Which has pioneered the earbud market with their iconic look and sound. Is Huawei's first attempt at an alternative to that sound worth buying?
The first thing you'll notice about the freebuds 4i is that they feel like premium headphones. The weight isn't overly noticeable, but it has a nice heft, compared to cheaper options such as those made by Xiaomi. It's not bulky either; once I put them on, they felt like any other pair of earbuds. They attach magnetically when not in use, then come with a portable case for safekeeping while you're carrying them around.
I found that pairing was quick and easy with my Huawei MateRS phone. All I had to do was turn them on, open up Bluetooth settings on the phone, click "connect" on the headphones when it popped up, then wait for about ten seconds. And that's pretty much it - job done! Just don't lose the tiny pinhole button in the case to switch them on when not paired.
Sound Quality-Wise
They are good for what you paid for. The bass is there if you want to hear it - but you wouldn't want to wear these while riding your bicycle unless you're out of shape because you'd fall over at just how loud it can get! Audiophiles might find something to nitpick over, but the sound quality is quite excellent for earbuds.
However, one thing that bothers me about these headphones is that there's no volume control on them! What kind of weird design decision was this? This means you can't listen to your music at lower volumes; if I'm walking around town, I like to keep my music volume low so as not to annoy others around me. But with these headphones, I would have to blast the volume up past a safe level just so I could hear it comfortably without pushing my eardrums out.
Honestly, if you love loud music and don't care much for the convenience of a remote controller for controlling playback options, then these are going to be great for you.
Problems with apps
While the performance is satisfactory, Huawei must improve the software experience. The company's AI Life app allows you to operate a variety of goods from your phone, but the current Android and iOS version does not support the FreeBuds 4i.
It's the same issue I had with the Huawei Sound speaker. Therefore, customers will have to purchase it via the Huawei App Gallery, which must be downloaded and installed directly.
Life of the battery
Compared to the FreeBuds 3i, which could only last 3.5 hours on a single charge or more like 2.5 with ANC, the battery life is significantly enhanced. According to Huawei, the FreeBuds 4i may now last up to 10 hours. With ANC turned off, this is at 50% volume.
They dropped roughly 20-30% after 2-3 hours of use with ANC in my testing, starting with a full charge. That's almost 10% each hour, so Huawei's promises might be a little modest. They can theoretically go for 22 hours if they include the case, which isn't awful. Quick charging is also available, with a 10-minute charge providing up to four hours of use.
Conclusion
A couple of highlights worth mentioning: quick and easy to pair, sound quality is good, the weight feels comfortable. There is a warning for audiophiles; no volume controller included, meaning you might face issues if the device doesn't support Bluetooth profile A2DP (used for controlling music playback) like my old Linux system. Also, a design might feel too bulky and unwieldy compared to other ear buds. That’s all for today! I hope you enjoyed this article. Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments below and don’t forget to share if you found it helpful.