HUAWEI FreeBuds 2 Pro
RM899.00
Pros
- Superb bass
- Great clarity
- IP54 rated
- Long lasting battery
- High resolution codec
Cons
- A little pricey
This is one True Wireless Earbud that surprised me. I didn’t get to try the first version of FreeBuds thus I won’t be able to make the comparison between the two. But I can assure you this new HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 is something else. My first impression of the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 is the colour variant that I received for this review. Known as Silver Blue, this seems to be the featured colour in their key visuals. Other available colours are Silver Frost and Ceramic White.
First Look
The battery case looks like a pebble, more of a rounded rectangular shape rather than oval but the size is just about right in my opinion. The pocketable size is not bulky and it fits in my jeans pocket comfortably. The earbuds however, are shiny. Based on the same Silver Blue as the battery case, the earbuds look glossy. At certain angles and lighting, it looks more blue-ish and at times, it’s purple-ish in colour.
I like the different shades of colour on the earbuds when viewing at certain angles and lighting conditions. It’s just something unique for an earbud. No complaints there. The silicone buds are in the same colour as well and it came with 2 sets of different sized spares in the box. Also, there’s the USB-C charging cable included too.
First thing that I did was pairing it with the HUAWEI nova Y90 that I also have for review. I figured, why not pair it with a HUAWEI device, right? And pairing the two took less than 5 minutes. The simplest method of pairing the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 is to pair it via the Bluetooth settings on the phone. Simply open the battery case without taking out the earbuds and look it up in the Bluetooth settings. Hit “Pair” and you’re done.
The better and recommended method of pairing is to download the HUAWEI AI Life app on your phone first. Once downloaded, open up the app and tap on the “+” icon in the main screen. Look for the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 (should read as Nemo) and pair it up. Once that’s done, you can configure how you want the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 to be set up. From here, you can also adjust the EQ and check out the ANC features. You’re basically done from here onwards.
All you have to do now is to fire up any music app such as Spotify or Tidal to give it a test.
Sound Check and Features
I have my Spotify ready and I start off with Metallica’s Enter Sandman at full blast. Those who have read my TWS reviews recently will know how I like my bass. Just pure hard solid bass will satisfy my eardrums. And when the music begins, the drums in the beginning of the song sounded so good. The strong hard bass is exactly what I’ve been looking for. There is only one other TWS that I reviewed recently that can match up with this HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2. Perhaps, they are both on par for superb bass.
My first test with the earbuds is satisfactory. This is because HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 adopts the industry’s first integrated Ultra-hearing True Sound Dual Driver which adopts two ultra-hearing driver units for bass and treble notes that work separately in perfect cohesion. It is equipped with an 11mm quad-magnet dynamic driver unit and a voice coil planar unit which was only previously used in high-end headphones.
The 11mm quad-magnet dynamic driver unit boosts driving force by 30% compared with that on the previous product, delivering 14Hz of booming bass. In terms of the voice coil design of the diaphragm, HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2’s voice coil planar unit drives the diaphragm to new heights, boosting the driven area by six times when compared with standard driver units, for sky-high transient response and more enriching details.
Speaking of details, the highs and vocals are equally superb. When you turn up the volume to the max, you will usually get the crackling or breaking sound on your earphone or headphone, right? This is usually the case with cheap products and feels like you’re being cheated for some cheap bucks. But none of that is happening with the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2. Your money will be very much well spent on a TWS this good.
HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 also supports LDAC high-resolution codec, with a maximum audio transmission rate of 990kbds/96kHz/24bit. It effectively reduces the delay and deterioration in audio transmission, enabling overall details in music to be well preserved and presented in high-fidelity sound. The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 supports high-resolution audio transmission, awarded with HWA and Hi-Res Audio Wireless Certification.
It’s no wonder that the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 felt a little different for me. And it’s not only in terms of good looks. The noise cancelling capabilities have also been upgraded from the previous version. This time, HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 comes with new upgraded ANC capabilities. With this new earbud, users get to experience revolutionary active noise cancellation experience and also a more intimate intelligent noise cancellation experience with the Intelligent Dynamic ANC 2.0.
I have tested the ANC’s capabilities and it does isolate the ambient noise really well. So well that I thought I’d gone deaf when there’s no music being played. However, I will usually have the earbud on Awareness mode so that I can still at least hear something. But there are 4 different modes for the ANC and when it’s on. You can have it on Dynamic that can automatically adjust the ANC based on your surroundings.
There’s also Cosy – for places with little noise, General – for somewhat noisy places and Ultra – for extremely noisy places. HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 even offers a unique Voice Mode, which can properly reduce the ambient sound so I can hear other people’s voices clearly.
Through the Intelligent dynamic ANC 2.0 system, the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 is able to perform real-time ear canal characteristics detection based on downstream music and voice signals to automatically match the appropriate noise cancellation curve. This allows me to experience personalised noise cancellation based on my ear canals.
If you have more than one device, you can actually connect the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 up to two devices at the same time and can automatically switch between the two devices, making it easy and convenient. With HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2, you can stay connected with two of the devices to maintain efficiency. When you’re working, learning, or exercising, you can freely switch between the two devices.
Like me, I have the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 connected to the HUAWEI nova Y90 and my laptop at the same time. I listen to music from the laptop and in case there’s any call coming in on the phone, I can straight away answer it with the earbuds. So convenient.
And when I’m at work, I always prefer to listen to music. So 90% of the time I will have an earbud stuck in my ear. In this case, I have the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 as my go-to audio companion. Being in the office all day requires great battery endurance. The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 comes with a 55mAh battery in each earbud and 580mAh for the battery case. The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 has a battery life of up to 30 hours of listening time. It supports both wired and wireless fast charging technologies.
Also good to note that the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 is IP54 splash and sprinkle resistance so if you’re out on a workout or a job, no sweat can stop it from working. You can even go out for a job in the light rain. Just don’t be silly taking it out during a thunderstorm.
Conclusion
The HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 is a huge surprise for me. The kind of audio quality that it produced are meant for audio engineers or musicians. I’m not exaggerating here, it’s just my own personal opinion. If you’re an audio engineer, go ahead and give it a go. For a wireless earbud, the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 performed way above my expectations.
Of course, nothing can beat the wired headphone from the true audio makers out there. But for a TWS such as the HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2, it sets the bar up really high. It’s only a matter of time for another TWS maker to come up with something better. And things can only get better from hereon. But before that can happen, they will have a lot to catch up to HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 right here. It is now my numero uno choice for a True Wireless Stereo.
You can get the new HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2 from HUAWEI’s office site right now and it is retailing for RM899.00
