Huawei Freebuds 3i earphones review: unbeatable value for money
Since I tasted the joys of True Wireless headphones, I admit having trouble returning to an all-encompassing headset. The practicality and rising quality of this type of headphone make it an obvious choice in my daily life: it really is a revolution that I have fully adopted. I had several models, but for a month I have been using Huawei Freebuds 3i that the manufacturer sent me, so that I can test them, and give you my opinion!
My opinion on the Huawei Freebuds 3i
The packaging is really small normal; the case of the headphones is ultra-compact. The general design is minimalist and discreet, I find the result successful. The shiny plastic finish of the case remains very basic, but gets the job done! On the other hand, the storage of the headphones is not the most ergonomic. Not practical to remove them easily, especially since the plastic slips a little: it lacks the “grip” point to remove them. The pair of True Wireless freebuds 3i has a shape that we all already know very well. Black, Red or White, they are of the in-ear type and come with several rubber tips to adapt to the size of your ear. Once placed, they do not move and are comfortable over time. Personally, I use them a lot at home for Video Conferences. If you want to buy freebuds than click on the highlighted link and visit on our website.
Listening first observation: noise cancellation works relatively well. We are quite isolated from external background noises (like the “rolling” of the metro), but on the other hand heavier or more intense noises go beyond. You cannot adjust the intensity level of the ANC: it is either activated or not. In short, the ANC does its job correctly, nothing more. In terms of sound quality, I paired (in Bluetooth 5.2) the headphones to my Huawei P30 Pro, (in maximum quality).
The result is quite satisfactory for True Wireless in this price range. I am not an expert, but I found the listening balanced in most of the musical styles tested (rock, electro, hip-hop…), despite a certain lack in the bass. The absence of APT-X is felt, but the general rendering remains precise, pleasant, with a nice detachment of the midrange and treble. In terms of headphone management, Huawei’s Ai Life application offers some fairly simple options, such as the definition of touchscreen shortcuts on the headphones (tapping once or twice to trigger a command), activating the ANC, updating the firmware. Autonomy remains the strong point of these Freebuds 3i! With over 8 hours on a single charge, they explode most competitors without any problem. The box allows you to add approximately 1.5 additional charges, and is recharged via USB-C (no induction!). Note that it takes less than 10 minutes in their case for the headphones to recover about 50% of their autonomy: it’s really very practical!
Differences with Freebuds Pro
I have been using Freebuds since their release about 8 months ago. They are positioned on a higher price and one can legitimately wonder that are the differences with the Freebuds 3i, more recent and less expensive. The answer is simple: the features. The Freebuds Pro offer, for example, wireless charging of the box, dual Bluetooth pairing (the headphones are connected simultaneously to 2 devices in my case, to my PC and to my Huawei P30 Pro), the APT-X, different ANC levels or even the improvement of the “Perception” mode so that it specifically amplifies the voice (so as not to have to remove the headphones when talking to someone). It is these features in particular that justify the price difference. The sound quality is also better on the Pro.
In short, 2 very distinct and coherent range
Their enormous autonomy (around 8 hours with a single charge, a level very rarely reached by the competition), and their comfort in the ear make these Huawei Freebuds 3i headphones an ideal daily companion, both for travel and for video- telecommuting conferences. With a price below the mark, supplemented by good sound quality and decent active noise reduction, they enter the podium of excellence in terms of Value for Money without difficulty! To have more advanced features, such as blutooth dual pairing, wireless charging, or clear voice, you will have to turn to Freebuds Pro, more complete, but also more expensive.
Huawei’s FreeBuds 3i crowned best value for money true wireless headphones
As you know, the market is moving at very high speed, and our benchmarks follow suit. Crowned the best quality / price ratio of true wireless headphones last December, the Jabra Elite 65t are now dethroned by a newcomer, the Huawei FreeBuds 3i tested, these directly joined our buying guide dedicated to this type of product, and benefit from a serious advantage over the previous champion, active noise reduction. Let it be clear from the outset, the FreeBuds 3i are far from being free from all faults. But they are displayed at fewer prices and ensure the essential, namely sound performance and comfort of use. Even if their active noise reduction is not the flashiest, they are the only true wireless headphones to offer this much sought-after feature in this price range. Only the previous generation, the FreeBuds 3i, would be able to compete, but this model will disappear from the catalog, replaced by the 4i. Besides their audio qualities, the FreeBuds 3i are the kings of endurance. Too bad the controls are so stingy on the headphones themselves and you can’t customize the controls on iOS.
Its advantages
- Clear, detailed and dynamic sound
- Very responsive bass, flattered without ever becoming boomy
- Outstanding comfort and support
- Excellent autonomy
- Very compact storage case
- What might hold you back?
- Lack of neutrality, slightly aggressive mids
- Disappointing noise reduction
- Poor voice capture in hands-free kit mode
As an alternative
When it comes to active noise reduction, the Sony WF-1000XM3 has been a pioneer in becoming the best wired headphones. They are of course much more expensive than the Freebuds 3i, but are also much more complete. In the same price range, the Apple AirPods Pro also seduced us last year, and will perfectly suit fans of the apple ecosystem. But HUAWEI freebuds 3i is best in quality. We recommend this to buy.
