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Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Huawei FreeBuds 6 review: Open-ear audio with excellent sound quality and comfort
Open-ear earbuds offer a unique listening experience: they let you enjoy music while staying connected to the world around you. Ideal for commuters, office workers and anyone who dislikes the in-ear seal of traditional buds, Huawei's FreeBuds 6 aim to combine comfort, awareness and high-quality sound in one lightweight package. Design The first thing that strikes you about the Huawei FreeBuds 6 is how elegant they look. Huawei has used a glossy finish across both the earbuds and the egg-shaped charging case, giving off a polished, modern aesthetic. The open-fit design means they rest gently on the outer ear rather than burrowing into the ear canal, which is a real win for those who find traditional in-ear buds uncomfortable. Each earbud weighs just 4.9g, with the charging case adding 40.3g, making the entire package incredibly portable and easy to slip into a pocket. Despite their size and lightweight build, the construction feels solid. The IP54 rating also adds peace of mind, offering dust and splash resistance, ideal for day-to-day use or light workouts. Comfort and fit Thanks to the open design and unique shape, the FreeBuds 6 are incredibly comfortable for extended listening sessions. I wore them for multiple hours at a time during workdays, and there was no irritation or ear fatigue. Of course, they're one-size-fits-all, so your mileage may vary, but as someone who generally uses medium-sized ear tips, they fit my ears perfectly. However, unlike buds that use ear tips, they don't create as tight a seal, and the fit isn't as secure during vigorous movement. Jogging or chewing can dislodge them slightly, but they come with silicon covers that wrap over the ear end, which provides grip. However, I didn't like the feel of the silicone, and I didn't have an issue with the buds falling out without them. Features and connectivity Hardware-wise, you get Bluetooth 5.2 for stable, low-latency connections and dual-device pairing, making it easy to switch between your phone and laptop. Pairing was seamless with both Android and iOS in my testing. Despite the open-ear design, Huawei has done a commendable job with the ANC implementation. It works well in most everyday environments, though naturally, it's not as effective as traditional earbuds with silicone tips that create a tighter seal for passive noise isolation. Controls are responsive and easy to use. You can use tap gestures to play, pause, skip tracks or toggle noise cancellation. There's also swipe gestures for volume control, and the companion app (Huawei AI Life) allows firmware updates, EQ customisation, and lets you assign gesture controls. Sound quality Despite the open-ear form factor, Huawei's engineers have managed to extract some impressive sound from the FreeBuds 6. At the core of the system is a dual-driver setup: an 11mm dual-magnet dynamic driver that handles low and mid-range frequencies, paired with a planar diaphragm driver for ultra-high frequencies. The result is a surprisingly rich, detailed and balanced sound profile. The bass won't rattle your skull, but it reaches down to a very respectable level, providing warmth and presence that most open-ear rivals can't match. Treble is crisp without being sharp, and vocals shine. Huawei also touts high-res audio support with up to 1.5Mbps bitrate, or 2.3Mbps when paired with compatible Huawei phones. In real-world listening, the soundstage feels wide and natural, which is one of the benefits of the open ear design. Call quality The quad-mic system (three traditional microphones plus a bone-conduction VPU mic) works alongside Huawei's deep neural AI noise reduction to deliver crisp voice clarity. Whether on a train platform or in a breezy park, I had no complaints from the other end. Voices are clean and well-separated from environmental noise, making them great for professional use too. Battery life Battery performance is respectable for open-fit earbuds. I averaged around six hours of playback on a single charge with ANC off, and the charging case extends that to 36 hours in total. With ANC on, this drops to a little over four hours. Fast charging gives 2.5 hours of playback in just five minutes, and you also get Qi wireless charging support, which is a welcome bonus. Verdict The Huawei FreeBuds 6 offer a rare blend of comfort, clarity and ambient awareness. They're perfect for users who dislike the pressure or isolation of in-ear designs but still want high-quality sound. Add in decent battery life, solid call performance and high-res audio support, and you've got one of the best open-fit wireless earbuds available today. €165 (RRP)
Phone Arena
17-07-2025
- Phone Arena
OnePlus Buds 4 review: bangers
OnePlus has recently released the OnePlus Buds 4 — coming soon to a market near you — and it brings small but welcome improvements to the formula. Now, if you don't follow this particular category, OnePlus Buds launches can be somewhat confusing. They release a "regular" model earlier in the year, and a "Pro" half a year later. For example, we saw OnePlus Buds 3 early in 2024, andPro towards the tailend of the same year. So, now there's OnePlus Buds 4, no Pro, and they come in for $130. They inherit some of the Pro-ness of the OnePlus Buds 3 Pro — like the larger bass driver and in-ear detection. Not a bad price, but should you jump on them right now or wait for the inevitable Pros further down the line? Well, if I was in the market for a fresh set of earbuds, these would definitely be on my radar, and I wouldn't necessarily sit around waiting for their "upgraded" version unless I was after specific premium features. But there are things to consider — design and fit, extra features and controls, and of course, sound. Huawei FreeBuds 6 specs jets of water, whereas most of the competition is protected from water splashes (IP54). OnePlus Buds 4 design The OnePlus Buds 4 are mostly an iteration on last year's design, with a slight variation on the stems — they simply stick out a bit on top, instead of ending at the bud, or "leg stem design". However, the main features that made the old OnePlus Buds 3 great to wear are still here. These fit snug and feel very light. Solid selection of audio codecs. AAC ensures they will work with an Apple iDevice, LHDC will deliver high quality audio for the Android users. Multipoint allows for up to two devices at a time. And IP55 is fairly high for earbuds — it means protection against dust andof water, whereas most of the competition is protected from water(IP54).The OnePlus Buds 4 are mostly an iteration on last year's design, with a slight variation on the stems — they simply stick out a bit on top, instead of ending at the bud, or "leg stem design". However, the main features that made the oldgreat to wear are still here. These fit snug and feel very light. Some ears may have a problem with that — the bud itself does press against the inside of my ear to ensure a secure fit, which is great. But it also hurts a bit when I wear them for a while and suddenly smile. Thankfully, I only smile once a week. But to the point, these will not fall easily from picky ears, but may feel fatiguing. There are two extra tip sizes in the box, but I found the default medium ones to be just fine. You can use a tip insulation test within the app if you need to be sure you are getting the best possible sound. Oh, the app is called HeyMelody, don't look for "OnePlus Buds app". The stems offer touch controls via these elongated flat pads that are quite discrete, but you do feel them with your fingers. You can customize the actions for a single, double-, and triple-tap for each earbud. Tap and hold is ANC on / Transparency on by default. Swiping up and down controls volume. The location of the touchpad and the shape of the leg stems feel pretty good and I haven't gotten many accidental touches, like I have on Samsung Galaxy Buds or Google Pixel Buds. And that's great. Receive the latest mobile news By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy What's not great is that the touch controls are kind of slow to respond. Especially when toggling ANC. You press and you hold, you hear one beep (confirmation that gesture was accepted), then you wait a beat more to hear another beep that lets you know ANC has been toggled. But OK, that's fine, and I can live with it if the sound of these is good. OnePlus Buds 4 sound quality And, good news here, the sound of these is good. They seem to have inherited the drivers of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 — an 11 mm woofer and 6 mm tweeter, both with their own DAC. I typically don't like bassy earphones that muddy up the picture. Well, the OnePlus Buds 4 are bassy, yet they feel punchy and clear. They are quite fun to listen to and I do not mind the bass at all. By default, their BassWave feature is on and set to a balanced 0 (or, you can view that as 5, because the slider goes from -5 to +5). It's fun and energetic and gives you a nice, pleasing thump. However, the lower mids are very well sculpted to make sure there's no rumble or cardboard kicking sounds. The custom EQ of the app is a bit limited, but good enough for quick tune-ups to taste. In general, I've no complaints with the sound — in fact, I like it and would recommend those. And yes, the do have Active Noise Cancelation. OnePlus Buds 4 Active Noise Cancelation OnePlus promises up to -55 dB of noise reduction — that's an upgrade from the -49 dB ANC of the OnePlus Buds 3 . Do I feel an actual difference? Mostly not. Of course, these only reduce sounds up to specific frequencies, so chirps, squeeks, clicks and clacks will still somewhat come through if you aren't listening to music. Play a track at low volume and the outside world is basically drowned out. The transparency mode also sounds quite good. It's not real-life crisp, but it's plenty clear with good stereo positioning of the sounds. OnePlus Buds 4 connectivity No issue to connect and pair to pretty much any Android device that has the Google framework on it. Google Fast Pair recognizes them as soon as I open the lid. For any other devices, pressing and holding the side button, and scanning for the Buds 4 in Bluetooth settings works as expected. Recommended Stories Multipoint allows you to stay connected to your laptop and phone, or tablet and phone. New sound sources get prioritized and the earbuds auto-switch. For example — if you are watching a YouTube video on the computer and then your phone rings. OnePlus Buds 4 battery life Depending on whether you choose AAC or LHDC codec, you will get slightly different results from the OnePlus Buds 4. LHDC is a bit of a bigger drain but depending on your device, may sound a little better than AAC. In general, the numbers are not a gamechanger, but they ensure that you will be fine with those buds as long as you remember to charge them every couple of days or so. OnePlus Buds vs Buds Pro — what is the difference? As mentioned at the start, OnePlus launches a non-Pro model and follows it up with a Pro about 6 months later. So, what are the differences, and should you wait? One, the Pro models have better controls — typically more responsive and accurate squeeze controls. Secondly, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 came with a slightly bigger bass driver — 11 mm over the 10.4 mm in the non-Pro model. If you've been following the numbers, it looks like the new OnePlus Buds 4 inherited that bigger driver, so maybe the next Pros will have another upgrade? Third, the Pro buds get tuning in partnership with Dynaudio for a more spacious, present sound. And the Pro model does get slightly more premium finishes — duo-tone paintjobs as well as a faux-leather covering on the case was what we got last time. On launch, the Pro models cost about $50 more than the regular ones. Right now, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 have gotten a discount down to $150 — barely $20 more than the current OnePlus Buds 4. To be fair, I can't say that one of these models sound worse than the other. They are slightly different. The OnePlus Buds 4 seems to have benefitted from the generational upgrade and sounds fantastic. The OnePlus Buds Pro 3 comes with that Dynaudio tuning, and do deliver more details in the mids, but it's not leaps and bounds better. The stem-pinch controls are appreciated, though. OnePlus Buds 4, should you buy them? The OnePlus Buds 4 offer pretty good quality at a very fair MSRP of $129.99. The only considerations you should have is their design — do you like the leg stems and the limited choice of colors? Also, the touch controls are not a favorite of many people, myself included, and the touch response on these is a bit laggy. That aside, I am very happy with their sound, and they are going in my list of recommendations. And, if you are curious, that list currently also includes the Nothing Ear (my favorites are the old Ear (2), but the 3rd gen has a more balanced sound), and the Pixel Buds Pro 2. Of course, Google's earbuds will set you back an extra $100, so if we are comparing by budget — the Nothing Ear is a very decent alternative. They offer an AirPods Pro-like design, with transparent stems and the better squeeze controls. OnePlus Buds 4 Dual drivers, -55 dB ANC, strong but tight bass, touch controls Buy at Amazon Nothing Ear 3rd gen buds Single 11" driver with bass boost, -45 dB ANC, balanced, slightly scooped sound, advanced EQ in app, squeeze and swipe controls Buy at Amazon Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 11 mm driver, -30 dB ANC, very clear sound with no irritating frequencies, responsive touch controls Buy at Amazon Each one of these buds have their own sound signature. I'd say the Pixel Buds Pro 2 sound the most "polite" — their tuning plays it safe and doesn't have any shouty, grating, or mushy frequencies. For that, they lack a bit of character, but they will always sound balanced. The Nothing Ear offer a very nice, sizzly presence and a soft bottom end with a bit of a mid scoop for a perception of "clarity". The OnePlus Buds 4's top end sounds a pinch more pronounced, icier maybe, but their bass is a satisfying, focused rumble with a lot of energy behind it.
Al Bawaba
07-07-2025
- Al Bawaba
Cracking the code of perfect-sounding earbuds with planar drivers and AI
Perfect sound is about reproducing sounds as authentically as it was recorded. You should hear every tiny crackle, hiss, and boom as close to the original with depth and spatial separation. For earbuds, the challenge has always been about overcoming the limitation of size. Reproducing the entire audible frequency range with fidelity and subject separation with a just tiny pair of speakers that fit in the ears has been an ongoing engineering good sound is hard?There is so much that goes into designing and tuning earbuds. The size restricts the size restricts the maximum size of the driver to around 11mm. But more than that, the fundamental problem lies in physics. A driver that's designed to sound perfect at bass frequencies can be terrible at higher frequencies. So most earbuds go for a balanced tuning that sounds acceptable throughout the entire frequency range, making compromises along the the HUAWEI FreeBuds 6 has done to overcome this problem is to use a sophisticated dual-driver acoustic design with two independent drivers that work in tandem to achieve optimal frequency response for giving the user the best listening experience. Equipped with Huawei's proprietary audio technology, the FreeBuds 6 adopts two different drivers. The bass frequencies are handled by an 11mm dual magnetic driver bolstered by the Bass Turbo 2.0 acoustic architecture. Additionally, the earbuds also add a UHF Planar Diaphragm Driver which handles higher frequencies of up to 48kHz. The result is a premium listening experience with stunning highs, rich mids, and deep, immersive Sound with AI The open-fit design of the FreeBuds 6 requires more than just hardware. The way a person experiences the sound varies based on the ear canal shape, wearing habits, and listening preferences. Recreating the perfect acoustic experience despite these factors demands even more personalisation of everyone's ear canal is different, it affects how each person perceives sound. The headphone has to measure and analyse frequency response characteristics to compensate for the ear canal shape. How the person wears the earbuds has to be accounted for. The FreeBuds 6 also senses the loudness difference of sounds of different frequencies, performs appropriate gain enhancement, and automatically adjusts EQ. For example, when the volume is low, the human ear has a weaker perception of low and high another factor that changes the listening experience given the open-fit design is the ambient noise. Thankfully, the earphones can automatically monitor the level of the ambient noise, the volume of the noise in the ear, and whether the noise reduction function of the earphones is turned on within the noise range of 0-85dB. In response, the AI adaptively adjusts the volume, so that the listener can hear clearly without interruptions for a comfortable and clear listening experience. At the centre of its premium audio experience is Huawei's very own audio technology HUAWEI SOUND, boasting a tech-enhanced listening with state-of-the-art acoustics. It delivers exceptional sound quality that envelops you in a dynamic auditory experience. The FreeBuds 6 combines this advanced sound technology with a comfort-focused, stylish design, setting a new standard for fashionable, high-performance audio.
Rakyat Post
19-06-2025
- Business
- Rakyat Post
Huawei Introduces PC-Like MatePad Pro 12.2' & FreeBuds 6 For Work, Play, & Creativity
Subscribe to our FREE Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG) Malaysia unveiled the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2' (2025) , the latest evolution of its flagship tablet series yesterday. The Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2' (2025) is built to have PC-like capabilities in mind, perfect for business and professionals, designers, and creators to be productive on-the-go. The tablet combines the power of a laptop, the portability of a tablet, and the precision of a creative tool in a single, streamlined device. Images: Adeline Leong/TRP Here are some key features of the Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2' (2025): 1. The Tandem OLED PaperMatte Display gives a paper-like surface, perfect for sketching and writing with the stylus. It also gives pro-level colour accuracy, a high 144 Hz refresh rate, 2.8k resolution, and HDR Vivid support. 2. The anti-glare nano-textured display, certified by TUV Rheinland and SGS for eye comfort, reduces 99% of ambient light interference. This makes working in different environments or lighting easier. 3. The Genius Huawei Glide Keyboard works seamlessly with the tablet and has a secure stylus storage slot. 4. Hidden stylus: the Huawei M-Pencil (3 rd Gen) powered by NEARLINK. 5. Equipped with PC-level WPS Office (documents, presentations, spreadsheets etc). GoPaint app comes with new brushes like realistic oil-painting brush and tapping on stylus for splatter effect. Image: Adeline Leong/TRP 6. Equipped with Huawei Notes and GoPaint, featuring AI handwriting enhancement, pro-level brush tools, and frame-by-frame animation. 