There are many ways open earbuds can evolve, one of them is getting smaller and lighter. By doing that, it takes a lot of engineering and testing. So here in the review, let’s look at the HUAWEI FreeClip 2, a pair of new open earbuds that are even smaller and lighter, and have better sound quality.
Design
Not like a phone, you can immediately tell whether it’s big or small. For earbuds, most of the cases are already small enough for anybody actually. But the FreeClip 2’s case is even smaller than the last gen. The way it achieves that is by relocating the earbuds in a new way. As you can see, the earbuds are kind of forming a cross inside the case, so they take up less space. Even if the earbuds are placed that way, you can still just grab either of them by the speaker unit, then take them out, put them on your ears easily like a breeze. And don’t get it wrong, when you take one out, it does not tag the other one along. By comparison, the earbuds of last gen are like sitting there facing down, for you to take them out easily.
The other thing I have noticed is that, this little bean-shaped side is smaller than the last gen, which also contributes to the size control a lot. But don’t worry, the mellow curve is still there, they still hug your ears gently.
The overall build quality is still top-notch, the color is very refreshing, and the finish is really fine. I am glad they went with this leather texture on the case. Maybe you will not want to put another protective case on it, because it’s not easy to get scratched.
One slight pity in the colors though, there were many refreshing colors like the rose gold and purple, but this time there are the blue, white and black. For the last gen, I think they were definitely a fashionable item, but it is more minimalist this time.
Sound Quality
My first impression of sound quality is that it is very much in line with in-ears, if not better. The vocals are pretty crisp and stand out, the highs and mids are also very good. And because there is a 10.8mm powerful dual-diaphragm driver inside, it claims to cover the frequency response range: 20 Hz to 20 kHz, I can tell the bass is definitely punchier than the last gen. The other benefit of the dual driver is that the volume is much bigger, big enough that people can definitely hear you if it is too big.
And the other thing that contributes to the sound quality is the “C-bridge”. To my personal experience, the earbuds actually clip on my ears tighter, and the speaker unit is facing directly into my ear canal, so it feels like the music is playing like in-ears.
There is also a feature called Adaptive Volume. We’ve seen this in AirPods Pro, but my personal experience tells me that this feature is not to my taste. Because for in-ear type earbuds, the sound is mostly blocked anyway, and you want to focus on the music, so volume change is just awkward.
Wearing Comfort
One thing open earbuds do great is in good wearing comfort. First of all, each earbud weighs only 5.1g. I know when the number comes to this stage, it doesn’t matter. But it is indeed 0.5g lighter than the last gen. Still, you won’t feel much of its presence, since they are not in your ears.
The touch controls are in two areas, the bridge and the bean. If you are playing the music, taps on the bridge can trigger different features. But the volume control is actually in the bean; you swipe up and down to change the volume. This can be a very smart design, but be careful when you change volume; don’t swipe too hard, otherwise the earbuds will shift position, then you will have to move them a little bit.
Features
It says there is an NPU AI processor dedicated to processing, which is used for automatic volume control and adaptive voice enhancement. But these two features are still experimental, still not available for regular use. There is an option for you to enable them in the App.
Since the two earbuds are identical, you can wear them at either ear. There isn’t a difference between left and right. This is a very thoughtful feature. There are also controls initiated by head movement; you nod to accept calls, shake your head to reject calls. There are also many other features embedded in the App, even a custom listening profile. There are also wear detection and find earbuds features.
Summary
I would say the HUAWEI FreeClip 2 is truly flagship-level, from the build quality to the listening experience. You can really see the innovation in the material choices and the overall finish, and the speaker unit is also very well-made. The control features are very thoughtful. I never knew the touch control could be made in an area as thin as the C-bridge. The App experience is identical across all devices. If you are looking for a pair of good open earbuds, give these a serious consideration.
