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When it comes to earphones, it seems that the whole world is heading toward wireless, with more and more TWS earbuds popping up on the market. Among the contenders, HUAWEI's new FreeBuds Pro 3 really stands out—here’s what we thought about it.
Build & Design
The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 3 comes in a rotund charging case that very much looks like a pebble. It’s small, compact, and handy, with the glossy HUAWEI logo on the front that can double as a mirror for those times when you need to check yourself out (but don’t want to whip out your phone).
We really liked the matte material on the case, as it’s fingerprint-proof and does scratch easily. The exact opposite can be said for the earbuds themselves, though. The earbuds are made with glossy plastic that can be a little slippery to handle, so we often had to pull the earbuds out by the rubber tips instead.
Comfort and Controls
The earbuds fit snugly for us, and it doesn’t fall out of the ear canal easily unlike some of the other earbuds we’ve tested before. The HUAWEI Freebuds Pro 3 came with three silicon ear tips in the box as well, so you can swap them out as you wish. For reference, we used the M-sized tip on the left earbud and the L-sized one on the right.
The default controls include skipping songs, swiping for volume, and toggling ANC, but these can be customized in the app. For the most part, the touch controls were quite useful, though we really would appreciate a wider range of controls. Plus, the volume swiping isn’t quite convenient to use, as it feels like we’re pushing the earbuds out of our ears most of the time.
Audio & Features
The HUAWEI Freebuds Pro 3 absolutely did not disappoint in sound quality, though with the price they come at, it could really be better. They produce crisp sounds with decent mids, and the bass is punchy without being overpowering.
One thing that needs to be noted though, is that there were significant sound leaks when we were listening to music at a louder volume. Our office mate sitting across the table commented that they could jam along with the music even though we had the earbuds on. This was especially noticeable with techno music or music with heavy beats.
The ANC feature, while present, doesn't entirely block out ambient noise due to the open design of the buds. That said, it’s really good enough for daily life like commuting or just some peace and quiet in a busy office.
Battery
HUAWEI claims a playback time of up to 4 hours for the FreeBuds Pro 3. In practical use, we found this to be true, though we only had ANC on for about half the time.
The earbuds also support both wired (USB-C) and wireless charging, so juicing them back up is no hassle at all.
