Huawei Freebuds 4i review: Small package, big sound

Another day, another pair of wireless buds; such is the popularity of the audio category that Apple more or less invented that every Tom, Dick, and Huawei wants in on the action.

Enter the Freebuds 4i – a new pair of wireless headphones that sit just below Huawei’s more expensive Freebuds Pro option. They promise wireless tunes and active noise cancellation, for a price tag that won’t break the bank.

But – the world is awash with wireless headphones. What makes these Huawei Freebuds special? And are they worth a place in your pocket?

Huawei Freebuds 4i review: Design

At this point in gadget history, there is little revolutionary about a pair of wireless earbuds that sit in a pebble-sized gadget case. In this case, that’s very much true.

The Freebuds come in either white, black or red – and their case is incredibly compact. The black pair especially looks rather premium, and I do enjoy the contrast to Apple’s generic white.

The case feels good in the hand, and it opens and closes with a satisfying magnetic snap.

There is one niggle however, and it’s the same niggle I had with the Freebuds Pro. Getting them out the case can be a real chore, down to how slippery the glossy plastic is. Either that, or the magnet that Huawei has going for it is far too strong.

Seriously, it will take you a few tries to learn the exact right way to pull them out of the case.

Huawei Freebuds 4i review: Audio Quality

This pair comes with 10mm dynamic coil drivers, along with something that Huawei calls ‘sensitive polymer composing diaphragm.” In non-tech speak, that means the internals are made of a material that will produce better audio than other wireless earbuds.

In practice, that claim isn’t too far off the truth. Audio is pleasant, and they can get big and bassy when they want to.

Active noise cancelling works a treat, and does a decent job of masking out sounds of a busy workplace or traffic on the street. But as always, a lot of that has to do with the level of snugness they are in your ears – so pay attention when you select the right size rubber ear tip from the box.

Huawei Freebuds 4i review: Battery

Battery life here is stellar. With noise cancellation on, we got around eight hours of use – and if you plug them back into the battery case you’ll get a top-level 22 hours of music playback. And that’s with noise cancelling on. Turn that off and you’re looking at a pair of buds that can deliver wireless audio for days and days.

But, if you do insist on running them dry, don’t fret. Thanks to fast charging, just ten minutes of juice will provide you with four hours of playback.

Huawei Freebuds 4i review: Verdict

Huawei’s Freebuds 4i are a pretty solid value proposition if you’re after a pair of wireless buds. They do everything they are told, and they do it well. And if you’re willing to sacrifice having the absolute best, money-no-object audio quality for incredible battery and a pint-sized package, then these are the buds for you.