Why Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 BEATS AirPods Pro 3 - Review
The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 beats the AirPods Pro 3 in one area - microphone pickup in extremely noisy conditions. Yes, in less noisy conditions, the AirPods mics are quite good and they can also capture wideband audio when paired to an Apple device so more of the dynamics in your voice gets captured. On the other hand, the Freebuds Pro 5’s superpower is, if you’re making calls in extremely noisy conditions, the other party will still be able to hear you perfectly, like you’re in a quiet room, something that the AirPods cannot manage, because of overly aggressive noise gating that makes voice pickup sound super choppy. 👉 Listen to the mic quality samples on the loud enviroment
The Huawei is also better than the AirPods on Android devices when both voice captures are using the same Handsfree protocol (HFP).
So that was one area which the Huaweis were better at, now we’re going to look at how they compare to the AirPods Pro 3 in terms of features and performance, specifically their noise canceling, sound quality and transparency. So buckle up!
Active Noise Cancelling
In terms of noise canceling, the AirPods Pro 3 simply beats the Freebuds Pro 5. It’s just quieter in all scenarios, even on the plane, canceling more noise across the board from the low frequency rumble of vehicles to human chatter. In fact, human chatter comes through a bit more on the Huawei due to this gap in noise canceling in the 1.7khz range.
Honestly, it’s just the fit. The AirPods Plug in securely and deeply, whereas the FreeBuds Pro 5 has a lighter fit, which means it’s more about the accuracy and speed of the noise canceling algorithm, whereas the AirPods has both accuracy, speed, and great noise blocking from the eartips.
👉 Listen to the ANC sound quality
Transparency Mode
As for transparency mode, they’re quite comparable and the Huawei’s passthrough is quite good. It feels natural so all the environmental sounds don’t sound occluded or exaggerated, face to face convos also sound natural through the earbuds, so it’s pretty good. The AirPods’ is still a little better because the passthrough has more clarity and airiness, much closer to not wearing earbuds at all than the FreeBuds Pro 5.
Sound Quality
In terms of sound quality on their default settings, to my ears at least, the Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 sounds better. It’s got a heavier signature in the bass and lower mids, separation is better in the mids so vocals are crisper, more distinct, and background details shine brighter whereas the same details in the soundstage sound a little dark and recessed on the AirPods Pro 3.
To put it simply, the Huawei sounds more visceral whereas the AirPods Pro 3 sounds a bit more veiled. Mostly likely because the Huawei uses dual-drivers so track separation will sound more clean to begin with. I’m not saying the AirPods Pro 3 sounds bad. I use the AirPods Pro 3 often because they sound awesome too, but it sounds a little less engaging to pampered listeners than the Huawei.
👉 Listen to the sound quality samples
EQ Settings
What I also prefer about the Huawei is how customizable it is in the sound department, from the many presets it offers, to the graphic EQ which made it possible for me to create my own preset in a far more granular way. In this area, it is a much stronger choice than the AirPods, because the AirPods has very limited sound quality settings, and only on Apple devices can you perform any settings and updates to the AirPods.
Which leads me to another area where the Huawei is better - app support on both iOS and Android. On Android, it’s a little more tricky because you’ll have to download Huawei’s app loader from their website, then download the AI Life app from there, but the AirPods don’t even get an app on Android in any way, shape, or form.
Features
From the perspective of features also, the Huawei supports Hi-Res audio codecs like the common LDAC, and L2HC which is specific to Huawei phones, and they have true multipoint pairing, being able to connect to two devices at the same time, whereas the AirPods limits that to Apple devices only, but it can be connected to as many Apple devices as you have in range, so long as they’re logged in to the same Apple ID.
Why I still choose AirPods Pro 3?
So given that the Huawei is better in some important areas, why do I prefer the AirPods Pro 3 over the Huawei? First, they have the best noise canceling in earbuds right now. Second, they fit a lot better for me because I prefer a plug in design that stays plugged in, versus a looser fit that gradually shifts out of position because the noise canceling and bass stays the same throughout.
And finally, I am daily driving the iPhone, and use the iPad as my secondary device, so it’s super seamless transitioning the audio between them using the AirPods Pro 3, as well as having notifications read out to me by Siri. But what do you think? Based on what you’ve seen, is the Huawei Freebuds Pro 5 and its killer microphones a better choice than the AirPods Pro 3?
Check latest price:
Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5 - Link TBA (Amazon)
AirPods Pro 3 - https://amzn.to/4oB4xHL
