Hi everyone, Hope everyone are safe and healthy. We thank everyone for tremendous response to our blog posts. Let’s start a new series called ‘Long-term’ reviews. Today we’ll see long term review of famous TWS from Huawei i.e Freebuds 3i
Image credit: Huawei
1) In the Box Contents:
👉Earbuds,
👉Ear tips x 4 pairs (L, M, S, XS)
👉Charging case,
👉USB-C cable,
👉Quick start guide,
👉Safety information, Warranty card.
2) Design & build:
In comparison to FreeBuds 3, the in-ear style of FreeBuds 3i comes with flexible silicone tips in four different sizes. The device is available in two colors Carbon Black and Ceramic White. It Sports a new pill-shape design. Huawei FreeBuds 3i are at 5.5 g lightweight and feels comfortable. Yes, the smooth finish is slightly plastic and shiny, But build quality gives no reason to fear or worry. They didn’t fall down – and the long stems helped them to stay in place in general. The lightweight construction meant that buds were sufficiently comfortable to wear for extended periods. The back of each bud carries a capacitive touch sensor for touch response. Talking about charging case, it’s smooth finish doesn’t allow you to open easily if your hands are filled with moisture or sweat during workout. Also if your regularly doing workouts using freebuds 3i you might have to clean at least once a month since it’s in-ear type which is common for all earbuds. These are minor things to note.
Double tap to pause the media and answer the call, or hold your finger there to turn on and off the noise-cancelling. It’s simple and reliable. Similar to FreeBuds 3, touch controls can be customized through the Huawei AI Life app, But still no voice control option which is a disappointment. Huawei AI Life app lets you manage all of your smart devices in one place Firmware updates and touch control settings and much more.
Pairing and wear recognition work much more logical. If you are on the Huawei device running EMUI 10 or above then just turn on Bluetooth and open the lid to pair. If not then you can simply hold the button to pair. Once it’s connected then it will connect automatically whenever you open the case while the Bluetooth is on.
4) Sound Quality:
i) About Active Noise Cancellation…
Like the AirPods Pro, Huawei ‘s wireless buds are fitted with a microphone that faces outside to detect background sound and another within the ear. The noise cancelation pair reduces ambient noise to 32dB. Combining twin-mic sound cancellation and a third stem microphone makes the FreeBuds 3i a great alternative to talk with your friends. ANC works well to suppress most low-level background sounds during a call. But note that there is no transparency mode and contrary to FreeBuds 3, the level of noise cancelation cannot be changed by the user.
ii) About Audio output…
With the Bluetooth 5.0 and 10mm dynamic driver the bass levels are lighter compared to the freebuds 3 which had 14mm driver but with mids and trebles are clear and powerful. Due to in-ear type you can feel the richness in music you listen. Also a special mention to mids and treble which were clear. The overall sound quality is good and for the price, I should say its better. Compared to the lower priced earbuds like the oppo enco w31, and the realme earbud. The sound quality outstanding considering the price point which includes the ANC and Awareness mode (ambient mode)
5) Battery Life:
Huawei has reshaped the FreeBuds 3i charging case. The downside is a pretty big battery life decrease. With ANC activated, you will have an average of about three hours. It takes an hour to charge full. The case will provide approximately 14 hours of playback, much less than the 20 hours of FreeBuds 3 case. But Still, it’s very good for the price point.
i) Battery Capacity:
✔ 37 mAh (Typical) (per earbud)
✔ 410 mAh (Typical) (charging case)
ii) Case Charging:
✔ Wired: USB-C
✔ Wireless: No
✔ Earbuds: about 1 hr (Typical)
✔ Total: about 115 min (Typical)
6)Conclusion:
FreeBuds 3i looks like one of the best budget choices in terms of build quality, ANC and overall sound experience. For the price point it is a fantastic lightweight wireless in-ears with excellent noise reduction, stable pairing, and smart auto-pause.
since it has been launched in many regions it’s your decision on the price point of view. I hope this review helps you to take correct decision.
Many more reviews 😃 coming in our blog in upcoming days. To get notified just subscribe to our newsfeed 😉😍
Here is our Freebuds 3i review video:
