Still as renowned in Asia, Huawei has lost its luster in Europe, jostled by American sanctions. Having become almost non-existent on the smartphone market, the former number 1 is betting everything on its ecosystem, in particular its audio products.
For its 2023 return, the Chinese giant is launching the Freebuds 5i, wireless headphones with active noise reduction, successors to the surprising Freebuds 4i. Their particularity: they cost less than 100 euros. We tested them for a few weeks.
Huawei Freebuds 5i price and availability
© Lemon squeezer
The Freebuds 5i are available since January 16, 2023 at a price of 99.99 euros. They are available in three colours: Porcelain White, Nebulous Black and Lagoon Blue (our test model).
For their launch and until February 14, 2023 Huawei is offering a black hard protective case worth 20 euros.
Huawei Freebuds 5i at the best price
Base price: €99
See more offers
What we love about Huawei Freebuds 5i
Their design
© Lemon squeezer
Aesthetically, the Freebuds 5i are very similar to their predecessors. Same pebble-shaped case, same format, they are apparently identical. However, Huawei has revised some design elements to make them even more comfortable on a daily basis.
Lighter (4.9 g against 5.5 g), they are housed in a matte case, more pleasant in the hand and less messy than the shiny coating of the Freebuds 4i. Special mention to the speckled colors of the most beautiful effect.
The headphones have also had a small slimming cure. Their stem is 7 mm shorter and the head is more streamlined to fit better in the ear.
The behavior of the Freebuds 5i is also exemplary. The semi-intra headphones fit perfectly in the hollow of the ear without creating a plug effect. A good point for those who do not like headphones that are too intrusive.
The Freebuds 5i are therefore very comfortable on a daily basis. They can accompany you in your daily life as well as during sports sessions.
Their sound quality
© Lemon squeezer
Who says affordable headphones don’t deliver great sound? Huawei has already proven the opposite with its Freebuds 4i. The new generation goes further thanks to a slightly revised architecture.
Rounder, the sound puts more emphasis on the bass and high mids, even if it means neglecting the treble a little. We won’t complain about it since the Freebuds 4i tended to force a little on the high frequencies, sometimes to the point of attacking our eardrums.
With the Freebuds 5i, the sound is more enveloping, more pleasant. Huawei seems to have struck a better balance for all types of listening. Whether you’re streaming music, a video or a podcast, the sound delivered is always convincing. A great surprise !
The Huawei AI Life app
The Freebuds 5i come with the AI Life app available on the App Store and the App Gallery, Huawei’s app store. If you don’t have it on your Android smartphone, you will have to install it first, as AI Life is not available on the Play Store.
Once installed, AI Life is as simple as it is effective. In a minimalist interface, we access various parameters allowing us to optimize our use of the headphones.
We find the classic Ambient noise control, Customization of gestures or Find my headphones. Above all, AI Life provides access to an equalizer, or rather, Equalizer Effects. You can choose between three listening modes: Default, Bass Boost, Treble Boost. We would have liked a more complete equalizer, but for headphones at 99 euros, we will be satisfied with it.
What we like less about Huawei Freebuds 5i
Autonomy blah blah
© Lemon squeezer
On its official website, Huawei promises a battery life of 6 hours with noise reduction activated. In the facts we’re getting closer to 5 o’clock (with a wet finger). Without the noise reduction, we reach 7 to 8 hours of listening which places the Freebuds 5i in the soft underbelly of the market.
Of course, the headphones can be recharged directly in their case up to three times, for a total of 21 to 24 hours without noise reduction or 15 hours with noise reduction. Charging the case is done via USB-C and only takes a few tens of minutes.
Like all headphones, the autonomy of the Freebuds 5i will depend on your listening habits. We performed our tests with the volume pushed to a maximum of 75% and with noise reduction activated half the time. The more you increase the volume, the more you use the noise reduction, the more the autonomy decreases.
Active noise reduction
© Lemon squeezer
Yes, despite their contained price, the Freebuds 5i are well equipped with active noise reduction technology. We can already salute the performance as it is rare in this price segment.
Huawei also announces a reduction in external noise of around 42 dB SPL, performance that would be impressive for headphones under 100 euros. By ear, we can already see that the attenuation is far from reaching 42 dB. To find out, we compared the noise reduction of the Freebuds 5i to that of the AirPods Pro 2 which indicate on our Apple Watch the number of dB lost. If the Freebuds 5i reach 25 dB, it’s already a miracle.
In use, the noise reduction falters especially by its inability to eliminate low frequencies (train, cars, plane, ventilation, traffic), i.e. all the continuous sounds that bother us the most. On the other hand, it is effective when it comes to attenuating high frequencies (treble) and mediums (voice, keyboard keys, etc.).
In reality, the integration of an active noise reduction questions. Because if we compare it to passive isolation (obtained simply by the in-ear format of the headphones), the attenuation is more or less identical on the low and high frequencies.
Finally, the “transparent” mode promises to listen to music or hold a conversation while hearing the surrounding noise. In reality, this mode mainly amplifies voices but stifles low and high frequencies. Nice try, but the execution remains to be reviewed.
Telephone conversations
© Lemon squeezer
To date, no model of wireless headphones has managed to convince us in the field of telephone conversations. Some brands manage to hold their own (Apple with its AirPods Pro for example), but in the realm of the blind, the one-eyed person is king.
Unfortunately for Huawei (and for us), the Freebuds 5i do not shine in this exercise either. In a closed and quiet environment, you can make yourself heard intelligibly even if the voice comes out with a slight bubble effect. In more concrete terms, our interlocutors asked us several times if we called them from the WC. Nice.
It is therefore logical that conversations are even more complex outdoors or in noisy environments. The microphones never succeed in dissociating the voice from the surrounding noises. For our interlocutors, the conversations are more like a mush of extraneous noise with a voice trying to be heard in the middle. We’ll come back.
Huawei Freebuds 5i at the best price
Base price: €99
See more offers
Our opinion on the Huawei Freebuds 5i
Like their predecessors, the Freebuds 5i shine with their excellent value for money. Elegant and comfortable, the new wireless earphones from Huawei are distinguished by their excellent sound quality for a product sold below 100 euros.
Of course, they suffer from a few flaws such as their somewhat tight autonomy, the quality of telephone conversations close to disaster or even the active noise reduction that could be improved. But for a price of 99 euros, difficult to find better on the market. We therefore warmly recommend the Freebuds 5i to those wishing to equip themselves with wireless headphones at a lower cost.
