Intro
With the advancement of technology, the development of TWS earphones has also accelerated the process. Some of them have become lighter, more convenient and stable connections, some have improved noise reduction algorithms, and some have achieved ultra-CD-level lossless sound quality. HUAWEI, one of the biggest Chinese digital products enterprises finally launched the new model of their flagship TWS series, HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 3, in September. So, whether it is continuing the magic power brought by its first and second gens, let’s find out the truth.
Unboxing& Design
The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro3 packaging box still adopts a square design on the front. The whole is compact, which as usual, contains a charging compartment, a pair of earphones, a Type-C charging cable, three pairs of earplugs that can match the size of most people’s ears, a warranty card and a manual.
The charging case of the Freebuds Pro3 has a classic pebble shape, with a matte fog-face design on the shell. The touch here is still great. And a mirror glass on the back with a HUAWEI logo. The button is placed on the left, and the charging port and hidden speaker opening for earphone searching are at the bottom. The earbuds’ body is a use of glossy design, which is not much different from its predecessor, the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2.
The shaft design of the charging case uses a hidden type, the feeling of opening and closing is very smooth. The opening is made into a diagonal cut so that it offers a larger opening Angle for the lips of the charging box, more convenient for users to take out the headset. In operation, it and the current mainstream flagship wireless Bluetooth headset is also roughly similar, press the control key to play or pause music and answer or hang up the phone; long press to switch normal mode, transparent mode, and noise reduction mode; sliding up/down the control area to adjust the volume.
Tone Quality
HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro3 adopts the Kirin A2 core independently developed by Huawei, which greatly improves the computing, but also brings more efficient signal processing capability, more accurate noise reduction, and a purest call environment. This is indeed validated in actual experience. Even though its predecessor was good enough, we still perceive the improvement in areas such as noise reduction. We’ll talk more about that later.
Huawei’s unique L2HC 3.0 audio codec protocol supports a transmission rate of 1.5Mbps, and thanks to this, its sound quality has also been greatly improved. The speed of a lossless CD music is 1.41Mbps, and the FreeBuds Pro3 L2HC 3.0 can restore 100% CD lossless music, letting users enjoy music more immersive. But at the same time, to achieve stable and best sound quality, you need to pay attention to the environmental interference on the signal. Otherwise, in most environments with crowded devices, I recommend you to turn on the ‘Prioritise connection quality’ option on the earbud management page of the HUAWEI AI Life app.
Through the test, FreeBuds Pro3 has excellent low-frequency diving and good resolution of mid and highs. According to official data, the limits of low frequency and high frequency are 14Hz and 48kHz respectively. The human voice is more transparent and crystal with fine detail, and the instruments are well arranged with the human voice, creating a wonderful balance in a stunning sound stage. I’m pretty sure that the new FreeBuds Pro is still the first-tier TWS earbuds in terms of sound quality. However, it should be noted that the L2HC 3.0 protocol currently only supports the Mate60 and X5 series. Even though, you can still enjoy excellent sound on other devices, especially other HUAWEI phones.
NearLink
Not only that, this headset is Huawei’s first wireless Bluetooth headset equipped with NearLink technology. Compared with the traditional Bluetooth headset, it not only supports faster connection but leads to better stability with stronger anti-interference. NearLink, as a new generation of short-range wireless connection technology led and developed by HUAWEI, even comes with lower power consumption, lower delay, wider coverage and easier networking as claimed. The NearLink technology can achieve 20ms of super-low latency, which can be auto-activated when games are launched with FreeBuds Pro 3 if the ‘Dynamic latency’ option is on in the app.
Noise Reduction
As a flagship TWS headset, noise reduction is one of the important criteria to test its quality. HUAWEI has been always the one applying the most aggressive solution for its maximum ANC performance. If its predecessor had already achieved the level of industry excellence, the new Freebuds Pro 3 seems to be almost unrivaled in this regard at this point.
It is equipped with intelligent dynamic noise reduction 3.0, with the powerful computing power of Kirin A2, with the upgraded AI adaptive noise reduction algorithm and three-microphone hybrid noise reduction system, it can accurately identify and calculate the noise inside and outside the ear in real time, and customize the noise reduction effect according to different scenes. Of course, there will still be some background noise in very loud environments, but this problem can be largely avoided once the music is turned on.
The most I’ll complain about is that it’s so quiet that I get addicted to it and miss some of the ambient alerts. So it will be much safer to adapt to the dynamic mode and give your ears time to get used to them.
Furthermore, its in-ear form also provides some passive physical noise reduction, if you choose the right earplugs for your ears.
And thanks to the powerful hardware of HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro3, its noise reduction during calls is also very good. The headset incorporates DNN call noise cancellation algorithms, allowing you to make comfortable HD calls in extremely high-noise environments. Not only that, with the VPU and three microphone system, intelligent processing and distinguishing between high and low-frequency noise, its wind noise resistance is also very good, even when the wind is very strong, users can still clearly talk with the other side.
Battery
In addition, the charging case of HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 3 is still compact, but with a decent capacity of 510mAh. Official data show that in the connection stable priority mode, you can continuously play music for about 33 hours, even in the sound quality priority mode, its battery life can still last 30 hours. At the same time, its charging speed is good. With the empty case, the wired charge only takes 60 minutes to full, and wireless charging takes about 150 minutes.
Other Functions
Of course, FreeBuds Pro3 is also equipped with some features that mainstream flagship wireless Bluetooth headphones have, such as spatial audio, pop-up display when the headset is opened, personalized pop-up theme, intelligent broadcasting and so on. Not only that, this time it also supports offline search headphones, allowing users to add some means of recovery in the case of lost headphones. However, I love this headset very much and will put it away very carefully after use, so I haven’t had a chance to experience this function.
Conclusion
In conclusion, HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro3 can be regarded as one of the best flagship ANC earbuds with its supreme sound quality and noise reduction, and in the case of connecting with Huawei phones, the cross-device experience is relatively perfect. The powerful features of these earbuds are definitely worth the money, but if you don’t have a Huawei phone, you need to decide whether to buy it according to how much you like it and how much you are familiar with Huawei’s software/hardware supports. Personally, the new earbuds have become one of the best companions for commuting, work, and travel.
Make sure you check the earbuds out here if you are interested in having anything I mentioned above.
