Review: Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 ANC Earbuds

Back in 2020, Huawei launched the FreeBuds Pro which was very solid pair of ANC true wireless earbuds. Fast forward 2 years, and Huawei has finally updated the product with the all new FreeBuds Pro 2. The new FreeBuds Pro 2 retails for S$298.

Unboxing

Here’s what you’ll find in the box:

• Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 ANC Earbuds
• Charging case
• USB-A to USB-C cable
• User manual
• Ear tips x3 (S, M, L)

Tech specs

Build quality and features

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 comes in three different colours – (1) Silver Frost, (2) Ceramic White, and (3) Silver Blue. The unit I have is the Silver Blue model, which is a very pale light blue with a silver sheen to it. The FreeBuds Pro 2 earbuds have a glossy finish and should appeal greatly to females. As for the design of the earbuds, they are very similar to the predecessor in terms of size and shape. However, the new FreeBuds Pro 2 has refined the design by blending the edges of the stem to the earbud. The stem remains rectangular and are little shorter than the first version.

You can check out how the new FreeBuds Pro 2 compares to the first version below:

As for the case, the design remains largely unchanged. The Silver Blue case has a matte finish with a mirror finish along its hinge. The case is noticeable smaller and thinner than its predecessor. For sake of comparison, it is still slightly bigger than Apple’s AirPods Pro case. There are LED indicators inside the case to show the battery status.

Unlike the predecessor, the new FreeBuds Pro 2 now has an official IP rating of IP54 which makes it ok to take light rainfall, so using it for light workouts should not be an issue as well. There is also an auto-play/pause feature when you wear/remove the earbuds from your ear.

Controls

Like its predecessor, the FreeBuds Pro 2 retains the same touch controls. The contact point on the stem is now concealed but it is still located in the middle of the stem, and you should have no trouble locating. Similar to AirPods Pro, the touch based controls on the FreeBuds Pro 2 are uses more of a pinch based system for greater accuracy on the controls. I find the pinch/touch controls intuitive and easy to use, and they rank top 2 in ease of controls for me.

As you will receive haptic feedback when you are pinching on the stem, you can get immediate feedback on the outcome of your actions. This small quality of life feature of having haptic feedback truly makes the user experience better. A new touch control that the FreeBuds Pro 2 has over its predecessor is the ability to adjust volume. Huawei has managed to do this by allowing you to swipe along to stem. There won’t be any haptic feedback for swiping, but I still found the overall experience to be quite intuitive and accurate.

AI Life App

The companion app for the FreeBuds Pro 2 is called AI Life. Previously, it was only available for Huawei and Android users, but thankfully this app is now available for all iPhone users as well. The AI Life app allows you check the battery life, perform software updates, and most importantly customise the touch controls and EQ.

However, the customisation is only on the “Pinch & Hold” gesture where you can choose between rotating the different noise controls settings or triggering voice assistant.

There are also 4 custom EQ presets that Huawei has developed. If you wish, you can create your own EQ.

Awareness mode

Awareness mode allows external surroundings sounds to come into the earbuds, which is useful for safety especially if you’re using the FreeBuds Pro 2 for jogging. The awareness mode is very well developed by Huawei. The overall feeling is natural and there isn’t too much emphasis on any frequency. Apple’s AirPods Pro still reigns supreme when it comes to awareness mode as it reduces the amount of white noise heard, but the FreeBuds Pro 2 is a very close second. There is also a “Voice Mode” feature, which emphasises the mids but creates a vacuum feeling at the same time.

Fit and comfort

The FreeBuds Pro 2 are an incredibly comfortable pair of earbuds to wear. They fit snug and well in my ear thanks to their shape and choice of ear tips. The tapered shape of the FreeBuds Pro 2 fits naturally and un-intrusively around the contours of my ears. And the use of oval shaped ear tips also helps to create a comfortable seal that does not have the blocked up feeling.

At 6.1g each, the FreeBuds Pro 2 are also lightweight that I wear them for hours in one seating. The length of the stem on the FreeBuds Pro 2 is shorter than on its predecessor so it actually doesn’t contact the sides of my face.

