny plastic case which to me looked like a flattened stone. The design is heavily inspired by sea pebbles which gave me a great impression. We got the carbon black model which is very discreet and unique.
The case feels pretty neat. It’s premium looking polished in a shiny exterior. Opening and closing the case is pretty easy. The clicking sound makes it even more appealing. I have no gripes on the design except that I easily confused the front to be the back part of the case. To be fair, the Huawei logo is at the hinged side which makes it confusing.
But of course, you’ll get the hang of it with continuous use. Oh did, did I say that the black model easily smudges with fingerprints?
You’ll have a USB Type C charging port at the base beside the LED that indicates power status of the case. The circular button for pairing mode is also on the side.
On the otherhand, the earphones are pretty solid. They also come with shiny finish with a silvery base contacts for charging purposes. I love the design; it’s very comfortable to wear.
Performance: Sound and ANC
The Freebuds 3 offers superb sound right off the bat. It offers a very generous sound range which excels in lows, mids and even highs. Although, in some cases, it may lack low registers especially in a noisy room. Aside from that, the Freebuds 3 is a very flexible earphones.
Unlike the AirPods Pro, the open-ear construction of the Freebuds 3 has a plethora of advantages. For someone who wants to use an earphone while waiting for announcements in airports, this device wont disappoint. It still keeps the quality so profound without warping you out of reality. This is also very convenient when you’re talking a jog outdoors, it keeps ambient sounds in like bus horns without depleting the sound quality.
I also found out that the FreeBuds 3 has clear registers when listening to Podcasts. There’s a certain crisp to the voice quality. It’s as if you’re listening inside a studio, if you know what I mean.
Active Noise Cancellation
The Huawei FreeBuds 3 operates only with Active Noise Cancellation feature given that it comes with an open-air design. It’s in contrast with competitors that comes with passive noise cancellation feature - a physical feature that blocks noise like earbuds, cloggers, and the like. Despite the lack of physical ambient noise mechanism, the Freebuds 3 operates incredibly fine when we talk about its noise cancellation properties.
You can activate ANC feature by double tapping the left earphone by default. You can also customize the ANC feature using the Android app. Cruising through the next tracks would need a double tap gesture on the right earphone.
Battery
The Freebuds 3 gives you more juice compared to its peers. For one, each Freebud comes with 30 mAh battery; this is reinforced with 410 mAh for the charging case. In my initial use, the Freebuds 3 can last until 4 hours. If the ANC feature is enabled, you’ll get 2 to 3 hours. You can charge the earphones for about 30 minutes.
With regards to the case, you’ll have the option to charge using a cable for wired charging or a charging pad for wireless charging. If you have smartphones with reverse wireless charging, you can always flaunt the feature by trying it with the Freebuds. You can power up the case for about an hour, this, in turn, will give you up to 20 hours of usage.
The Wrap
The Huawei Freebuds 3 took several cues from the Apple Airpods cementing its position as a top contender in the budding TWS market. The fact that it also offers Active Noise Cancellation feature in the price range of AirPods 2 makes the Freebuds 3 an interrsting choice for Android-loving folks.
For iOS users, you may want to stick your attention to Airpods, but if you’re in multiple platforms or in Android ecosystem, the Freebuds 3 is definitely a great choice.
