Look, these are the new flagship headphones HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2. Can you tell them apart from the previous generation? More likely,
9/10Rated by FerraHUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2
Table of contents
- Case design
- The appearance of the headphones
- Ergonomics
- Application and settings
- Autonomy and charging
- Sound quality
- Total
We have already tested the first generation of FreeBuds Prolast year, and since the exterior didn't get a major overhaul, much of that review could be repeated this year. However, I will not be naive to assume that our readers follow each new model of headphones and remember all the old ones, or do not miss a single one of our reviews. Let's pretend that we have a completely new product in front of us, and I will talk about it from and to.
Case design
When you take FreeBuds Pro 2 out of the box, the designcase is a bit confusing. The front side is perfectly smooth and devoid of any identification marks. Well, except for the technical sticker, which is usually placed on the backs of smartphones, but for some reason it was glued to the front. But the hinge area is decorated with a glossy rectangular insert with the logos of HUAWEI, as well as the French manufacturer of acoustics and amplifiers Devialet.
You look at the case and the brain involuntarily promptsthat you need to get to the headphones from the rear. Rather, it seems that the hinged part - it should be a catchy front. However, in fact, you need to tilt the lid from that very perfectly smooth side. However, the hinge is made so well that no effort is required (but there will be no accidental openings), so you won’t have to be sad without a notch for your finger, but you get used to the fact that the catchy part should be turned away from you after 2-3 body openings. By the way, I’m not the only one with this problem, last year Denis Rusakov described the misunderstanding with choosing the right side of the case the first time in the same way (and here’s the review).
As for the Devialet marking on the caseheadphones, I am cool about such partnerships. I really like product design collaborations, like Naoto Fukusawa making realme smartphone cases, or a few years ago there was an awesomely aesthetic ASUS ROG laptop in partnership with Acronym. But near-technological stories are usually seen as pure marketing and an overpayment for a nameplate. So, for example, Hasselblad or Bang Olufsen are found on the bodies of products that are rather mediocre in terms of audio and photo parts.
In the case of HUAWEI, I do not believe that in the absenceDevialet engineers could not have made such good headphones. They could, they just decided to show off the name of the French brand on the case and tell the customers that the basic equalizer settings were set by the specialists of this reputable acoustic brand.
HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 is available in three colorssolutions: shimmering silver (read dark gray metallic), pearlescent blue and ceramic white. The latter is the most boring “like everyone else” option, a reliable classic in the style of a black smartphone for those who like not to stand out. In gray (the most brand due to the gloss of this series) and mother-of-pearl colors, the headphones look elegant and stylish. If there is at least a minimal craving for noticeable things, I advise you to choose one of these colors. By the way, using the silver version, I thought that the FreeBuds Pro 2 would go very well with a metal case. However, at the start of the TWS format, for some reason, designers did not try this material, and later it lost its relevance due to the shielding of Qi wireless chargers.
The appearance of the headphones
If the case design is dominated by futuristicminimalism, then the headphones themselves have complex futurism. An unusual shape, flat (and therefore convenient for touch control) tails of small length, noticeable inserts of three noise reduction microphones, charging contacts that merge with the body. For my taste, this ensemble of exterior solutions looks expensive, cool and unusual. Copying the airpod-like design is already pretty tired, but at the same time, not all brand experiments with the TWS earphone format look good and provide adequate ergonomics. HUAWEI is in order with this. By the way, keep one more small fact about interesting decisions in the case. The engineers decided to put two colored diodes at once: one dot under the cover, the second near the Type-C connector. Anyway, it's convenient.
Ergonomics
The headphones themselves look large and elongated.(perhaps just against the background of short ponytails), while sitting perfectly in the ears. Just in case, I tested it on three people - everyone nodded approvingly about ergonomics. FreeBuds Pro 2 do not try to take on the dubious role of ear stretchers, they lie delicately in the sink, while being securely fixed. Attempts to fall down with sudden movements of the head were not noticed behind them.
The attentive reader may notice that TWSheadphones rarely cause discomfort when worn, but I am now hinting at the expensive Sony thousandth series with foam nozzles. Yes, in this format they are among the best (if not the best) in terms of sound quality and noise reduction efficiency, however, with prolonged wear, some ears start to hurt. I sincerely love them, but I stopped taking them with me when I'm going to listen to music for more than an hour and a half. At first, everything seemed ok, but with the advent of a hot summer at a long distance of use, the ears began to get tired of them. In turn, FreeBuds Pro 2 are practically not felt, so you can wear them for as long as you like.
Application and settings
As befits a flagship model, headphonesdo not work on their own, but with a companion application. For ecosystem technology, HUAWEI offers the universal AI Life software. On the main page, all the gadgets connected to the account are collected, and by clicking you fall through to the settings and options. In this regard, FreeBuds Pro 2 has everything to the point, without frills and redundant functions such as a built-in noise generator for work and concentration, like Jabra.
The application shows the connection status, levelcase and headphones charge in percentage, through the "Connection Center" allows you to switch headphones to other devices, change the strength of noise reduction. The three basic options are active noise reduction, disabled and transparency mode. However, you can go further and choose from three levels of noise cancellation strength or choose an adaptive mode, where the headphones adjust to the ambient noise. Personally, I always prefer the maximum power of noise reduction, but I know people who do not find it comfortable. We will write down the availability of choice in the pluses of this model.
There are four presets in the audio effects sectionEqualizer: Standard in partnership with Devialet, boosting bass, treble and voice. You can also create custom presets. By the way, it is in this (not very obvious) section that you should look for codec settings. Does the smartphone support high quality LDAC? Then activate the Smart HD option, otherwise, in the Bluetooth system settings on Android, you can only change SBC to AAC and vice versa. The lever for activating HD calls, by the way, is also located in the audio effects section. Why all this was not removed to a more logical section "Settings" - I do not understand. I had to look for how to turn on LDAC for about half a day.
There is also a group of settings "More", where there ischanging control gestures (squeezing, holding and stroking the tails of the headphones), searching for FreeBuds Pro 2, testing the in-ear fit and just a couple of options in the “Settings” section: automatic playback stop when the headphones are pulled out, as well as protection against sound stuttering in overloaded locations such as airports .
Autonomy and charging
The earphones are built-in 55 mAh batteries,in the case - 580 mAh. This is enough for a maximum of 6.5 hours of continuous music playback (minus 30 minutes compared to the previous generation) or 30 hours, taking into account recharging in the case. In general, the indicator is good for the TWS format. However, if you look at current models, there are no examples of energy super-performance on the market now, as well as constantly discharged outsiders. It takes less than an hour to charge, fast wired is supported, as well as wireless on Qi mats.
Sound quality
Like last year's model, FreeBuds Pro 2Speakers with a diameter of 11 mm are installed, but the frequency range has expanded: 14 – 40,000 Hz now versus 20 – 20,000 Hz earlier. This is very rare for TWS. Speaking purely technically, these headphones are one of the best in their class and price segment. And in general, one of the best models of 2022 in terms of sound. However, the ideal picture is slightly spoiled by the form factor. But this is already a question of the laws of acoustics, which cannot be violated: half-ears with silicone tips are extremely comfortable for everyday wear, but they are inferior to in-ear classics in terms of sound. When the headphones are screwed into the depths of the ear canal and fill the entire available volume of the auricle, the acoustic characteristics will be better: the bass is stronger and the sound density is higher. But the ears themselves won’t thank you for this.
In the segment of 10-15 thousand FreeBuds Pro 2 showthemselves very well and cool play any genre. I listened to shoegaze, k-pop, Russian charts, acoustic covers, American rap hits and more. In general, every time was satisfied. Headphones have no problems with sound detail, high frequencies sound great even at the highest volume levels, bass, although not super juicy, but noticeable. On the default EQ settings, there is a feeling that the priority is the middle frequency range, but the ability to create custom presets gives you the chance to customize everything you want. The noise reduction system is also what you need, even in the subway or when walking along a busy multi-lane street, music does not have to compete with the outside world.
Total
Not far from 13,000 rubles (and this is the costFreeBuds Pro 2) Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro or Galaxy Buds Live, JBL Live Pro+, Xiaomi Buds 3T Pro, Nothing Ear (1) are sold on Yandex Market. If we take into account only the question of design, my favorites are Nothing, but this is a story about aesthetics and not about sound at all. Among the rest, you can choose from the standpoint of the preferred appearance or favorite brand of smartphones. But in general, the HUAWEI product wins in terms of frequency range, is no worse than others in terms of functionality and looks pretty cool. In general, it turned out to be a good upgrade of the previous model. Without revolutions, but with a pumped sound and new features in a proprietary application.