7. Smart Multi-Window and App Multiplier features so you can run multiple apps side-by-side, review multiple documents, or attend calls while referencing notes. 8. Live-Multitask interface so you can run up to three apps simultaneously. 9. Desktop-style keyboard shortcuts. 10. Battery: 10,100 mAh, full charge in 55 minutes to ensure smooth all-day usage. Huawei also introduced its latest open-fit wireless earbuds, the Huawei FreeBuds 6 , which promise premium sound quality, all-day comfort, and reliable performance. The FreeBuds 6 is lighter than its predecessor, weighing only 4.9g, and fit naturally into a wide range of ear shapes, ensuring long-wearing comfort. The design, inspired by glistening water droplets, provides a refined, aerodynamic curve that sits naturally in the ear. Tech-wise, the FreeBuds 6 boasts an upgraded 11mm dual-magnetic driver and Bass Turbo 2.0 tech which provides a fuller sound profile and users get to feel the beat without sealing off the ear canal. The earbuds also supports lossless audio transmission of up to 2.3Mbps when paired with the Huawei Mate X6, powered by Huawei's proprietary L2HC 4.0 codec. Huawei FreeBuds 6 Available in black, purple, white This enables 48 kHz/24-bit high-resolution playback, capturing fine textures in vocals and instruments and delivering studio-grade clarity wirelessly, a feature typically reserved for premium over-ear headphones. Think concert-like sound when you're jogging or immersing in a podcast while cooking dinner. Additionally, the FreeBuds 6 supports two-way silent calls in all scenarios, which eliminate background sounds in a 95dB high-noise environment. In other words, you can still hear your music or calls clearly in windy or noisy environments. The earbuds offer up to 36 hours of music playback with the charging case, a full six hours more than the previous generation. A quick five-minute charge provides up to 2.5 hours of uninterrupted playback. The Huawei FreeBuds 6 supports dual device connections so users can switch effortlessly between phones, tablets, and PCs. The Huawei MatePad Pro 12.2' (2025) is priced at RM3,599. It's available for pre-order via Huawei Experience Stores, the Huawei Customers who place a RM50 deposit during the pre-order period will receive a rebate of up to RM200, along with exclusive free gifts worth up to RM2,045, including a complimentary Huawei M-Pencil (3rd Gen), Huawei Mouse, Huawei Backpack, Huawei SoundJoy, and PC-Level WPS. Meanwhile, the Huawei FreeBuds 6 priced at RM699 is available in Purple, White, and Black. Starting from 24 June 2025, customers get to enjoy additional free gifts worth RM327 across all official Huawei stores, listed above. For more information, latest updates, or promotions about Huawei, please visit the Huawei Official Website, the Huawei Official Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
Forbes
18-06-2025
- Forbes
Huawei's New Earbuds Offer Active Noise Cancellation Despite Open Ear Design
Huawei FreeBuds 6 Huawei's latest earbuds, the FreeBuds 6, continues the unique design of the FreeBuds 5, but comes in a sleeker form. These earbuds, weighing just 4.5g per bud, are so sleek and curvy that I've forgotten they were in my ears a couple of times during the past two weeks of use. The FreeBuds 6 come in an egg-shaped case that can charge the earbuds seven times over (making for a total listening time of around 36 hours, as the earbuds can play for about five-plus hours each charge). The earbuds bring improved audio with four-magnet dynamic unit and dual drivers that deliver crisp highs up to 48 kHz and deep bass down to 14 Hz. However, you must be using a recent Huawei flagship phone to achieve full 48 kHZ and lossless L2HC 4.0 audio. From my testing, audio quality sounded excellent when paired with the Huawei Mate XT. The 11mm driver produces satisfying oomph during hip hop tracks. When paired to a non-Huawei phone, audio quality still sounds good, but has a subtle loss of depth. FreeBuds 6 Open-ear earbuds -- meaning buds with a tip that does not entirely seal off the ear canal -- are not supposed to be able to offer strong active noise cancellation. But the FreeBuds 6, manages to do that thanks to a clever AI-driven software algorithm that uses its microphones to identify ambient noise around the wearer and then actively mutes the sound. I must say the ANC isn't quite as strong as the Apple AirPods 4, but it's more than enough to silence loud talkers at cafes or public transport. The fit is comfortable. One downside of the FreeBuds 6's curvy design is it's a bit hard for my fingers to find the touch sensitive panel to control music playback. On other earbuds, including Huawei's Pro series earbuds, there is a clear groove to tap or long-press. Here, I find myself often tapping to no avail, just to realize I've tapped on the wrong portion of the earbuds. The FreeBuds 6 are curvy for comfort, but hard to hold and control sometimes. The FreeBuds 6 can also pair to two devices at the same time, a feature that comes in handy as I often switch between devices. Priced at around $150, the FreeBuds 6 are premium earbuds with an acceptable price tag. However, I do think those who can splurge a bit more are better off buying Huawei's FreeBuds Pro buds for superior sound, ANC, and controls.
