HEADPHONES
ISSUE386|COMPUTER SHOPPER|APRIL2020 75
THEFREEBUDS 3 arethethirditerationof
Huawei’sAirPodsrival,hastilyfollowingthe
2019 FreeBuds2.Thisupdateseesabrand-
newchargingcaseandtheintroductionof
noise-cancelling technology to the buds.
If you’re an iPhone user thinking of buying
the FreeBuds 3asacheaper alternative to the
AirPods Pro,however,bewarned theyaren’t
fully compatible with Apple products. Youcan
connect them as you would other Bluetooth
earbuds, but since the companion AI Lifeapp
isn’t available from the iOS App Store, you’d
only be getting averylimited experience.
AI Lifeisoffered in the Google Playstore,
so you can use the FreeBuds 3with all
Android devices whether they’re made by
Huawei or not. That sounds like good news if
you’ve already read up on the specs, which
are fairly compelling: this is another pair of
true wireless headphones that deliver ANC,
and at only aslightly higher price than the
Amazon Echo Buds.
FAMILIAR FIT
The first thing that hits you about the
FreeBuds 3ishow similar theylooktoAirPods:
squint and you could mistake them forthe
Apple earbuds. From the metal tip at the end
of the stem to the flick-to-open case,it’s clear
where the design inspiration has come from.
The Huawei buds feel alot like AirPods,
too. They’re extremely light, and it’s easy to
forget you’ve got them on. Theydddooonnn’tttbbbllloooccckkk
outtheoutsideworldcompletellly,whichmay
well be your preference,given thhhat your voice
can feel like it’s bouncing aroundddyour head
with some earphones.
The FreeBuds 3are perfect fooorusingout
andaboutonyourcommuteaswell as at
home.They’reevenadequateeaaarbuds to
use out running or at the gym, ttthough their
lack of silicone tips means theydon’t have
quitethe same grip as some earrrbuds that sit
snugly in your ear canal.
Anicetouch is the ability to tap the buds
themselves foractions. The defaaault forthe left
bud is set as toggling the ANC ooonoroff, while
the right allows you to skip tracks. This is a
handy feature but not without itttsniggles; the
actions don’t always respond strrraight away.
The left-hand bud comes with its own
annoyance: rather than activatinnngthe ANC
with asimplesound effect, it announces it
via avoice telling you, “Noise caaancelling on”,
which interrupts your music.
On amore positive note, the FreeBuds 3
connect in amatter of seconds tttoanAndroid
phone,with just aflickofthe caaase even if you
don’t have aHuawei device.Ifthhhebuds
HUAWEI FreeBuds 3
★★★★★
£140•Fromwww.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
Huawei’swirelessearbudsarelightweight,comfortable
andofferANC,buttheymakeafewstumblestoo
themselves ape AirrrPods
instyle,thecaseitttself
feelsmorelikeawwwhite,
plastic Babybel. It’sss
compactenoughtooofit
inyourpocket,anddd
you’reunlikelyto
mistakeitforyourrr
walletoryourphone,
suchisitsuniquessshape.
Pairing the buds to
your phone is easyyy:
simplypressthesmmmall
button on the righttt-
handsideofthecaaase.
Onceconnected,yyyou
can use the two tinnny
LED lights at the
bottom and the inssside
ofthecasetocheck
howmuchbatteryisleft: thegreenerthe
lights, the more juice lefttorun.TUNED IN
The sound quality of open-fitearbuds can
vary.However,the FreeBuds 3are more than
capable of producing arounded, balanced
sound, if not alittle treble-heavy.Playedloudly,
the higher registers can be alittle sharpand
thebass lacks kick, but overall, theysound
good. The sound certainly doesn’t have the
tinny feel that anumber of earphones that
rrreeessstttiiinnnyyyooouuurrrooouuuttteeerrreeeaaarrrhhhaaavvveee:::ttthhheeeyyy’rrreeeaaalllsssooogggrrreeeaaattt
forlisteningtoonpublictranssssport,giventhat
theycandrownoutmorebackkkkground sound
than the average open-fit earpppphones.ThebigquestionovertheFreeBuds3isthe
effectivenessofthisnoisecancelling.Itseems
hard to believe that such adesign could shut
out much of the outside world, but the
earbuds’ ANC is surprisingly effective.There’s
anoticeable difference when you switch to
the noise-cancelling mode and it also gives
the sound atouch of much-needed low end.
That being said, the FreeBuds 3don’t cancel
ooouuutttbbbaaaccckkkgggrrrooouuunnnddddddiiisruptionsinthewayyou’d
getfromin-earANNNCbudswithsiliconetips,
whicharebetteratttforming aseal. There’s
simply not enoughhhof apassive isolation for
Huawei’s earbuds, which don’t plug the ear
canal, to properly cccompeteinthisrespect.QUICKTURNAROUND
Asforbattery life, the FreeBuds 3deliver up
to four hours betwwween charges. This can be
extended to 20 houuurs with the case; for
comparison, very sssimilar to what the Echo
Buds manage.Ifyooouwant to use them foran
extended period, thhhey’reeasy to recharge
either with aUSB TTType-C cable or wireless
charging pad. The FreeBuds take just 30
minutes to charge,too,which is good news if
yyyyoooouuuu’rrrreeeeiiiinnnnaaaarrrruuuusssshhhh.
It might make sssense to invest in the
FreeBuds 3ifyou’rrreaHuawei user who wants
quick pairing with yyyour phone,but as an
alternative to the AAAirPods Pro foriPhone
users, the lack of aaapp support is adrawback.
This isn’t aproblemmmon Android, but there’s
also the fact that ttthe Echo Buds are both
cheaper and simplyyybetter overall, especially
when it comes to AAANC effectiveness.