[Gadgets] Huawei FreeBuds 5i: TWS in-ear headphones with active noise cancellation

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Huawei FreeBuds 5i turned out to be very successful TWS headphones, considering their price. They offer balanced, pleasant and conductive sound, LDAC codec support, effective active noise cancellation, good battery life and fast charging. The Huawei FreeBuds 5i have a comfortable shape and a light weight. And the IP54 protection allows you to use them for sports. The only possible complaint about the Huawei FreeBuds 5i is the absence of Huawei AI Life's own app on Google Play. Its installation can be a bit tricky for users who have never installed third-party applications. 4 reasons to buy Huawei FreeBuds 5i:

 

Balanced and pleasant sound (considering the price)

Effective active noise cancellation system

Comfortable shape and IP54 protection

Long duration battery

2 reasons not to buy Huawei FreeBuds 5i:

 

Huawei AI Lifeapp is not available on Google Play

You are very picky about sound qualityfast transition:

What is in the box?

What do the Huawei FreeBuds 5i look like?

Are the Huawei FreeBuds 5i easy to use?

How about the sound quality, microphone and noise cancellation?

How long do they last without recharging?

DryThe Huawei FreeBuds 5i come in a small white and red box with an image of the earbuds in the corresponding color and a HiRes Audio certification mark. The box contains a standard set: the earbuds themselves in a case, three pairs of different-sized silicone tips (you shouldn't lose them, we'll explain why later), a USB Type-A to Type-C cable, and documentation.

 

 

What do the Huawei FreeBuds 5i look like?

Externally, the Huawei FreeBuds 5i are very similar to the previous model, the Huawei FreeBuds 4i. These are compact in-ear TWS headphones with touch-sensitive "legs" that house microphones and charging contacts. The headphones are made entirely of shiny plastic. We had a blue version for the review, and it shows no fingerprints. Blacks accumulate them very actively. There is nothing interesting on the outside of the earphones: only the Huawei logos on the tactile areas. Inside, the legs have contacts for charging, microphones, and left-right earphones. Another microphone is located at the top of the headphones, above the sound guide.The sound drivers are set at an angle, as they should be. They are short, but quite wide and do not have a standard oval shape. Unfortunately, third-party tips do not attach to headphones. So you don't have to lose the ones that are included. There are meshes on the sound guides to prevent dirt from entering the earpiece. In addition, there is protection at the tips. There are offset holes near the sound guides.The charging case is compact, oval and flat. It only weighs 33g without headphones. It can be carried comfortably in your pocket, it is almost invisible. In the blue version of the headphones, the case has a nice matte texture and small darker spots. Thanks to this, you will have a well-groomed appearance for a long time. The front has the Huawei logo and an LED indicator for charging or connection mode. On the side there is a single button that activates the connection mode.The lid has a very clear fixation and self-closing in both positions, it does not wobble at all. The earbuds in the case are held by strong magnets and won't fall out even if the case is shaken. The only not so convenient thing is the glossy surface of the headphones. It's hard to get them out. After several tries, it turned out that the best way to get them out is to pull on the silicone tips.At the bottom of the case there is a Type-C connector for charging.There is a proprietary Huawei AI Life app for all settings. Unfortunately, it is not available on Google Play, so you need to download the APK file from the official website by scanning the QR code on the manual. It's not very comfortable. The app has a noise reduction mode switch: noise reduction, off, and surveillance mode (transparency mode). The noise reduction itself has three modes: maximum, balanced, and comfortable. There are also settings for touch gestures and software updates. The Connection Center is responsible for configuring the priority device and switching when two devices are connected simultaneously. In the "Sound quality" option you can select the priority of the sound quality or the connection. Next is thethe equalizer. Although it is very primitive: in fact, there is only the possibility of enhancing the low or high frequencies. "Headphone Search" allows you to play the sound on each of them. This is really useful if the headset gets lost somewhere in the room. The earphone fit test will help you choose the best pair of earphones. In the "Settings" option, you can activate the "Usage detection" function: playback will stop automatically if you remove the earphone from your ear. You can then turn on low audio delay and see what codec is used for streaming. This is really useful if the headset gets lost somewhere in the room. The earphone fit test will help you choose the best pair of earphones. In the "Settings" option, you can activate the "Use detection" function: playback will stop automatically if you remove the earphone from your ear.There is a 55mAh battery inside each earbud, and the case is equipped with a 410mAh battery. Huawei promises that the headphones can work up to 6 hours with noise cancellation and up to 7.5 hours without it. Together with the case, these figures are 18.5 and 28 hours, respectively. They support fast charging: 15 minutes in the case provide 4 hours of music. It takes one hour to fully charge the headphones and just under two hours to charge the case. Actual operating time depends on volume, data codec, etc. I got about 5 hours with LDAC, volume at about 85%.

 

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