Sound quality

One of the main attraction of the FreeBuds Pro 2 is its sound is co-engineered with Devialet. Furthermore, FreeBuds Pro 2 now employs a dual-driver system over the single-driver setup on the predecessor. But does it sound better? Short answer is, yes.

The new FreeBuds Pro 2 deliver a cleaner sound that offers more detail across all frequencies when compared to the FreeBuds Pro. The audio tuning of the FreeBuds Pro 2 is one that I’ll consider as balanced, similar to the AirPods Pro but with impactful bass and a touch of warmth.

Bass is defined and well-delivered. It can get deep if it needs to be as on ‘One Dance’ by Drake, but it never gets overpowering. Mids are clear and forward, and vocals and instruments continue to hold its own even with strong bass. When compared to the AirPods Pro does edge out slightly in terms of midrange delivery. As for treble, FreeBuds Pro 2 offers a good clarity and shine. Overall, the earbuds shine in offering that discrete production of audio at the high and low spectrum. The earbuds also support LDAC and HiRes Audio Wireless, but of course you’d need a phone that can support it.

ANC performance

The ANC on the predecessor was already good but the new FreeBuds Pro 2 takes it further a notch. Low frequency noises from engine rumbling are eliminated almost completely. Train noises are kept to a minimum as well, and usually listening to any music will render them almost inaudible. Chatter can still be heard occasionally especially if the conversation is happening right in front of you. But for the most part, general chatter like in malls will be flushed out.

The FreeBuds Pro 2 by default runs on the “Dynamic” setting, which automatically chooses the level of ANC intensity based on the surrounding noise. In the past, this caused the FreeBuds Pro to hiccup especially on bus rides. Thankfully, this isn’t an issue anymore with the FreeBuds Pro 2.

Microphone quality

Huawei says the FreeBuds Pro 2 employs four microphones together with a deep neural network noise cancellation algorithm to cancel out noise and wind. The result? It is good and definitely one that you can count on for answering calls in most surroundings. Performance is very close to the AirPods Pro, or if not better.

Voice pickup was forward and natural, with good levels of depth such that it sounded full and not thin. When noise was introduced, FreeBuds Pro 2 took about a good 2-3 seconds before the noise cancellation kicked in. But when it did, FreeBuds Pro 2 did a great job and keeping the noise to a minimum while ensuring that my voice remained consistently forward and clear.

Battery life

Despite all the improvements on the above, battery life on the FreeBuds Pro 2 did not make much strides as it is more or less the same. You can expect up to 4 hours of playtime on a full charge if you listen with ANC, and about 6.5 hours without. Together with the charging case, this gives you between 18 – 30 hours depending on your use of ANC.

FreeBuds Pro 2 charges via USB-C, or you can plop it on a wireless charger to charge it wirelessly as well.

Pairing, connectivity, and latency

FreeBuds Pro 2 is equipped with the latest Bluetooth 5.2 and pairs to my phone as a single unit. During my time of testing, I did not experience any connection issues. Latency wise, I did not encounter any audio-video sync lag when watching YouTube videos from the YouTube app on my iPhone 11. Also, you can use either the left or right earbud if you just want to wear one for usage.

Another understated feature is the FreeBuds Pro 2 multipoint feature. You can connect the FreeBuds Pro 2 to up to two devices at once, and you can switch your audio source between them. I did find that you have to stop the audio stream on the playing device before starting another audio from the other audio device. It does not auto pause on the main audio stream.

Conclusion

For S$298, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 charges flagship level money but do deliver flagship level performance. They improved on many fronts since the first FreeBuds Pro back in 2020, and the price increase on the FreeBuds Pro 2 is justified. The earbuds are very well-rounded and performs reliably in its foundation features of sound, ANC, and microphone. User experience also feels very intuitive. The only downside would be the short 4 hours battery life, but if you are not a heavy user I doubt this will be much of an inconvenience.