Huawei organized a big event in mid-September, where the protagonist was the Watch GT4, but we also saw the new Freebuds Pro 3 TWS earphones. We have reviewed the smartwatch, and now we are also ready with the review of the new earphones.
We tried the green earbuds, which is the main color of the current range. The paint job is new, but otherwise the Pro 3 looks identical to its predecessor, the Pro 2. If you look closer, small differences start to appear, but even Huawei itself says the real changes are inside the buds. And after spending a few weeks with the earphones we are now ready to share our impressions.
The case is slightly shorter than the previous generation and 4.5% smaller overall, with Huawei still written on a small reflective plate. There’s a small button on the side for reset, while the earphones sit snugly inside. The case supports Qi wireless charging, but can also be charged via the USB-C port on the bottom.
Huawei has changed the touch sensor on the stem and reduced the weight by 5% compared to the previous generation. The touch area is now a small indentation, which allows gestures to feel more natural, without pinching unnaturally. From a software perspective, nothing has changed: you can set functionality for one, two, and three taps as you swipe up and down to control the volume. The attached ear tips are size M and Huawei provides three other sizes for different ear types.
Huawei Freebuds Pro 3 can connect via Bluetooth to two devices simultaneously. We found that switching between the two was unreliable when the devices weren’t Huawei-branded.
Our tests included a Huawei smartphone, a Samsung smartphone, a Huawei tablet, a Samsung tablet, and a desktop Bluetooth dongle. The Freebuds Pro 3 had major desktop connection issues, dropping out seemingly for no reason, even in the middle of a song or video.
Connectivity to mobile devices was slightly better, but still not ideal when two audio sources were playing at the same time. On the bright side, as long as the Freebuds are used to listen to music on one device and take occasional calls (audio or video) on another, dual pairing will work without any issues.
There are also controls in the AI Life app, which you need to download from Huawei’s AppGallery to get the latest version. The Freebuds can automatically choose the preferred device, but there is a widget for Android and HarmonyOS to let users control which audio source to use even without opening the app.
The buds themselves are quite comfortable. There’s no practical way they could be inserted incorrectly into the ear, and while Huawei offers a fit test of the tips, it simply validated our natural choice with each size of tips.
The earbuds remained in our reviewer’s ear at all times, to the point where he forgot they were there. Plus, the stem is short enough that it doesn’t interfere with the mask straps – yes, we’re now testing the face shield too; welcome to the new normal.
Huawei has further improved the output of the Freebuds Pro 3, and for the third generation in a row, the audio is incredibly impressive, while noise cancellation is also generally improved.
Huawei’s earbuds feel and sound as natural as they do in this form factor, more so than any other competitor we’ve tested. This is helped by support for high-resolution audio streaming via LDAC (for supported Android phones) and L2HC 2.0 (for Huawei devices). Music simply sounds clear with clear highs and well-defined lows that don’t overpower the mid tones.
The audio is well balanced across all types of genres we tried, and while the Freebuds Pro 3’s sound isn’t the loudest on the market, it’s certainly among the most accurate.
Like most other premium earbuds today, the Huawei Freebuds Pro 3 has three microphones, which enable active noise cancellation. There are four noise canceling modes: Dynamic, which automatically adjusts based on your surroundings, and three different intensity switches that you can select manually.
Awareness mode, which lets outside noises pass through, features a new Voice mode. If you enable it, it will amplify the voices picked up by the microphones. It might be useful in smaller offices, but we don’t recommend using it outside as it can get loud and confusing.
The Freebuds Pro 3 have the same batteries as the previous generation, with a capacity of 580 mAh in the case and 55 mAh in each earbud. We tested battery life in all three modes and you can find the exact numbers in the table below.
| Single charge mode | Advertised playing time | Game time in real life |
| Noise cancellation (dynamic) | 4 hours | 215 minutes/ 3 hours and 35 minutes |
| Worn out | 6.5 hours | 360 minutes/ 6 hours |
| Awareness | N/A | 210 minutes/ 3 hours and 30 minutes |
Of course, the case has enough power for almost 5 full charges when taking charge losses into account, so it is possible to significantly extend the overall endurance. The average charge of the earbuds was around 45 minutes – from 0% to 100%, which we don’t expect to happen often in everyday life.
The case without the earphones filled up in 70 minutes via a USB-C cable. Using a wireless charger takes up to three hours for the entire set to go from 0 to 100%.
Wrap
The Freebuds Pro 3 are undoubtedly the best earbuds Huawei has ever produced. They have the best sound on the market, great design and effective noise cancellation. You also get solid battery life with support for both wired and wireless charging.
The €200/£180 price is certainly not low, but you get an uncompromising experience and some rivals offer an even higher cost. Even more so if you consider the various offers that Huawei is bringing forward: right now you can get the Freebuds bundled with a Band 8 smartband for €20.
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